How long can corals stay out of water

[Jazeel55]

I need to catch a fish and the traps haven't been effective. I going to drain tank how long can corals stay out of water to drain enough water to catch fish. It's a butterfly fish yes in a reef tank I know I know bad idea. Wife thought it was a pretty fish and surprised me yes I was very surprised!!!!

 

[marrone]

It depends on the coral, as some can stay out quite awhile without any problems. The best things to do is to drain someone water into a container, and then place the corals in there. If you think you can catch the fish fairly fast, after draining the tank, then it shouldn't be a problem with the coral, but if you have sponges in the tank you need to make sure they stay underwater, as some can die if exposed to air.

 

[Jazeel55]

No sponges just mostly LPS and softies. 210 gallon most of the coral are attached to big rocks.

 

[marrone]

If it's mostly LPS and softies I wouldn't worry about it. If you have things like Forgspawns and Hammers, or other corals that expand, turn off the lights for a while, that way they will retrack somewhat, also this will make it easier to catch the fish.

 

[Jazeel55]

Yeah I do have a few hammers and frogspawns thanks for advice. Do you want a butterfly fish

 

[marrone]

Thanks, but no, but I'm sure someone else will, or maybe bring it back to the store and see if you can get some type of credit for it.