Shrinking corals

[tkmak]

OK, I am not a newbie but I never really knew the answer to this one.

My reef has a variety of SPS, LPS, softies, and Zoas besides the swimming and crawling tankmates.

Throughout the day, the finger leather will shrink down and shrivel up, the acropora will retract back into the calcified fingers, my red flowerpot gonio will retract, the pulsing Xenia will shrivel up, etc. Just about all of them except both my frogspawns.

They don't all do it at once - they just do it from time to time and they open up fully later. You never see shrunken corals in the fish store.

I can't say with any great level of confidence that I dont have pests - but they all seem healthy otherwise.

Is this normal under healthy conditions?

H20 quality is perfect. 1.025, 8.0-8.2 pH, untrac nitrites/nitrate/ammonia/phos. 80.1 degrees. 50gal w/ 250 20k mh and (2) 65w actinics, euroreef skimmer, Geo 12" CaRx, oceanclear mech, 20g refug, 1/3hp chiller, reefkeeper2, 80 lbs live rock.

 

[skinz78]

Hmm

What is you Cal Alk and Mag at?

 

[saltybell]

I have a similar coral selection as you and all my leathers and some other corals do as you describe. I have had my corals for a long time, so I wouldn't worry about it. It seems to be normal. Sometimes the leathers will stay closed for days when they are "shedding".

 

[luke33]

Most of my lps and softies do this. They come out and fully extend about an hour after lights come on and they close up a few hrs after lights out. I can pry tell you what time it is by looking at them they are so scheduled : )