Quick help please!!

[hilltop452]

I am new to corals. I have a 38-gallon under a 175-watt MH. 2 days ago I put a new 14k bulb in my tank. I also added a toadstool leather. Yesterday he was fine. This morning he is closed up and droping. I noticed some yellow-green spots with brown tips on him. Have I bleached him? How should I break in the new bulb without hurting the coral?

 

[mr . salty]

Thats an alot of light over a small tank.Especially with LOW LIGHT corals like shrooms.I would try to put them under a rockshelf to shade them a bit and see if they do better.

 

[burnnspy]

Reduce the lighting time and build up every few days.
I run 175watt 12000k in a 29gal tank no problems.
BurnNSpy

 

[bobber]

I agree, a gradual increase of lighting time. Each day add a half hour to an hour of light time. This will allow the coral to get used to the lighting. He may need to be moved even after the exposure time. Leathers are better in moderate lighting. HTH--Bob

 

[sbustobante]

Going back to your leather problem - are the spots soft and mushy, or hard? If they are soft, you've got necrosis in the bleached areas or a bacterial infection, which is relatively common in freshly imported leathers. Rinse of the rotted spots in SALT water, not fresh, or cut them out like you would with a rotted banana. Swab them with iodine solution like Lugol's before putting it back in your tank.