How long can leather corals stay out of water?

[alyrchd]

I need to clean a rock out of water since it's full of GHA and I estimate it will take about 30 minutes to scrape it all off, spray H2O2, let it sit, then rinse with SW.
I also have a mushroom on this rock but since it's on the lower part I can keep it submerged.

Also, is spraying H2O2 really needed? I have algae around my mushroom but I know they're sensitive so I don't want to spray there.

Thanks!

I came to the conclusion that my algae problems are due to my RO water being 13ppm so I hope that after I clean this rock and use 0ppm water they will not come back.

 

[blaxsun]

It'll be dead in 30 minutes. I'd try to keep it to a few minutes (max).

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

It'll be dead in 30 minutes. I'd try to keep it to a few minutes (max).

I respectfully disagree. As long as you can keep the mushroom (which is not a leather, btw) submerged most of the time like you plan to or spray it with water every five minutes or so, and you avoid getting H2O2 on the coral for an extended period, you'll be fine
This month I moved the contents of my 90 gallon tank into a new one and I did exactly what you're planning -- took each rock and used tweezers and a toothbrush to remove as much algae and other buildup as possible, rinsing several times in tank water as I worked. Sprayed the peroxide last and then put the rock in the new tank. I didn't let the peroxide sit very long and tried to avoid getting any on the coral (I used a different more careful method for sensitive corals but pny mushroom rocks, this was fine.)

 

[alyrchd]

I respectfully disagree. As long as you can keep the mushroom (which is not a leather, btw) submerged most of the time like you plan to or spray it with water every five minutes or so, and you avoid getting H2O2 on the coral for an extended period, you'll be fine
This month I moved the contents of my 90 gallon tank into a new one and I did exactly what you're planning -- took each rock and used tweezers and a toothbrush to remove as much algae and other buildup as possible, rinsing several times in tank water as I worked. Sprayed the peroxide last and then put the rock in the new tank. I didn't let the peroxide sit very long and tried to avoid getting any on the coral (I used a different more careful method for sensitive corals but pny mushroom rocks, this was fine.)

Sorry if it sounded confusing but i mean my mushroom can remain submerged but my leather in on top of the rock so it wouldn’t be possible!

Thanks for the tips, will definitely use them tomorrow

 

[i cant think]

It'll be dead in 30 minutes. I'd try to keep it to a few minutes (max).

Honestly, I disagree as well, go to any tropical place like Australia and look at the reefs during a low tide (Specifically a neap tide) and just see how many Soft corals are burning in the Australian sun. You’d be surprised at how long these corals can survive out of water as long as they’re kept damp.

Sorry if it sounded confusing but i mean my mushroom can remain submerged but my leather in on top of the rock so it wouldn’t be possible!

Thanks for the tips, will definitely use them tomorrow

In this situation, the best thing to do is every few minutes just dip the leather in the water and make sure it doesn’t dry up and Atleast remains damp. Another thing I’ve done when forming a scape is taking kitchen roll and just spraying it with salt water to dampen it then covering the coral with it, this keeps a humid and moist environment where the coral can’t dry up. The third thing I’ve done is just spraying the coral with salt water every 5 or so minutes. With soft corals you could probably get away with reducing this to 10 minutes.

 

[ScubaFish802]

When I transferred to my current tank I was able to keep some easier SPS out of the water for somewhere around that length of time. I had a spray bottle and a small cup and just dumped water over them every 5 mins or so until I could get them back under water again

 

[ScottJ]

You can use a Q tip to apply the H2O2 in an area right near a coral. That way you can control it better than with a spray.

 

[jayman19]

These corals go through low tides and produce a mucus to protect themselves. A half hour I’d be nervous but spray it every couple mins

 

[blaxsun]

As I understood the question was leaving the coral completely exposed (dry) for at least 30 minutes. Based on that, it ain't gonna be a happy coral. Now if you're occasionally re-immersing (or spraying) it in water - different story...