Water change in reef tanks?

I see lots of reef tanks around the forum & the FS's too(specifically sps it seems like). Many filled with corals to the top of the water. I know that when corals reach the waterline, they stop growing upward. But how do you guys do water changes w/o hurting the corals, exposing them to the air? Do you have like water going in & out on a drip line, 24/7?

I was just curious..:

 

I learned (from someone on this forum) to do my changes from the sump. That works marvelously. If you don't have a sump, coral can be exposed for longer than you think. At least a good 45 min but probably up to an hour.

 

doesnt exposing them to the air not hurt them? i think it might have been limpitsreef that had a video of i think fiji at low tide, corals everywhere out of the water

 

Oh I wasn't sure. I've always thought of corals under water, so I guess, I would assume air would hurt them.(which wouldn't make sense when putting corals in the tank. lol)

I also forgot about the sump..water level in the tank remains constant, while return section is the only one that changes.

 

good point Seano, I often wondered this as I do WC on my sumpless 55g. My water line never puts any corals or nems out of water but I get pretty close. K+ for inquiring!

 

heres the vid, fyi:

YouTube - Corals at low tide Fiji

 

Man, I can't wait to actually start my build. :-/ Big plans!

 

Pretty much only sponges and some gorgonians can't touch air... anything else is fair game.

Everyone of my corals touched air between the bag and my tank anyway...

(some LPS might require you to annoy them to suck in first)

 

many coral(MOSTLY SPS ) are exposed to air in thier natural environment during low tide,sometimes daily. Sps have this slimmy coating that keeps them wet during this time period. Im not sure about all softies but most of them can be exposed to water for several minutes just not to long. Do NOT expose clams or sponges in the air because they can form airpockets in them leading them unable to digust the food and they starve to death.

 

So when adding a clam or sponge do you just put it in a bucket or container & then mix a bit of the water from LFS(where the clam came from) & add it keeping it always under water?