Auto Doser Left On -Too Much Clacium

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by OnlyTono, Aug 2, 2014.

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  1. OnlyTono

    OnlyTono Spaghetti Worm

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    So, I made a dumb mistake, I needed to raise my calcium level, and I decided a good course of action might be to manually turn the dosing pump on for about 30 minutes to add 40 ml or so of calcium. Then, of course life happened and I promptly forgot.

    I figured it out a few hours later. The pump had dropped approximately 360mL of Continuum Liquid Calcium Supliment. (http://www.continuumaquatics.com/marine_ca/reefbasis_calcium.php)

    This brought the Calcium level in my tank from around 340ppm, to around 490-500ppm, in a few hours.

    I'm not to concerned about the level at which it's at, but rather the rate at which it was increased. Lights are out right now, so I can really tell if any of the corals look out of shape. And I wont have the ability to do water changes until late morning tomorrow at the soonest.

    My questions are:
    • What, if any issues might I expect to see with the coral - it's mixed reef that leans heavily to the softy side ?(mostly because my calcium has always been low)
    • Will the fast changes have any effect on the fish
    • Should adjust any of the other parameters to help balance things out, ie Alk, Mag?
    • Should just stop worrying because it's not big deal?
    My tank specs can be viewed on my AquaticLog profile linked below.

    The entire system has an approximate water volume of about 140 gallons

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    I would look for signs of stress and do a WC if you see it. You may be able to get away with the rapid change. Your Mg and SG appear to be a little on the low side also. Raising your Mg to around 1300 to 1400 will help with Ca stability. Definitely work hard on keeping your Ca around 420 to 450. Your SG will probable work itself out when you get Mg and Ca within recommended levels.
     
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  4. OnlyTono

    OnlyTono Spaghetti Worm

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    Thank for the response.

    The Mag was a bit low, but I've been dosing over the past week, and expect it to be somewhere in the range of 1270 - 1290. I have not tested it yet though.

    Assuming it's where I expect to find it, do you think it would be advantageous to dose Mag to bring it up to the 1300, or would that be adding another variable to the issue at hand potentially causing more stress?
     
  5. Kevin_E

    Kevin_E Giant Squid

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    With how fast itvwent in, some may have precipitated out. I wouldn't worry. I've risen calcium by 75 ppm in one shot before. Softies are tough.
     
  6. OnlyTono

    OnlyTono Spaghetti Worm

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    That's entirely possible, but I'm, not seeing any precipitation as of yet. Of course it's hard to tell for sure with the lights out.

    I did a quick Mag test and it came in at around 1295, just about where I expected to find it.

    Other observations:Acans are pretty shriveled up - more so than usual at this time of night. They look like they are closed about as tight as they can manage.
    • MY large palythoa grandis colony, closed up and went limp and remained that way until just a little while ago, but seems to be opening up a bit
    • Med/large Yellow Fiji leather is shriveled, buy not much more than normal for this time of night.
    • All Zoanthids are closed up - but again, night just be the time of night.
    • My ORP is lower than usual for this time of night, but rising
    • PH was where I would have expected it, but dropped faster than normal after lights out. Basically went from it's normal high of around 8.15 to it's normal low of around 8, in a few hours, instead of the normal 7-8 hours it takes to make that swing. PH levels are good, just noting abnormal the rate of change.
     
  7. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    One thing I would look for is a possible drop in alk. Alk gets used up 20 times the rate of ca. So if there was any precipitation, alk could drop. Lower alk could also affect the rate of change in pH. Sounds like the risk is minor and could be easier fixed with some water changes than trying to adjust chemistry by dosing.
     
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  9. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    +2 to ^^^
     
  10. OnlyTono

    OnlyTono Spaghetti Worm

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    Yep - tested Alk this morning and it has dropped. I tested it twice and it came out to somewhere between 2.8 and 2.9 meq/L. That's not horrible, and still within acceptable ranges (all be it on the low side).
    • PH is lower than normal this morning - sitting around 7.95, but not any worse than when we have a lot of people in the house. The swing is likely just a result of the lower Alk lowing the buffing capacity of the water.
    • most corals are looking pretty normal right now - light just came on, so I'll know more about their behavior in a few hours.
    • ORP is back where I would expect it to be
    Looks like it might just be OK with a few water changes as suggested.

    I always hate when unexpected things like this happen with the tank. But, at the same time, it can be somewhat educational and help you find the extremes your tank can handle. Prior to this event, I had no idea you could raise the Calcium by more than 160ppm in a few hours and not kill everything. I guess now I know... not that I'll be doing it again anytime soon :)
     
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  11. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    A little higher Mg if done slowly won't be an issue and will help with Ca stability. Alk will need closer monitoring and more dosing to keep it stable. Alk should be the last to brought to your preferred levels with Mg being first.
     
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  12. Brennen

    Brennen Plankton

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    Id just leave it be, you dont wanna jump way up then do a water change and shock it back down. It will balance out.