Question from an idiot.....

[K Tibbs]

Hello everyone;

I'm new here!

I recently decided to switch over to a reef tank instead of FOWLR. I did a fair amout of research and decided to have the calcium level checked in my water. It was non-existent. So, me not knowing a damned thing about calcium additives, went out to the pet club & got a bottle of Seachem Reef Complete. Without going into detail about exactly what happened, let's just say I apparently REALLY put too much of this stuff in at one time. This was last saturday afternoon, 3-ish. Sunday morning at 7 am, it was a bit cloudy in the tank, and by 10 AM it looked like a 55 gallon milk jug. Apparently I've caused a " snowstorm" with the calcium OD, according to what I've been able to look up on the net. What I CAN'T find is a rough idea of how long this particular phenomenon takes to run it's course. It is now monday night, & it looks as though it may be clear again by tomorrow morning or afternoon, and by some miracle I haven't lost any fish ( 1 flame angel, 1 blue-spotted puffer, 1 yellow boxfish, 1 maron clown, and a lawnmower blenny). Seems that it's killed 2 sand stars and a fire shrimp and a coral banded shrimp though ( I suspect the sally lightfoot crabs had part in that, don't know because I cound't see beyond about 1 cm into the water). Any advice on how to maybe somewhat gracefully recover from this major, major screw up on my part? I should have known better, but what's done is done. Please help!!!! any advice ( aside from insults) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Kenny

 

[ReefMon]

First off, no question is a bad question... only idiots don't ask questions!

if I were you, I'd start doing some serious water changes, IMO the only answer for any tank with imbalance issues.

Happy Reefing!
Glenn R

 

[Len]

Growing pains .... we've all been there. This site is designed to lessen those frustrations

How long the tank will be cloudy will vary depending on how much Ca has precipitated out. It may go faster if you sue mechnical filtration such as filter floss or polyfilters to remove some of the floating "debris." A large 50% water change is probably in order as well.

 

[LauraH]

I would do water changes to bring the tank back into balance. Fresh saltwater should give you a calcium reading to start from. Depending on the calcium demand in your tank, regular partial water changes alone may be enough to keep your calcium levels up to start with.

When you've got some coral/coralline growth going and your calcium levels start needing a bit of help, I'd try using one of the two part balanced additives, such as B-ionic, C-Balance, Kent Pts A&B, etc. These are easy to use and keep things balanced well. Err on the side of caution when dosing, at least until you can determine the calcium needs for your tank. :wink:

 

[klingsa]

What is your pH? If it's too acidic, that makes the precipitate form more quickly. A little chemistry here...if I can remember it all :lol:
Your precipitate is calcium carbonate, CaCO3. When you add Calcium ion (Ca+2), that combines with carbonic acid (CO3,-2). So, if your water is too acidic, that means there's more carbonic acid, which will combine with the calcium ion to form more precipitate. 8O Does that make sense? It's been a while since my last chem class, but I believe that's right. So, check your pH and make sure it's around 8.2. And water changes, water changes are always good.
Good luck!

Sara

 

[K Tibbs]

Seems to be clearing up nicely this morning. My skimmer is full again for the second day in a row. Looks like I'll get lucky and have minimum loss of fish. Only lost 2 sand stars and 2 shrimp it seems. Any suggestions on when I should do the water changes? I live in an apartment and I really don't like to use the county tapwater unless it's an absolute emergency, and the LFS where I buy my saltwater is a ways away, so if I need to start making trips over with the water containers today, let me know! . Thanks again for your responses, I really appreciate it!

Oh, BTW, I checked my PH last night & it appeared to be in it's normal range of about 8.4. I understand from reading about these " snowstorms" that after this event takes place certain water parameters crash... anyone know anything about this?

Thank again,

Kenny