My wife accidentally topped up the ATO with ESV alk. Added about 0.9gallons of ESV to my approx 50g system. All I have is regular 5%vinegar,and the ph rose to 9.17! I used white vinegar to drop it to 8.7, what’s the next step here?
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Water changes if possible!My wife accidentally topped up the ATO with ESV alk. Added about 0.9gallons of ESV to my approx 50g system. All I have is regular 5%vinegar,and the ph rose to 9.17! I used white vinegar to drop it to 8.7, what’s the next step here?
The pH is back in acceptable range with vinegar. Around 0.9 gallons were dumped in (about half the ATO worth)
Any tips now?Did the tank water turn milky with precipitated calcium carbonate?
Any tips now?
The trident finally got a reading on all, currently showing 14.2dKh and about 300ppm calcium, as well as 8.13ph. I set the lights to 25% and a 10 day ramp, but is there anything I should do other than not dosing alk for the next while?Thus was written for a limewater/kalkwasser overdose m, but the advice is mostly the same. The main difference is your calcium will now be low.
1. Don't panic! These overdoses do not usually cause a tank to crash.
2. The primary concern is pH. If the pH is 8.6 or lower, you need not do anything. If the pH is above 8.6, then reducing the pH is the priority. Direct addition of vinegar or soda water is a good way to accomplish this goal. Either one mL of distilled white vinegar, or six mL of soda water, per gallon of tank water will give an initial pH drop of about 0.3 pH units. Add either to a high flow area that is away from organisms (e.g., a sump).
3. Do not bother to measure calcium or alkalinity while the tank is cloudy. The solid calcium carbonate particles will dissolve in an alkalinity test, and all of the carbonate in them will be counted as if it were in solution and part of "alkalinity." The same may happen to some extent with calcium tests. Wait until the water clears, and at that point, alkalinity is more likely to be low than high. Calcium will likely be mostly unchanged.
4. The particles themselves will typically settle out and disappear from view over a period of 1-4 days. They do not appear to cause long term detrimental effects to tank organisms.
5. Water changes are not necessarily beneficial or needed in response to a limewater overdose.
The trident finally got a reading on all, currently showing 14.2dKh and about 300ppm calcium, as well as 8.13ph. I set the lights to 25% and a 10 day ramp, but is there anything I should do other than not dosing alk for the next while?
I would definitely check your calcium and Mg levels - which may have precipitated with the high pH bump. The good news is the tank itself usually corrects these things without adding acid.My wife accidentally topped up the ATO with ESV alk. Added about 0.9gallons of ESV to my approx 50g system. All I have is regular 5%vinegar,and the ph rose to 9.17! I used white vinegar to drop it to 8.7, what’s the next step here?
The addition was over the course of maybe a half hour.I would definitely check your calcium and Mg levels - which may have precipitated with the high pH bump. The good news is the tank itself usually corrects these things without adding acid.
What is your alkalinity? I'm curious - was the addition 'quick' or was it 0.9 gallons over a day or 2 etc.
why not go about changing the water.My wife accidentally topped up the ATO with ESV alk. Added about 0.9gallons of ESV to my approx 50g system. All I have is regular 5%vinegar,and the ph rose to 9.17! I used white vinegar to drop it to 8.7, what’s the next step here?
Post pics of the tank
I was just thinking to myself as to why ppl use ATO systems vs dosing pumps to top of water?!
why not go about changing the water.