Alk swung

[DanyL]

Unfortunately my options to help you in this situation are limited.
4 hours would result in quite a lot of shock to the corals, I would've preferred it to be as early as possible to make the change quick and unnoticeable to the corals as it can be.

The only thing left for me to suggest is to try and mix new saltwater after properly shaking the bucket, if uneven distribution of the salts was indeed the case it would result in slightly less concentrated Alk mix and would somewhat help to lower it.

Test the new water mix and post the results here before doing the WC.

 

[DanyL]

Actually, another thing you could do to slightly lower Alk would be to dose a bit of vodka, vinegar or NOPOX.
This however will also introduce a carbon source, which would cause bacteria to grow and in turn deplete your system from nutrients.

You also want to check all your other promoters to see where we stand.

 

[Chucky]

Unfortunately my options to help you in this situation are limited.
4 hours would result in quite a lot of shock to the corals, I would've preferred it to be as early as possible to make the change quick and unnoticeable to the corals as it can be.

The only thing left for me to suggest is to try and mix new saltwater after properly shaking the bucket, if uneven distribution of the salts was indeed the case it would result in slightly less concentrated Alk mix and would somewhat help to lower it.

Test the new water mix and post the results here before doing the WC.

Unfortunately I can’t it takes me all day to make 20 gallons of rodi water bc I only have the ro buddie with DI because I have small systems

 

[DanyL]

Do as much as you can in the coming couple of hours and see how much you were able to lower your params.
If you're at around 1.026 salinity you may also lower it down to 1.025 with no ill affects, this will further reduce the concentration.

Check your nutrients and if they aren't too low, dose a bit of Vodka/Vinegar.

After this you'll have to slowly lower your parameters, by slowly I mean no more than 0.5dKH, 20mg Cal and 10mg Mg a day.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Unfortunately I can’t it takes me all day to make 20 gallons of rodi water bc I only have the ro buddie with DI because I have small systems

Sounds like you're in a "wait and see" situation. I hope your corals all make it through, but if not, at least you're more experienced now and won't make the same mistake again. We've all lost coral (and fish) and while it stinks, it's not the end of the world.

Good luck

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Unfortunately I can’t it takes me all day to make 20 gallons of rodi water bc I only have the ro buddie with DI because I have small systems

Can you go to the store and buy distilled water? Test the alk of the water before adding salt, just in case, but this should be an acceptable alternative to RODI given the situation.

 

[Chucky]

Do as much as you can in the coming couple of hours and see how much you were able to lower your params.
If you're at around 1.026 salinity you may also lower it down to 1.025 with no ill affects, this will further reduce the concentration.

Check your nutrients and if they aren't too low, dose a bit of Vodka/Vinegar.

After this you'll have to slowly lower your parameters, by slowly I mean no more than 0.5dKH, 20mg Cal and 10mg Mg a day.

Someone told me to dose vinegar now to help lower the alk over the next few hours I just don’t have a clue how much to dose I have vodka and vinegar both on hand tho

 

[DanyL]

Test your nutrients first, you don't want to bottom them out.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Someone told me to dose vinegar now to help lower the alk over the next few hours I just don’t have a clue how much to dose I have vodka and vinegar both on hand tho

Do you have fish or inverts in the tank?

I don't disagree with using carbon dosing specifically, but it can cause other problems if not done correctly. Problems like bacterial blooms that suffocate livestock, bottoming out nutritients, etc.

 

[Chucky]

Test your nutrients first, you don't want to bottom them out.

24.1 no3
0.04 po4
I tested everything after wc that’s how I discovered alk being so high normally I don’t test right away but I wanted to know what my no3 had fallen to

 

[Chucky]

Do you have fish or inverts in the tank?

I don't disagree with using carbon dosing specifically, but it can cause other problems if not done correctly. Problems like bacterial blooms that suffocate livestock, bottoming out nutritients, etc.

2 clowns 1 blue damsel
Lots of hermit crabs/ snails and bristle worms tuxedo urchin and peppermint shrimp

 

[Poseidon03]

Honestly, I would just wait. Anymore swings and you're going to upset them even more. What sps do you have? Acros? The lps should be fine and softies will be fine.

I would honestly be more worried about your cleanup crew. Shrimp hate changes like that and urchins too.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Someone told me to dose vinegar now to help lower the alk over the next few hours I just don’t have a clue how much to dose I have vodka and vinegar both on hand tho

As an example, I added probably 2 tablespoons of vodka to my 90 gallon and ended up with a bacterial bloom that clouded the water for a day. I was prepared for the possibility and increased surface agitation and added carbon, but it made me realize how tossing stuff into the tank can backfire.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

24.1 no3
0.04 po4
I tested everything after wc that’s how I discovered alk being so high normally I don’t test right away but I wanted to know what my no3 had fallen to

No, I would recommend against adding vodka/vinegar at this point.

 

[Chucky]

Honestly, I would just wait. Anymore swings and you're going to upset them even more. What sps do you have? Acros? The lps should be fine and softies will be fine.

I would honestly be more worried about your cleanup crew. Shrimp hate changes like that and urchins too.

Just geeen cap encrusting montipora and couple red cap plating montipora

 

[Poseidon03]

As an example, I added probably 2 tablespoons of vodka to my 90 gallon and ended up with a bacterial bloom that clouded the water for a day. I was prepared for the possibility and increased surface agitation and added carbon, but it made me realize how tossing stuff into the tank can backfire.

Yeah, if you add that much vodka, you're going to drop your nutrients due to a carbon influx. That will create a ton of bacteria.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

24.1 no3
0.04 po4
I tested everything after wc that’s how I discovered alk being so high normally I don’t test right away but I wanted to know what my no3 had fallen to

Ok. It's generally best to wait 12 hours or more to test alk, calcium, and magnesium after a water change or manually dosing. Test again right before you go to bed or first thing in the morning. The reading of 13 might have been a very temporary rise...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Yeah, if you add that much vodka, you're going to drop your nutrients due to a carbon influx. That will create a ton of bacteria.

My point to the OP is that 1/8 of a cup added to a 90 gallon tank seems intuitively to be a small amount...

 

[Chucky]

Ok. It's generally best to wait 12 hours or more to test alk, calcium, and magnesium after a water change or manually dosing. Test again right before you go to bed or first thing in the morning. The reading of 13 might have been a very temporary rise...

I normally wait a whole day but in this one case here we are ‍

 

[Poseidon03]

Just geeen cap encrusting montipora and couple red cap plating montipora

Those are super hardy. They might brown out, but shouldn't peal. Every tank is different though, so you never know.

Btw, keep an eye on your alk. It could plummet a ton due to dropping your nutrients and increasing your alk. You might see a lot of growth. You will definitely see a spike in nutrients again. Your rock will be releasing all the stored nitrate and phosphate. I'd continue doing 30% water changes every 3 days.