How to clean up massive precipitation?

SteveG_inDC

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So I overdosed kalkwasser and came home to a tank with thick milky clouds and white goo on everything in the tank and sump. pH read 8.9 but quickly came down to 8.2. I did a 10% water change (I was planning to do one anyway) and have another 10% mixed and ready. Everything looks alive but there is a massive amount of precipitate all over everything. It looks like a winter wonderland. Obviously the Ca and Alk levels crashed, probably even lower than I measured b/c of solids suspended in the water.

What do I need to do here?
How do I clean up this mess and get my tank back to normal?

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SteveG_inDC

SteveG_inDC

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I guess I should ask specifically, what is the best way to get Ca and Alk back up? Should I just go back to kalkwasser, but more slowly (and don't accidentally leave it going)? Or use BRS two-part?
 

blasterman

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Last time I over dosed kalk a few years ago and turned my tank into a snow globe calcium was chronically low but alk wasn't.

I would dose two part to equal things out. Your pH is likely to be elevated for awhile.
 
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SteveG_inDC

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After a very brief spike (like hours or even minutes) the pH came down. Ca and Alk were already low but really bottomed out. I didn't have two-part on hand so I'm tempted to go back to kalk, but it feels like drinking tequila to cure a hangover.
 

blasterman

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If your pH is elevated then you can add some vinegar to kalk to lower the pH.

The white precip will mostly disolve on its own. Its just calcium carbonate.
 

Dkeller_nc

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Calcium carbonate is unlikely to significantly dissolve in a reef tank environment unless the pH was abnormally low (low as in <7.5) and the calcium and alkalinity levels of the tank water are also quite low compared to what is usually targeted in a stony corals tank.

Part of the reason is that reef tank water is over the saturation point (typically, anyway) in calcium and alkalinity. The reason that calcium carbonate doesn't immediately precipitate to the point where the tank water returns to the saturation point for a given temperature is the presence of magnesium, which inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate crystals.

However, once those crystals are present, the kinetics of re-dissolution are so slow that effectively, it's insoluble. My recommendation would be to put a reef sock in the sump, then use a siphon to manually remove the excess precipitate by sucking it up (with the water returned to the system through the reef sock).
 

Drewbacca

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Calcium carbonate is unlikely to significantly dissolve in a reef tank environment unless the pH was abnormally low (low as in <7.5) and the calcium and alkalinity levels of the tank water are also quite low compared to what is usually targeted in a stony corals tank.

Part of the reason is that reef tank water is over the saturation point (typically, anyway) in calcium and alkalinity. The reason that calcium carbonate doesn't immediately precipitate to the point where the tank water returns to the saturation point for a given temperature is the presence of magnesium, which inhibits the formation of calcium carbonate crystals.

However, once those crystals are present, the kinetics of re-dissolution are so slow that effectively, it's insoluble. My recommendation would be to put a reef sock in the sump, then use a siphon to manually remove the excess precipitate by sucking it up (with the water returned to the system through the reef sock).
Good idea. This is how I normally clean cyano or algae deposits.
1. Reduces debris and the need to net up what is scraped.
2. Two prong attack as The suction Helps to pull up what is being scraped/brushed.
3. The system can continue running, which often overlooked.. the tank being off and lengthy pH & temp drops plus dosing schedule interrupted can be more harmful to everything than whatever you were cleaning.
I found this thread looking for info on the effects that scraped calcium precipitent has on the water column/chemistry, as i will be scraping Alot off today. Which im still curious about...But the sock method advised above, will be best for this too.
I used to use the solid gravel cleaner tube with a brush attached, or a wide angle locline return for the glass.. with a transfer pump, or just tubing with a siphon hand squeeze to start.. BUT.. ANY screen or strainer or impeller that has to be passed through will just continually need cleaned..
So, a straight piece and tubing directly to the sock is way easier. Use the return nozzle to get the siphon going.
 

Drewbacca

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I did an initial cleanup after the initial accident of hours of soda ash drip..but I've let mine go since then and has only grew up the glass more.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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I did an initial cleanup after the initial accident of hours of soda ash drip..but I've let mine go since then and has only grew up the glass more.

Then there must be ongoing precipitation. What is causing yours?
 

Drewbacca

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So Sorry. Current Life/ex wife has my head spinning. Now that the lights are on, it's coraline algae, hence the growth, both hard formations of calcium..so my brain locked onto precipitent. however my question remains of what effects does cleaning large amounts of coraline into the water column have? , for fish, chemistry or corals... and is best to siphon it out into a sock. One time I scraped alot off the back wall at once turning the water cloudy and my fish appeared to have trouble breathing.
 

Kellie in CA

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It is actually coralline, or just a hard growth? I have a similar situation in my tank. Within a month of transferring everything from my established tank into a new one, the entire back wall is covered in a hard whitish/brownish growth. Does not scrape off easily. I can't figure out what is going on.
 

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