Need to raise PH, can't get to the store for a while!

dvgyfresh

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Cal tested at 350 ppm, mag at 1260 ppm. Both lower than I like, but not dangerously so. Everything is still very unhappy, I guess I'll have to go get more water this weekend for some more water changes. The only other thing I can think about is that I cleaned my powerheads a couple of weeks ago, I did use vinegar for that. However, I rinsed them until I couldn't smell any more vinegar & that was also, as I said, a few weeks ago.

corals tend to show decay weeks after a stressful event not immediately, could be vinegar I’d suggest changing out carbon. For more help I’d suggest listing all yr parameters you can test / a shot of the affected Corals / fts
 

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That's what I'm trying to figure out now! I can't think of anything that would have affected the tank that much, and so fast! All I can think is that I topped off with RO from a spray bottle for my chameleons last night, but I was noticing some distress in choice corals even before that.

Test error can impacts value very fast.
 

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Just in relation to the thread title: pH is not ever well solved by anything you can buy at a fish store unless it is solely cause by very, very low alkalinity.
 
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Mr_Knightley

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Pictures from today. The only fish I could find in the tank were 2 clowns, a cardinal and three tangs, one of which is dead. The second tang, a scopas, looks to be on death's door (in a tank that's too dim to photograph) and the third, an orangline, is clearly distressed but he looks better than he did in the big tank. The dead tang, seemingly in accordance with every other fish I've lost in this tank, has a white splotch right under her pectoral fins. Many other fish that have mysteriously died overnight have had this exact same marking.
Pretty much all of my acros are done for (including the frags which would be my living over the summer), besides a few pieces and frags I moved over last night. The only sizeable colony that survived the night is my rainbow tort, which is luckily my biggest.
I'm just entirely perplexed. I'm headed out to get another 30 gallons or so of water, after which I'll get another 30 for a total ~45% change. I still haven't found anything supposedly dropped in the tank.
Other parameters check out as follows:
SG 1.024
MG 1260
CA 350
KH 6
PO4 0.1
NO3 (I forgot to test this!)
Kind of lost right now, there's really nothing that I can do at this point besides water changes.
IMG_0178 (2).JPG IMG_0180 (2).JPG IMG_0182 (2).JPG IMG_0183 (2).JPG IMG_0184 (2).JPG IMG_0185 (2).JPG IMG_0186 (2).JPG IMG_0188 (2).JPG IMG_0192 (2).JPG
 

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Pictures from today. The only fish I could find in the tank were 2 clowns, a cardinal and three tangs, one of which is dead. The second tang, a scopas, looks to be on death's door (in a tank that's too dim to photograph) and the third, an orangline, is clearly distressed but he looks better than he did in the big tank. The dead tang, seemingly in accordance with every other fish I've lost in this tank, has a white splotch right under her pectoral fins. Many other fish that have mysteriously died overnight have had this exact same marking.
Pretty much all of my acros are done for (including the frags which would be my living over the summer), besides a few pieces and frags I moved over last night. The only sizeable colony that survived the night is my rainbow tort, which is luckily my biggest.
I'm just entirely perplexed. I'm headed out to get another 30 gallons or so of water, after which I'll get another 30 for a total ~45% change. I still haven't found anything supposedly dropped in the tank.
Other parameters check out as follows:
SG 1.024
MG 1260
CA 350
KH 6
PO4 0.1
NO3 (I forgot to test this!)
Kind of lost right now, there's really nothing that I can do at this point besides water changes.
IMG_0178 (2).JPG IMG_0180 (2).JPG IMG_0182 (2).JPG IMG_0183 (2).JPG IMG_0184 (2).JPG IMG_0185 (2).JPG IMG_0186 (2).JPG IMG_0188 (2).JPG IMG_0192 (2).JPG
Sorry for your lost, could you try and give us nitrates if possible, I can see brown algae all over the tank, did you had dinoflagellates? They can explain the sudden ph drop and some can be really toxic for fish.
 

dvgyfresh

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Pictures from today. The only fish I could find in the tank were 2 clowns, a cardinal and three tangs, one of which is dead. The second tang, a scopas, looks to be on death's door (in a tank that's too dim to photograph) and the third, an orangline, is clearly distressed but he looks better than he did in the big tank. The dead tang, seemingly in accordance with every other fish I've lost in this tank, has a white splotch right under her pectoral fins. Many other fish that have mysteriously died overnight have had this exact same marking.
Pretty much all of my acros are done for (including the frags which would be my living over the summer), besides a few pieces and frags I moved over last night. The only sizeable colony that survived the night is my rainbow tort, which is luckily my biggest.
I'm just entirely perplexed. I'm headed out to get another 30 gallons or so of water, after which I'll get another 30 for a total ~45% change. I still haven't found anything supposedly dropped in the tank.
Other parameters check out as follows:
SG 1.024
MG 1260
CA 350
KH 6
PO4 0.1
NO3 (I forgot to test this!)
Kind of lost right now, there's really nothing that I can do at this point besides water changes.
IMG_0178 (2).JPG IMG_0180 (2).JPG IMG_0182 (2).JPG IMG_0183 (2).JPG IMG_0184 (2).JPG IMG_0185 (2).JPG IMG_0186 (2).JPG IMG_0188 (2).JPG IMG_0192 (2).JPG
Sorry for yr losses, are those acro eating flatworms on the acros?
 
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Mr_Knightley

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Sorry for your lost, could you try and give us nitrates if possible, I can see brown algae all over the tank, did you had dinoflagellates? They can explain the sudden ph drop and some can be really toxic for fish.
Good to know. The algae is bryopsis, though there may be some dinos on it now. I'll take a NO3 test in a minute, have to go get water now.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Because the last one seemed to perk the fish and corals up for a little bit, and to exchange whatever toxin is built up. If that's not a good idea then please tell me why.

Those are fine reasons. To impact pH is not. :)
 

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Good to know. The algae is bryopsis, though there may be some dinos on it now. I'll take a NO3 test in a minute, have to go get water now.
I would find the nitrate test more important than water, if you have 0 nitrates will be more important to raise nutrients and add gac to the tank than replace water.
 
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Mr_Knightley

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I would find the nitrate test more important than water, if you have 0 nitrates will be more important to raise nutrients and add gac to the tank than replace water.
Well, I think that dinos are the problem. Nitrate tested absolute zero, both times. The water also has a slight yellow, cloudy tint to it. Would turning my UV sterilizer on be of any help, or do I just need to focus on raising nutrients?
 

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Well, I think that dinos are the problem. Nitrate tested absolute zero, both times. The water also has a slight yellow, cloudy tint to it. Would turning my UV sterilizer on be of any help, or do I just need to focus on raising nutrients?
If you have a UV turn it on, add plenty of gac and start working on bringing those nutrients up maybe starting over feeding the tank until you able to get some artificial nutrients. If possible set a quarantine for the remaining fish as this dinoflagellates look to be the toxic kind, moving your fish to a improvised quarantine could be beneficial at this stage.
 
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Mr_Knightley

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If you have a UV turn it on, add plenty of gac and start working on bringing those nutrients up maybe starting over feeding the tank until you able to get some artificial nutrients. If possible set a quarantine for the remaining fish as this dinoflagellates look to be the toxic kind, moving your fish to a improvised quarantine could be beneficial at this stage.
Absolutely. I have two extra tanks already set up, so I'll try and get in and fidn my remaining fish to relocate them. I'm going to take the opportunity while the animals are out to run Flux, and maybe even go ahead and tackle the flatties too.
 

sixty_reefer

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Absolutely. I have two extra tanks already set up, so I'll try and get in and fidn my remaining fish to relocate them. I'm going to take the opportunity while the animals are out to run Flux, and maybe even go ahead and tackle the flatties too.
In all honesty you should deal with a thing at the time, if you going to use flux you will need to bring your nutrients up first and kill the dinoflagellates, only after that you should consider using flux because as you kill algae inside the tank they will release organic carbon wile they melt and bring down your nutrients again. Just something to take in consideration. Hope everything goes slightly better from here for you
 
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Mr_Knightley

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I'm shocked by the killing capacity of these little gnats. How in the world can they destroy a tank in the span of 2 days? I'm just about back to square 1 with losses, only a few fish left alive that I could find. I may take this opportunity to phase out a little bit, maybe downgrade. I'm done paying for re-starts that I didn't even cause, it's very discouraging.
 

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