Please! Possible emergency with high PH of 8.8 from kalk overdose, how to reduce with vinegar?

[chousecat]

Hello

My ATO accidentally added too much kalk and my pH went from 8.4 to 8.8. I am trying to reduce it and read from Randy's post that adding 1ml per tank gallon can reduce pH by 0.3 however he says to add it in a sump away from organisms. The problem is that I have an AIOand can only add it to the powerhead. Randy says that I should add the vinegar slowly since I do not have a sump, how slow should I go? I have the 25 mls poured out for my tank and was thinking of doing 5 mls every 30 minutes. Does this seem like a good idea or too slow/fast?

Thank your help! I do not want to lose my corals!

 

[ReefRy]

I wouldn't use vinegar. It's a form of carbon dosing and can have unintended consequences.

Water changes over the next few days or weeks, even, are the safest way to return to normal levels. Others with more knowledge can speak to how severe your problem is, but were it my tank I'd do a 20 or 30% water change now, them repeat every other day til it's in range. Fixing a problem too quickly can have just as negative effects as the original problem.

 

[akleasure]

I would suggest letting it go. 8.8 isn't terribly high and it should come back down pretty quicly. Adding vinegar can cause a bacteria bloom, which could potentially starve out the tank if you don't normally dose vinegar.

 

[chousecat]

Okay thank you for the quick responses! One water 20% water change is going to be done now. If only my RO unit pumped faster

 

[chousecat]

Would turning off the skimmer also reduce the PH? I would assume less aeration in the water

 

[ReefRy]

Yeah, it would. Again, I wouldn' t make too many changes, though. I don't think it's a huge deal.

 

[ReefRy]

Also, too many water changes have problems of their own. Everything in moderation lol

 

[chousecat]

Maybe I’m delusional but the color doesn’t look totally as bright as the 8.6. Maybe its like 8.5 and I’m okay?

 

[ReefRy]

I think you're fine, or close enough to it. Check again on Tuesday. If it's higher than 8.4 do another small water change or let it come down naturally.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

pH 8.6 is OK.

The pH may also not be accurate as at pH 8.8, I'd typically expect the tank to turn milky white with calcium carbonate precipitate.

For folks reading this, I do think that whatever you have on hand between vinegar and soda water are the best way to deal with super high pH from an alk overdose.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Would turning off the skimmer also reduce the PH? I would assume less aeration in the water

No, at elevated pH and alk, aerating is driving in CO2, not removing it.