Vinegar

[Charley75]

I was just found a water change and instead of unplugging and pulling my wavemakers to clean, I just turned them off, pulled out of water and set in a container on vinegar on the tank bracing. While cleaning, I hit one of the containers and dumped a good 200-300 mL straight vinegar into my 90gal + 30 ish gal sump. I’ve already got new water making, but all of my fish are struggling and corals all slimed up.

 

[Stephen8169301]

Sorry to hear this!! @ReefSquad

 

[xiongsy]

I was just found a water change and instead of unplugging and pulling my wavemakers to clean, I just turned them off, pulled out of water and set in a container on vinegar on the tank bracing. While cleaning, I hit one of the containers and dumped a good 200-300 mL straight vinegar into my 90gal + 30 ish gal sump. I’ve already got new water making, but all of my fish are struggling and corals all slimed up.

I don't think you you need to worry. I may be wrong. BUT, if they don't die, I would advise you to test in 24 hrs. You may be surprised to see 0 nitrates.

If you wait it out and test after 24 hours, let us know the results

 

[Charley75]

Fish doing ok…..added some aeration and carbon. Fish looking better even b4 this, but looks like I killed a cantaloupe size blue stylo. So ticked! Have salt mixing now to do another water change

 

[Charley75]

So been a few days, another water change, carbon, and aeration. All fish are good, most coral okay, but my big stylo colony took basically a direct hit from the spill. Here current pics. Can it be saved?

 

[homer1475]

It'll survive. Some of it may die off, but a colony that size will be fine.

We dose vinegar for carbon dosing, just not that large of a dose. It should be fine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

FWIW, I don't think GAC is of any value in a vinegar overdose. It won't bind to GAC from seawater.

 

[Charley75]

Is GAC carbon? Wasn’t really sure what else to do. 200-300 mL of vinegar in 90 + sump. Thought I was gonna lose all my fish. They were all over on their sides.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Is GAC carbon? Wasn’t really sure what else to do. 200-300 mL of vinegar in 90 + sump. Thought I was gonna lose all my fish. They were all over on their sides.

GAC is granular activated carbon.

Low pH and O2 would be what impacts fish, not the acetate in the water after adding vinegar.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How is the tank now?

 

[Miami Reef]

FWIW, I don't think GAC is of any value in a vinegar overdose. It won't bind to GAC from seawater.

Would it bind in freshwater? Why won’t it bind it seawater?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Would it bind in freshwater? Why won’t it bind it seawater?

The attraction of acetate to water molecules and other ions in seawater will be stronger than its attraction to the type of chemical species exposed on GAC surfaces.

The strongest binding things to GAC will typically be more hydrophobic chemicals.

I don’t think much will bind from freshwater either, but in vinegar where many are in the uncharged acetic acid form, I would expect some may bind.