Did overdosing kill my longnose hawkfish?

[dweber618]

Just when I think I'm up - this hobby knocks me back down.

My tank is fairly new (9 months), inhabitants are mostly LPS (frogspawn, trumpet, hammer, etc), misc. snails, sea cucumber,1 hermit, cleaner shrimp, and one clownfish.

I tested my parameters last night and my mag, kalk, and CA were all low. Readings were CA 320, MG 1280, kalk 6.4dkh.

I used BRS reef calculator to figure my dosing - assuming 110 gallon volume (100 gallon tank, 32 gallon sump - I guessed low to account for sand rock displacement). To get CA up 370 (so I upped it only 50ppm) I added 19oz of BRS calcium solution. To get Mg up to 1350 I added 20oz of BRS magnesium solution. Then I screwed up and overdosed my Alk with BRS Soda ash and added 20oz of Soda Ash which was the amount needed to go from 6.4 to 9.0 (and that jump was way too much for one go).

And as a noob mistake, I added them all immediately one after the other. Within 30 minutes my water looked like milk. I was googling like crazy, but general consensus I saw was to let it sit, it will settle out, and there shouldn't be any detrimental side effects. I checked my PH, and it was at 8.4.

I woke up this morning to find clear(er) water, but no sign of my hawkfish. I found him being chowed on by my hermit crab.... My clownfish was bobbing around like normal, my cleaner shrimp was fine, all of my coral was open and looking great.

Was the over dose and subsequent clouding most likely the cause of my hawkfishes demise? Or could it have been sleeping, and not seen the crab coming, and the hermit offed him? Unlikely probably- but since everyone else is fine I'm grasping for some understanding.

Then to top it off, the power goes out for like 2 hours today...I had just topped my sump off, and it flooded (thankfully only 3 or 4 gallons)...but still, I can't catch a break. I'm this close to selling everything. :sad2:

I'm just trying to learn from my screw up, any thoughts/advice?

Thanks!

 

[Bent]

doubtful. Probably just coincidence.

 

[Mark9]

Then to top it off, the power goes out for like 2 hours today...I had just topped my sump off, and it flooded (thankfully only 3 or 4 gallons)...but still, I can't catch a break. I'm this close to selling everything. :sad2:

The sump should have enough capacity to not overflow when the power goes out.
Do you have a siphon break?

 

[dweber618]

The sump should have enough capacity to not overflow when the power goes out.
Do you have a siphon break?

That was the problem, my return pump has two return spouts that point down lower than my overflow (if that makes sense), and I believe the problem was the siphon from those two spouts that caused it to overflow.

I have a line drawn in my sump to fill to, and if I fill it there, and my DT drains to below my overflows in the DT, the sump won't overflow. I don't know what a siphon break is...that would solve my problem sounds like.

 

[Deefish714]

The sump should have enough capacity to not overflow when the power goes out.
Do you have a siphon break?

+1 Sump should always be able to take on the amount of water being returned from the dt after a power outage. I think the change had nothing to do with the fish being attacked. Ive made mistake like this not reading instruction clearly. My corals did show it tho. fish seemed ok. If your having trouble from the bulkhead returns being lower the overflow try a check valve. they will stop the back flow but will also decrease the flow being put up into the display.kind of a win loose IMO

 

[gallegos]

No dosing didn't kill him. I dose 100ml alk daily and never have had any type of issue

 

[Mark9]

That was the problem, my return pump has two return spouts that point down lower than my overflow (if that makes sense), and I believe the problem was the siphon from those two spouts that caused it to overflow.

I have a line drawn in my sump to fill to, and if I fill it there, and my DT drains to below my overflows in the DT, the sump won't overflow. I don't know what a siphon break is...that would solve my problem sounds like.

A siphon break is a hole drilled into the return that is just below the waterline in the DT.
When the return pump stops, the water lowers in the DT until it gets to the hole, which then lets in air, breaking the siphon.
And i dose daily over 50ml each of the BRS calcium and alkalinity into a 65 gallon tank, fish are unaffected.

 

[dweber618]

A siphon break is a hole drilled into the return that is just below the waterline in the DT.
When the return pump stops, the water lowers in the DT until it gets to the hole, which then lets in air, breaking the siphon.
And i dose daily over 50ml each of the BRS calcium and alkalinity into a 65 gallon tank, fish are unaffected.

Damn - I just can't figure out what killed this fish. I did a full QT with TTM, formalin dip, and prazi...healthy as a horse from day 1. Been eating like a champ and begs when I walk by the tank...I loved that fish.

Thanks for the tip - I will drill a hole in the line tonight to avoid that mishap again.

 

[dweber618]

No dosing didn't kill him. I dose 100ml alk daily and never have had any type of issue

I dosed 20 ounces, which is equivalent to 600ml of alk solution...so it was a lot compared to 100ml daily.

 

[anbosu]

That much alk that quickly could have caused a drastic ph change - that's the only thing I can think of that would impact the fish.

 

[Mark9]

I dosed 20 ounces, which is equivalent to 600ml of alk solution...so it was a lot compared to 100ml daily.

I think i misread your original post, that's alot of alk solution at one time.
When i make adjustments, i use Kents part A/B in a bottle, 1 or 2 cap fulls at a time, something like 5ml.
Ask your question in the reef chemistry forum, i'm curious to hear what the chemists have to say.

I actually bought a longnose hawkfish a couple weeks ago.
He has quickly turned into one of my favorite fish, either he's perched on a coral watching me, or begging for food.
Very personable fish.
Sorry for your loss.

 

[Reef908]

This may be a dumb question but how large or what kind of hermit do you have? Is it large enough to grab your sleeping hawkfish? A small blue leg would not do anything to that fish. However, I have seen some beast size hermits at various LFS that I would definitely think could grab a sleeping fish if it could get its claws on it. Sorry for your loss! I loved my flame hawk that I had for several years.

 

[dweber618]

This may be a dumb question but how large or what kind of hermit do you have? Is it large enough to grab your sleeping hawkfish? A small blue leg would not do anything to that fish. However, I have seen some beast size hermits at various LFS that I would definitely think could grab a sleeping fish if it could get its claws on it. Sorry for your loss! I loved my flame hawk that I had for several years.

I don't know what kind of hermit he is - he's a decent size...I've attached a picture of him chowing on the fish (this was how I found him).

I will definitely be getting another longnose - they are a really cool fish and mine had a ton of character.

 

[dweber618]

I tried to outline the fish. The hawkfish was probably...2.5"-3". My hermit is probably an inch across...

And my hermit has "hairy" looking legs.