Reef Inhabitants Don't like Vodka as Much as Humans

[jpitch]

Well, I was feeling so happy with my 4 month old reef. Frags growing nicely, fish really settling in. Fine tuning the calcium reactor. Parameters looking great. Decided to increase my vodka dosing from .5ML to 1ML after a month's worth of taking it slow. Reprogrammed the Apex. Instead of using the OSC function for a 30 sec dose I changed to an IF TIME statement. The only problem was I forgot to use the SET OFF statement. I thought the FALLBACK OFF statement would suffice for the doser to shut off after the 1 min dose. I was wrong. 3 hours after I set the new program I walk back to my fish room, which is separate from my display, and start doing some other maintenance. I happen to notice my vodka container about 40% less than what I normally see it as. I look at the doser and there it is, chugging the vodka into my sump. 1.1ML per minute doser X 180min = approximately 198ML of the cheap stuff into my system!

Immediately did a 15g water change. Then another 10g yesterday. Then 10g today. The tank has clouded up with the expected algae bloom. The yellow tang stopped eating. My fairy wrasse is missing. My cleaner shrimp as well. My kole tang looks like it's hiding behind the rocks. My beautiful 4" purple Stylo just started to melt off it's skeleton today. The zoos are shriveled but they still look ok. Birdsnests look ok. Mushrooms non-existent. Had about 7 of them. The only things that look to be completely unaffected are the 5 blue green chromises and the pair of blue throat triggers.

Automation sure is nice when it's working as intended. So depressed right now. Was looking forward to purchasing a bunch of frags from Bigsink but that's on indefinite hold right now. At least my tank wasn't a completely matured system with whole coral colonies I guess. :sad1:

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[DgenR8]

I hate it when I make a mistake that causes something like this. I'm sorry it happened to you.

 

[bigsink]

I will have frags for you whenever you are ready. There will be plenty of freebies to help you get your tank back in shape. Best of luck with everything.

 

[jpitch]

I will have frags for you whenever you are ready. There will be plenty of freebies to help you get your tank back in shape. Best of luck with everything.

I appreciate it, john. It's kind of a kick in the you know what when you try to go slow and something like this happens. I just feel so guilty when frags from other reefers here are oversized and become casualties to something like this.

 

[bigsink]

Happens to all of us.

 

[S2minute]

I dose mine manually with a syringe. I also keep a record of the amounts. If i miss a day...than i miss a day. Sorry about your system man.

 

[jpitch]

I dose mine manually with a syringe. I also keep a record of the amounts. If i miss a day...than i miss a day. Sorry about your system man.

I used a syringe for about 2 weeks. I also keep a log on my iPad. Everything I do gets logged, including installing non-tank items like the sink and water line. No more buckets being dragged upstairs. I went to a doser because I don't want to rely on taking time out to manually do these types of things. Once I feel like something starts to become a chore I lose a little love for it. I felt after a month of .5ML of vodka was much more time than needed to move up to 1ML. I'm just a little frustrated that the apex isn't more program friendly when it comes to things like this. It was hard enough to learn the OSC command that I wanted to get rid of that function ASAP.

Be careful what ya wish for...

 

[jpitch]

kole tang passed today. i'm surprised the yellow tang is still around. zoos not looking good. the 1 aptasia that was on a frag looks like it's melting. the little bit of ich that was on my male blue throat trigger is gone. triggers looking great. still eating a ton. chromises are doing great. most of the other frags look very receded but still alive. tank still cloudy. did another water change. not a single strand of any type of algae other than coraline and chaeto in my system. for some reason i think this is a bad thing. wondering now if i'll need to recycle the whole system.

 

[cthedaytrader]

That stinks, I would try some more water changes personally. I would also try and oxygenate the tank, with a massive bacteria bloom I think you can easily deprive the fish of oxygen

 

[jpitch]

That stinks, I would try some more water changes personally. I would also try and oxygenate the tank, with a massive bacteria bloom I think you can easily deprive the fish of oxygen

Researching vodka dosing it was made clear to make sure the tank is well oxiginated. I have my Vertex Alpha 170 running at all times minus the feeding periods. I also have 2 TLF reactors with nothing in it running with MJ600's on full blast. Also have a Mag 5 running the frag tank with the return line pouring back into the sump. Those 3 lines are about 2 inches above the water. 3 Tunze 6105's and a 6055 are in the DT for more circulation.

 

[cthedaytrader]

Have you seen PH fluctuations since the overdose

 

[jpitch]

Have you seen PH fluctuations since the overdose

That's the funny thing. I've seen no changes in PH or any other readings.

 

[BrentH]

How's the tank doing