Help!!! Major problem

[elfloyd]

Lights in the tank just came on... all fish are lying on the bottom gasping for breath... all corals closed.

Found CO2 for calcium reactor stuck open, reactor full of CO2... Ph at 6.82.

About to start water change... but I'll need to use a fresh batch of salt water.

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[coolsurf]

Sorry. Hope they all pull through. Not sure if you can do a PWC with new SW? Might be able to.

Jenn...?

 

[johnr2604]

That sucks. I think you are on the right track. What are your calcium and alk at? Maybe you can use some kalk while your mixing your water to get the PH up a little

 

[hackman72]

You need to pull the CO2 out of the tank either through surface agitation w/ a powerhead or airstones or both. That will also help bring the pH back up some.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Hackman72;452949 wrote: You need to pull the CO2 out of the tank either through surface agitation w/ a powerhead or airstones or both. That will also help bring the pH back up some.

+1. You low pH is likely cause by excess CO2. Blow it off. Aerate the heck out of the. If you can move the fish to soemwhere else, temporarily.

 

[elfloyd]

In the middle of a 10% water change with fresh salt water... None of it is in the DP, but return pump is turned off. The two clowns are back up, the PBT was upside down on the bottom... he is back up and swimming around. The LN Butterfly seems dazed but ok. Mandarin still on the bottom but alive... Still waiting to see everyone else. Turning on the return now with 10 gallons of new water in the sump.

 

[elfloyd]

Hackman72;452949 wrote: You need to pull the CO2 out of the tank either through surface agitation w/ a powerhead or airstones or both. That will also help bring the pH back up some.

Thanks... PHs turned up to agitate the surface.

 

[jennm]

What Jeremy and Craig said - AGITATE. Get the O2 level back up, that will help bring the pH back up... gas off the CO2 and bring in new O2. I'd put the return pump on to get things moving and agitate the surface as much as possible.

Good luck..
Jenn

 

[elfloyd]

Things are getting better... 10% water change complete: power heads turned to the surface (water cloudy with micro bubbles), returned pump back on (was off for the water change). PH now at 7.56. Temp dropped to 77.5 with the water change. MHs are on.

Fish status:
2 clowns - good
Mandarin - good
PBT - good
6-line - good
flame angle - good
LN Butterfly - good

Status unknown: (but they only come out at feeding time)
royal gamma,
firefish
wheeler's goby.

Corals are starting to open.

Background on probable cause:
I installed a new regulator on my calc reactor. CO2 is controlled by Milwaukee SMS 122. I have been trying to adjust the CO2 regulator... I set it for 1 bubbles per second, but these would stop within an hour or so, so I kept adjusting to get the correct flow.

At 2:30 today my APEX sent me an email stating the pH had dropped below 7.00 (Coincidentally 2:30 is when my MHs turn on.) The Ca controller was set at 6.5 in a drip cup in my sump. The Ca reactor was completely empty of water and full of CO2. I had a steady stream of Co2 through the bubble counter.

I believe the APEX saved the day!

Going forward I will configure the APEX to notify me at a pH of 7.75. And I will try getting the CA reactor going next week end. My reactor does not have a pH port (Knop C), but on Friday I ordered one so I can get away from the drip cup. I guess I also need to go slower on the regulator adjustment although I've been fine tuning this on for three days.

I really hated to add fresh, cold, saltwater, but really had no choice.

Let me tell you... it was really a shock to see all the fish, upside down on the bottom of the tank!

 

[elfloyd]

Well... it happened again and this time I wasn't so lucky.

According to my Apex log, at 5:10 am the ph dropped from 7.9 to 6.36 within 20 minutes. Two clowns survived... and Elvis, my mandarin survived. Casualties include: Powder Brown Tang, Flame Angle, Firefish, Royal Gamma, LN Buterflyfish, Six Line, and my Walker Gobie. My pokerstar monti turned bluish white, and one of the SPS I got from the meeting is bleached white.

The clowns and mandarin must be hardy... surviving almost three hours of this.

Apex did notify me... but I did not hear the "beep" on the BlackBerry.

I've had trouble setting the CO2 regulator. At 8:00 I walked into my home office and a solid stream of CO2 was going through the regulator. By this time the pH in the effluent cup was at 7.0, but the tank was at 6.36. I am not sure why the solenoid did not turn off the CO2 but suspect the water was saturated with CO2 causing the damage.

My Milwaukee pH controller is now connected to my Apex.

 

[rbredding]

why not use the Apex itself to run the CA Reactor so that if your ph ever drops again, you can shut off power to the solenoid and close the regulator?
(preventing the steady stream of CO2 into your reactor


the only change to your system should be plugging the extra PH probe that comes with the Milwaukee controller into your ORP connector position...

then if it happens again and you get the email on your blackberry, you can just go in and manually turn off your solenoid power using the drop down menu on the first page of the Apex program..

 

[snowmansnow]

ouch. sorry to hear about the problems.

 

[elfloyd]

Rbredding;462639 wrote: why not use the Apex itself to run the CA Reactor so that if your ph ever drops again, you can shut off power to the solenoid and close the regulator?
(preventing the steady stream of CO2 into your reactor


the only change to your system should be plugging the extra PH probe that comes with the Milwaukee controller into your ORP connector position...

then if it happens again and you get the email on your blackberry, you can just go in and manually turn off your solenoid power using the drop down menu on the first page of the Apex program..

I have an ORP probe... but a probe extension is not out of the question.

 

[rbredding]

oh... (assumed you didn't cause most people don't run ozone on their skimmer)

in any case, you can get a probe extension and sell the milwaukee controller to (probably more than) pay for it..

 

[elfloyd]

Yep... I agree.

 

[rbredding]

the major benefit of it is being able to shut off the solenoid using the Apex..



**actually, I guess you could do that by plugging the milwaukee ph controller into the apex and using your Apex's ph probe as the trigger for shut down of the solenoid..

(keep the ph controller running, but if your apex ph probe falls below 7.2 then have it shut off the milwaukee, thus shutting off the solenoid)

and you don't have to buy anything as long as you've got a free outlet on your EB8

 

[cdub]

first off sorry to hear about your loss.

i have my calcium reactor on a ph controller which measures the effluent ph which i believe is the normal setup. i have also added a condition to my aquacontroller where the power to the ph controller is turned off if the ph of my tank ever drops below 7.75. this should provide 2 levels of protection against this sort of situation.

 

[miami dolfan]

I think I will be selling my Calcium Reactor that I still haven't installed after reading this story.

 

[elfloyd]

Miami Dolfan;462698 wrote: I think I will be selling my Calcium Reactor that I still haven't installed after reading this story.

Keep the reactor. My problem relates to the Milwaukee regulator. I set it for one bubble per second. But after a few hours the bubbles stop so I readjust by opening the valve more, repeat this a couple times over a couple days. Then all of a sudden the CO2 flow is too much... not sure what is causing the problem, perhaps back pressure or temperature change. Just not sure.

I suggest anyone with a ca reactor needs to have a pH port. I bought a port to add to my Knop C reactor but haven't figured a way to add it. The lid is too small to drill a hole there, and the plumbing for the circulation pump is 3/8"... can't seem to find a 3/8" tee to plumb in the 1/2" port.

Today I reconfigured the CA controller by plugging it into my Apex. The controller still monitors the effluent, but will be cut off (causing the solenoid to close) if the tank pH drops. Kind of like wearing a belt and suspenders... double protection.

 

[miami dolfan]

Larry, this is the reason I have had it for two years and still have not installed it because I don't know how. I have everyting for it, from the regulator to the PH Computer, but have never installed one and don't want to mess up.