All-for-Reef Overdose #@%$!

[phinatic]

I made a huge mistake and mixed my salt with a premixed batch of RO+AFR instead of pure RO. This resulted in the tank getting roughly a 6x daily dosing of AFR. My alkalinity was just at 14 dKH and ph at 8.1. I didn't even bother checking Ca and Mg as they likely tracked with the Alk. I normally run around 10.5-11 dKH. I did a 20% water change with normal salt mix and plan to let it ride overnight to see if I can recover this. Based on my calculations I need to do 20% water changes for 2 more days in a row to get back on track after subtracting the AFR that the tank would normally utilize on its own. My biggest concern is that the Alk will continue to rise as the AFR is metabolized, so I plan to keep doing the daily water changes. Does this sound like a good plan for the water chemistry? Any other ideas?

 

So far, the SPS corals are not showing any ill effects. My xenia are pretty contracted, and worst of all, my largest anemone is ticked off. It pretty quickly contracted its tentacles when I put the water in. That's how I realized what I had done. Now it is wandering the tank (it never wanders) and made its way under a rock. My second smaller anemone has not budged at all. They are both Rainbow BTAs from the same strain. Any advice on the anemone? Let it hide out until the water is better (3 days)?

[Parapodia]

Vinegar or soda water to reduce the excess alkalinity quicker in conjunction with the water changes?

Perhaps move the anemone to a QT tank with normal saltwater and a piece of cycled live rock, if you can flush it out.

 

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1789042

[phinatic]

I got the Alk down to 13 and the BTA has gone back to normal inflation. He looks smaller, but his tentacles are no longer limp. He also came out from under the rock and parked back in the light near the edge of the rock. I think I will probably only do one more water change to see if I can get it down around 12 and then try to hold there. I'm hesitant to try to swing it all the way back to normal range. Hopefully I can let it creep down over time from there. Who knows? Maybe everything will like the elevated levels of Alk/Mg/Ca.

[phinatic]

After a second 20% water change, the alk is back to a decent range at 11.5. It came down much quicker than I expected. I have some new frags in there, so they must have soaked up more alk than I planned. I think disaster has been averted. Creatures look happy for the time being other than corals/nems being a little contracted.

 

On the plus side, overdosing AFR was much easier to handle than dosing alk/ca/mg directly. Since it is "slow release", I was able to jump on it before it had all set in. If that was straight alk, that 6x overdose would have been instant.