Coral EMERGENCY! Please, please, please HELP

theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
(Mods, I know I have this here and in New Hobbyists, I am just trying to get an answer as quick as possible to save my livestock)
Ok I am FREAKING OUT here.
I have had some soft corals for the better part of three months. I just did a water parameters check, and everything came out really good except the pH. It was low at 7.8
I knew we had some pH/Alkalinity buffer. So, I followed the directions just like on the bottle and dosed the tank.
About five minutes later, all my corals just started freaking out.
I have a frogspawn, green star polyps, button and watermelon zoo's, an encrusting gargonian, and some mushrooms.
All of them (except the gargonian) have pretty much shrunk up like it was lights out. Even worse, the mushrooms basically shrunk to virtually nothing and this white stringy stuff has come out their mouths.
this is obviolsu very bad, I just didn't know a pH buffer would do all this?
PLEASE HELP with anything I can do to try and save things.
 
theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
It's been about 30 minutes know and everything seems to be opening back up (except the frog spawn)
The guts of the mushrooms went back inside too.
I'm obviously assuming this was some sort of pH shock.
Since everything is opening back up, should I still do a water change? I have a 55, and if I take 20 out and drip the new water in, it's gonna be several hours before the tank is back up to full.
Will 35 gallons of shocked water make it any worse till the new water is in the tank?
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
no and as you start filling it will dilute, your not concentrating the water by removing it, you would have to evaporate to concentrate the stuff, I wouldnt drip I would fill a little faster than that, 2 airline siphon no knots.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by TheClemsonKid
http:///forum/post/2647963
ok Im doing a 12 gallon change right now. Its gonna take a little while.
Is there a chance everything will be ok?
Odds are everything will recover.
You don't really get faster answers when you start multiple threads on the same subject. Usually you just get very confusing answers.
 
theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
ok, sorry about that! I just put it in the new hobbyist one because it has a lot more active viewers!
If you are a mod, or know how, please delete that thread from the NEw Hobbyists page!
Thank you guys so, so much...
-Jonathan
 
theclemsonkid

theclemsonkid

Member
I did a water change, and it looks like everything is going to make a recovery! The frog spawn still looks a little iffy, but I'm pretty confident that things are going to be ok...
That being said...
Is buffer in a bottle a bad idea? What causes pH to lower in the first place? And once it is too low, what's the best way to bring it back up? Cause as I just found out, it certainly isn't with a "buffer".
Again, I appreciate the advice (you guys helped my save things)
- Jonathan
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Ph can drop for many reasons:
Clogged filters
Rotting organic matter
overfeeding
Overstocking
malfunctioning skimmer
undersized skimmer
low alkalinity (This is the only time you should add "buffer")
High Calcium
Low Salinity
insufficient air exchange
excess algae
High CO2 in the room the tank is in
To fix low PH you need to diagnose what the problem is first.
 
reefereric

reefereric

Member
Not to thread jack, but let's say this were just the opposite. pH at 8.2-8.3 but lower alkalinity. Dosing with buffer takes care of this?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by ReeferEric
http:///forum/post/2648221
Not to thread jack, but let's say this were just the opposite. pH at 8.2-8.3 but lower alkalinity. Dosing with buffer takes care of this?
That PH is fine so I assume you mean to raise Alkalinity. Yes, a "buffer" is an additive that raises Alkalinity.
 
reefereric

reefereric

Member
Correct, alkalinity. Knock on wood, my pH has never fallen. But I do have a few issues with having the alkalinity at the "normal" levels... Usually it's a bit low.
 
paintballer768

paintballer768

Active Member
Im assuming they closed up because you added the increaser all at once as well. I recommending dripping it or trickling it in little by little, giving it time to spread into the water.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by ReeferEric
http:///forum/post/2648240
Correct, alkalinity. Knock on wood, my pH has never fallen. But I do have a few issues with having the alkalinity at the "normal" levels... Usually it's a bit low.
I can help you more in a new thread if you provide details.
Until then, a couple teaspoons of baking soda in your top-off water will raise Alkalinity.
 
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