I need help! Dosed eight four ans now everything is a mess!

[bjmartie]

So I bought a second BTA for my 90 gallon tank. While there I was talking to a guy at the LFS and he told me to raise my ALK from a 9 to around 11. Before doing so, everything was doing great. Never dosed anything. Alk was always right at 9, calcium around 400, Ph 8.2 and nitrates around 10. After I started dosing and eight four, everything went to crap. All my zoas closed up (around 10 different zoas) and now they looked to all be done for. I do think it might of been my fault and I may of raided the alk to fast, so I'll bite the bullet on that and lesson learned. I have a few corals that are still doing good. Two mushrooms, a flower pot and two other zoas.

Now my phosphates are constantly changing. One day was .11 next was .7. I got it down to .08 and the next day was back at .10. Never had to does for alk. My alk is now around 7-8. Never had to dose for ph ans my ph yesterday was around 7 (forgot what it was exactly.

What should I do? My tank is now at 8 months old and never had any problems until I dosed the eight four.

What to add some corals back soon, but should I just wait another couple of weeks and let everything level back off again? Don't want to have to constantly does anything. I feel like if I never would of added eight four, I would of been fine.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I wouldn't worry about phosphates. Unless you have really sensitive fish or corals, any level around 0.1 is probably okay.

The Eight Four needs to go in the trash though. Seachem's better about disclosing that this supplement raises alkalinity (they used to omit that convenient fact all together). But in my opinion, they're not transparent enough about what this product is: it's an alkalinity supplement that happens to boost pH. It cannot be used indefinitely to boost pH; the pH boost is temporary, while the alkalinity boost is not. It should only be used if you have low alkalinity and want to raise it, and also want a pH boost.

Although there are probably cheaper ways to supplement alkalinity and get a pH boost, if that's what you're after.

 

[Spare time]

Whoever told you need need the alk to be at 11KH instead of 9KH has no clue what they are talking about. Especially if they were referring to the anemone's water parameter need.

 

[bjmartie]

Got it! So what may have made my PH and ALK drop? Should I dose anything now to raise them back up or just let it be for a little while ans let it go back to where it use to be? Cause I had never once dosed anything and suddenly I do and it all went to crap lol.

 

[Spare time]

Got it! So what may have made my PH and ALK drop? Should I dose anything now to raise them back up or just let it be for a little while ans let it go back to where it use to be? Cause I had never once dosed anything and suddenly I do and it all went to crap lol.

pH changes can be a lot of things. The alk drop was probably by corals or coralline algae and/or the production of nitrate. Alk is fine between 7-13ish (in general, except ULNS which need alk closer to 7). If you dose, bicarb is easier to not dose all at once since it won't spike pH