Randy, How Badly Did I Screw Up?

[dangles]

I know Randy is the subject-matter expert with all things chemistry, but if anybody has any informed input I'll take it!

Long story short, I accidentally spilled some pH calibration solution into my tank and I need to figure out if I need to be worried.

I had disposed of the 10.0 pH solution and the 7.0 pH solution into a cup the other day but instead of immediately pouring it out and cleaning the cup, I set it down and forgot about it.

Today I was sucking out some waste with my bulb syringe, and while squirting it into that same cup, I tipped the cup just a bit too much and a few mL of it poured out into the 50 gallon tank. I feel so freakin stupid but it is what it is...

Despite the white cloud it produced briefly (from the sodium carbonate and bicarbonate I assume), my Apex pH sensor didn't show any noteworthy changes to the pH.

Here's what's in the calibration solution:

10.0 - water, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, preservative and blue dye
7.0 - water, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, preservative and yellow dye

Will those compounds cause any problems? Or will they pretty much just neutralize? Big water change? Or nah it's fine?

Currently it's a fish/inverts-only tank but in 6-12 months I'd like to start adding corals.

I appreciate any input you all can provide.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Luckily, pH calibration buffer is no concern in this context.

 

[dangles]

Luckily, pH calibration buffer is no concern in this context.

That's kind of what I suspected but this is still all pretty new to me!

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[dangles]

Mods feel free to close/delete this thread

Disregard this post please

 

[StatelineReefer]

Mods feel free to close/delete this thread

Or leave it for posterity? Next person who has this question may benefit.

 

[dangles]

Or leave it for posterity? Next person who has this question may benefit.

Good point! I wish I would have titled it better but oh well

 

[StatelineReefer]

Good point! I wish I would have titled it better but oh well

@revhtree

Maybe Maybe Maybe?

 

[Dburr1014]

I know Randy is the subject-matter expert with all things chemistry, but if anybody has any informed input I'll take it!

Long story short, I accidentally spilled some pH calibration solution into my tank and I need to figure out if I need to be worried.

I had disposed of the 10.0 pH solution and the 7.0 pH solution into a cup the other day but instead of immediately pouring it out and cleaning the cup, I set it down and forgot about it.

Today I was sucking out some waste with my bulb syringe, and while squirting it into that same cup, I tipped the cup just a bit too much and a few mL of it poured out into the 50 gallon tank. I feel so freakin stupid but it is what it is...

Despite the white cloud it produced briefly (from the sodium carbonate and bicarbonate I assume), my Apex pH sensor didn't show any noteworthy changes to the pH.

Here's what's in the calibration solution:

10.0 - water, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, preservative and blue dye
7.0 - water, sodium phosphate dibasic, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, preservative and yellow dye

Will those compounds cause any problems? Or will they pretty much just neutralize? Big water change? Or nah it's fine?

Currently it's a fish/inverts-only tank but in 6-12 months I'd like to start adding corals.

I appreciate any input you all can provide.

Well, I'm not the only one that has done this!
Thanks OP, I wouldn't of confessed otherwise. LOL

 

[biom]

Test phosphate. It looks there are some in the 7 pH solution . Don’t know how much or how much you poured in the tank, but check just in case.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Here's a typical ph 7 buffer:

https://assets.thermofisher.com/chem-specs-pdf/retrievePdf?rootSku=25859&sku=258595000

Product Specification
Appearance (Color): Clear colorless
Appearance (Form): Solution
pH: 6.98 to 7.02 (at 20°C)
composition: 3.5 g potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 12.5 g : di-sodium hydrogen phosphate per liter

Thus, in 5 ml that might have been dumped into the tank there's less than 0.15 g of phosphate = 75 mg.

In 50 gallons, that's less than 0.4 ppm phosphate.


So yes, phosphate will rise, and might be about the same total P as in 1-2 days of feeding fish.

 

[biom]

Here's a typical ph 7 buffer:

https://assets.thermofisher.com/chem-specs-pdf/retrievePdf?rootSku=25859&sku=258595000

Product Specification
Appearance (Color): Clear colorless
Appearance (Form): Solution
pH: 6.98 to 7.02 (at 20°C)
composition: 3.5 g potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 12.5 g : di-sodium hydrogen phosphate per liter

Thus, in 5 ml that might have been dumped into the tank there's less than 0.15 g of phosphate = 75 mg.

In 50 gallons, that's less than 0.4 ppm phosphate.


So yes, phosphate will rise, and might be about the same total P as in 1-2 days of feeding fish.

If there were no yellow dye in there it would be good phosphate additive

 

[StatelineReefer]

If there were no yellow dye in there it would be good phosphate additive

I mean, if you're running carbon the dye isn't an issue.

 

[biom]

I don’t know. I mean yes GAC will probably remove it. but I would not put dye with unknown chemistry in a reef tank intentionally. It was a joke.