Unhappy anemones while dosing vinegar

[andrewchrist55]

I’ve had my 90 g reef aquarium for about 10 years. It’s around 100-105 gallons with the sump. I’ve never really had a Ph issue until recently. To combat the high ph in my tank, I tried dosing white vinegar since I saw its reef safe. I’ve added 90mL twice to the tank in the last 3 days. I have a bunch of bubble tip anemones in there and since I started dosing the vinegar, all of them are closed up and unhappy. I’ve never seen them all so closed up and disheveled. Wondering if anyone has another way of combating the high ph and bringing my anemones back open.

 

[KrisReef]

I have never heard of anyone trying to combat high pH. How high is it?

I don't dose vinegar but 90mls seems like a lot if you are adding that all at once?

Someone with more experience with dosing vinegar should weigh in, hopefully soon.

 

[Miami Reef]

Dosing large amounts of vinegar is not a good idea.

First, it’s unlikely that your pH is too elevated unless you are overdosing kalkwasser, soda ash, sodium hydroxide, pH-boosting additives, or misusing a CO2 scrubber.


Are you using a cheap, inexpensive pH test kit (API)? If so, you are most likely having inaccurate results.


Even uncalibrated pH probes can cause high readings.

If you want to know your pH, look for a 2-point calibration probe using 7 and 10 pH calibration solutions. Ideally, the solutions will be in single-use packets. Milwaukee makes accurate calibration solutions.



I would stop dosing vinegar.

 

[andrewchrist55]

I use a Hanna tester. It was reading 9.0 ph so not horribly high. Wanting to get it down in the low 8’s. I read in multiple reef forums and websites that dosing 1mL of vinegar per gallon of water will decrease the ph by 0.3. I’ve stopped dosing it as they are not happy and some of my corals aren’t either.

 

[KrisReef]

Calibration

 

[Nano_Man]

Yes I have had this dosing vinegar but for reducing nitrate. Dosing you are looking for 1ml per gallon but built up slowly. White plain vinegar 5% also dripped slow into tank sump chamber . Dose when main lights are on because of ph drop when dosing. There must be a better way to reduce your ph what are your ph and Alk reading and what else are you dosing in your tank and what salt do you use . Also check that hanna reading that it is displaying the correct number

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use a Hanna tester. It was reading 9.0 ph so not horribly high. Wanting to get it down in the low 8’s. I read in multiple reef forums and websites that dosing 1mL of vinegar per gallon of water will decrease the ph by 0.3. I’ve stopped dosing it as they are not happy and some of my corals aren’t either.

PH 9 is not correct for a reef tank except immediately following a large overdose of hydroxide.

You may have dropped pH or nitrate or phosphate too far.

 

[jda]

That vinegar could have also had a large bacterial bloom that lowered oxygen in addition to possibly nitrate, phosphate or other things.

 

[andrewchrist55]

Thank you all. They are looking a bit better now. Opened up but very small. Hopefully they fully recover in the coming days.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Good to hear. Keep us updated!