cloud explosion

i went home for lunch and after some testing realized my ph was low and my calcium was low.. i usually dont add two things at once but figured it wouldnt hurt.. first i put in a tablesppon of kents dissolved in a glass for my ph.. fine.. no probs.. but when i added my calcium, i dissolved it in a glass, where i usually just add it to the water, no premix needed.. but i mixed it in a glass (not thinking) and when i pured it in the tank, boom.. atomic cloud burst of biblical proportions.. i mean thick white, couldnt even see to the back of the tank.. was this just because i premixed the calcium, or maybe it combined with the kents? i dunno, but i had to get back to work and im hoping i dont come back to a cemetary.. sheez, im freaking out, but theres no much i can do now..

 

Sounds like calcium precipitation to me. What are your alk and mag levels at and what was your calcium at before you supplemented?

 

Did you mix both things in the glass before adding them? If so, that's big no no. it sounds like you have experienced precipitation. basically the calcium couldn't disolve in the tank water fast enough so it hardened. This is what casued the cloud. Hopefully everything will be ok but you might want to monitor everything before adding any other chemicals.

 

yeah i added both around the same time and i believe thats what happened.. shoot.. i never add the two together but i didnt think much of it and bam.. shoot.. so is everyone going to be allright do you think, or should i head home and do a water change? my ph was at 7.3 and my calcium was at 350.. im worried

 

Well with your ph being that low you're flirting with disaster anyhow. A 20 to 20% water change wouldn't hurt but make sure you mix the saltwater for 24 hours. Calcium and pH are related so when you make a change to one the other will change as well. Do you test your mag.? It's also connected.

How long has this tank been set up and do you have any LPS or SPS corals?

 

PH means nothing really. We need to know what your alkalinity and magnesium levels are so that you can prevent another precipitation event. Always test these levels before you add calcium, buffer or magnesium or you may never get those levels to where you want them to be.

 

hey guys thanks for coming to my aid so quickly.. yeah im learning this as i go unfortunately.. i didnt know i needed to test for mag and alkalinity as well, cuz the ph is just an indicator of these being wacked right? oy vey.. yes i have a heliofungia plate coral, open brain, and forgspawn, all very small frags. inverts are two small red bali stars, an arrow head crab, and a coral banded shrimp.. and of course some fishes.. the tanks been up and running for four months now.. the only wacky thing ive been seeing is an occasional drop in PH and persistant nitrate levels going between 20 to 50.. i cant get them down.. im going to do a water change when i get home for sure...man

oh and i transport premixed SW from the LFS

 

Right (and very well put to boot)

 

okay cool, well im gonna do the water change when i get home, but other than that is there anything else i should or shouldnt do afterwards (obviiously im not gonna add anything to the water untill i can get some readings)

 

okay update.. i made it home and everything was fine, well relatively speaking.. the water cleared up a lot and no one was dead, thank God (yes i prayed).. so i did a partial water change, bought a cannister filter (just because) and am doing tests right now.. i couldnt find any alkalinity or magnesium tests, the LFS around me doesnt have any.. so i picked up a carbonate hardness test, did i waste my money on that? any way, ill keep ya posted...