What to do when you overdose your tank with 1000ML of vodka

So I screwed up my apex programming and overdosed my system with 1000 ML of vodka overnight on Friday. Luckily my system is 700 gallons, so for the most part it was able to absorb it.

I made a typical mistake of changing something when I didnt have time to monitor it. So Sat morning I went down to check tanks like normal, and noticed bottle of vodka was empty & doser was running non stop.

Everything looked good, so I cranked up the skimmer and left for Christmas at the in-laws. Came home last night and tanks were complete fog, the bacteria bloom had begun.

First thing I noticed was all the filter socks were plugged. Great I thought, you can filter it out. So I quickly changed the socks, and started a slow constant water change.

So this morning to my surprise all the fish, corals, inverts looked fine, but bloom was still in full swing. Changed filter socks again. APEX said ORP was steadily declining, so I added a couple of air stones.

So as of right now, everything still looks good other then the bacteria bloom. Will keep up the constant slow water change and filter socks every 12 hours and wait for it to run its course (I hope).

So lessons to take away.

Dont make changes when you are busy.
Don't panic and freak out if something does happen.
Keep plenty of RO/Salt water always made up, and don't be caught with your salt container empty.
Keep filter socks on hand.
Keep a small air pump & stones on hand.

 

well I copied the time that my light uses, and just changed the times. I thought I would be safe

 

That is what I am worried about, the ORP has been in a steady decline. I have several air stones going, skimmer very wet, and extra power heads pointing up.

 

The ORP started dropping really low on Monday, started racking my brain on ways to raise oxygen levels. I already had the skimmer going like crazy 6 air stones, and extra power heads. Tanks were both completely foggy.

So I thought about Hydrogen Peroxide. Started adding 1/2 cup every hour and within a few hours it started clearing up. Last night they were 75% clear and orp was climbing steadlily.

Ended up with 2 dead fire fish, 2 dead wrasses, and 3 dead anthias. Not happy, but could of been much much worse.

Still skimming extremely wet and doing adding new saltwater slowly to make up for wet skimmate.

 

I cant tell, the water was too cloudy to see anything, found them after the water cleared up. They all died in the tank that was farthest from the skimmer, so I assume they had the least amount of oxygen. I think the type of fish must of mattered as the clowns and angels in that tank were fine.

 

I didnt know what the recomended dosages were, I just new that h2o2 broke down into h20 and o fairly quickly. I was looking to boost the oxygen level quickly, killing off the bacteria was an added bonus.

Overall everything looks pretty good now. It is really wiping out the algae I was trying to combat, I just wish I didnt have to sacrifice a few fish to do it.

Sanjay is very wise.