Kessil

UGH, don't ever use Proper pH 8.2 !!

Vincerama2

Vincerama2

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I found an old (maybe that's the problem?) bottle of Proper pH 8.2 and though (like an idiot) to add some to my tank in the office, expecting that it was basically baking soda and some vitamins. I put in one scoop, which is what the instructions say work for a 10g tank and BOOM, all the mushrooms in my tank started melting, my frogspawn curled up and some polyps shrivelled up. Xenia looked unhappy! So, after stuffing in a partly depleted bag of carbon into the HOB and doing a fast 2.5 gallon water change, things seem to have calmed down...but many many many mushrooms melted. I'm sure they are poisoning the water as we speak.

Seriously, WTF API?

I've used this stuff in the past when I FIRST started saltwater fish many years ago and it didn't do anything like this! I thought it might help with my tank since shells were dissolving in the tank (low ph).

Too bad it was a $10 bottle of death! I guess I've learned not to just throw quick fix things into my tank, especially a small 10g tank!

V
 
No, he just likes to collect old API bottles with "who-knows-what" inside.

Seriously, the less you add there the better. Also never ever use digital thermometers ;-)
 
Here's the MSDS on it: http://cms.marsfishcare.com/files/msds/proper_ph_82_032608.pdf

Here's the company link for it: http://aquariumpharm.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductID=84

Automatically sets and stabilizes pH at 8.2. Removes chlorine & detoxifies heavy metals. For saltwater, brackish and African cichlid aquariums. Contains Aloe Vera and electrolytes to reduce fish stress. Use when setting up aquarium or changing water. No phosphates.
Click to expand...

Beats me, did you get a PH reading while this was happening?
 
Maybe I missed it in the original post ...
So you added it directly to the tank?
What was the pH of the tank prior to adding? After addition of buffer?
 
[quote author=A_Lee link=topic=6526.msg83759#msg83759 date=1235438145]
Maybe I missed it in the original post ...
So you added it directly to the tank?
What was the pH of the tank prior to adding? After addition of buffer?
[/quote]

er, yeah, that's the problem... I didn't get a reading before and after I just changed out the water.

Massive user error.

V
 
u didnt shake it before use did u? and your suppose to mix it in water before you use it. i use it and only had an issue when i dosed directly into the tank and i didnt shake it up. i then used the same bottle after i shook it an dissolved the dose and no issues. water change and stop the damage. i did a 50% and it stopped the loss. ive used the stuff for years. great product if you follow the directions. i automatically add it once a month cuz i have no idea my ph readings. but its all good, when i do test it before and after didnt do anythin to the ph if it was 8.2 or 8.3 already. just buffered it alot more.
 
Yeah, like I said...massive user error. I did NOT shake it up AND I dosed it straight to the tank.

All my green striped mushrooms have melted away. Everything else is OK. The tank was dominated by those mishrooms (which were nice, but overrun everything) and green splotchy mushrooms, which are also nice, but out of control. Luckily, I have a few stripey mushrooms in another tank.

If nothing else, it's a huge reminder to be careful when dosing things!

V
 
i think its a bigger reminder to read directions...i have some green striped shrooms i can frag up if that`ll help u out. give it a week or so and they will b healed and they can urs if u so need.
 
Well here is the bright side, what you lost you seemed not to be in love with, and you learned the vavualbe lession to read before you do something to your tank. I'm not saying your a newbie (far from it rofl) but every once in awhile we all need a reminder about the simple things.

Sorry you lost your shooms.................
 
No sweat on the mushrooms, I have some in a frag tank, I was going to frag out the mushrooms and give them away anyway.
Plus I've given away tons of them in the past so there is no shortage of them in the "community", if I ever want to infest my tank with them again. However, I am sad that they died, since they were creatures under my care (this is why I tried to give them away rather than just kill them off)

I should point this out though...the instructions say to shake it well to redistribute the powder after shipping, then to add one scoop per ten gallons. I've USED this product before with no ill effects. I stopped using it and it was on a shelf for quite some time. Then I decided to use it on my 10g tank at work, since I noticed shells dissolving in the tank.

My mistake was not checking the pH first to see if it was really low. AND I should have shaken the bottle again, since it probably redistributed itself. I think now that what happened is that the powder, after sitting around and being moved here and there probably redistributed itself such that one ingredient was on top and the other ingredients below (if there was no danger of this, then the "SHAKE WELL" instruction would not have been there). I thought I did shake it, but apparently not well enough. I read the instructions to find the dosage, I underestimated the importance of "SHAKING WELL". So when I took a scoop from the top, it was probably predominantly one ingredient that got overdosed.

There is no mention in the instructions to pre-dissolve it before adding it to the tank and I added the powder into an HOB filter specifically to allow it to mix before entering the tank.

So...user error, I should have shaken it. But I DID use the correct amount and I DID dose it correctly, I just didn't shake it up before use.

V
 
i never dose anything directly into my tank. i always mix it up and slowly add it, or will add it into my overflow so i has time to circulate through the UV, protein skimmer and sump before dispersing into the tank. we`ve all made dumb mistakes, fortunately you didnt lose much and you didnt lose your "prize" pieces. i know how devastating losing one of your most sacred pieces is to a dumb mistake (like adding superbuffer directly to your tank, or adding salt directly to the tank :x ---yes i did that way back), so im glad you didnt lose those at least. lesson learned, and others hopefully have learned as well. so in the long run, it could be a good thing that this happened. might have saved some1 else from the same mistake. (although im sorry to hear it happened to you, we gotta think of the greater good here)


---Keep your head up, shrooms grow back quickly. Everything happens for a reason. GL in the future and dont give up on Proper PH. it is truly a great and easy product.
 
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