vinagar and cyano

[kevensquint]

Hi, I had a bad event happen last night. I just filled my auto- top off with 3 gallons of limewater and when I came back 5 minutes later it was ALL dosed into the sump! The security shut-off did'nt work, so it dosed it all. Since the return pump is'nt that big the main tank was yet to be seriously affected. The display was up to 8.7, considering the amount of limewater in the system I was relieved. So I dumped vinagar in the sump to lower the high PH, not sure how much, but prolly 1-2 cups. The main tank soon lowered and stabilized at 8.4. I let it drop the rest of the way by itself overnight. So this morning it was 8.1. Ok, the whole event from problem to repair lasted about 20 minutes. But today for the first time ever in this tank, I have a small patch of cyano. Could there be a connection with the PH swing or vinagar?

[Qcks]

from my limited knowledge of biochemistry i would say yes.

vinegar is acetic acid.

Most eukaryotic organisms break sugars into three carbon sugars, which become acetic acid at one point or another (I don't have a scientific library to locate the exact step in respiration). Many single cell organisms convert alcohol to vinegar, which is why the name vinegar contains an olde english reference to wine.

Organisms which feed off of vinegar, as well as produce vinegar, are extremely resistant to enviromental influences; this may account for why the bacteria could survive (or thrive as the case may be) in shifting of the Ph.

any way..
My H.O.

[bertoni]

Vinegar is indeed a good for some bacteria, so it might indeed be causing the cyanobacterial bloom, I suppose. I wouldn't worry, in any case.

[IslandCrow]

Since I did something very similar to my QT a few months ago, I like to keep some seltzer water on hand. The cheaper stuff seems to be the best, since it tends to contain water, CO2 and that's it. Can't go wrong there. Anyway, I've also heard that vinegar can potentially lead to algae problems, but I know I'd rather deal with some cyano than excessively high PH, so it sounds like you're just getting the lesser of two evils.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I agree the acetate from the vinegar is a fine bacterial carbon source. It is likely all gone by now, so there is not an ongoing concern. :)

[kevensquint]

The cyano patch only lasted one day. Today it has gone on its own. I can only assume it was either the vinagar, PH swing or both that caused it. Interesting. And no harm done. :)