Algae Barn Phyto with a bad smell?

[Mmonk005]

Does anyone use their Phyto? Does it have a bad smell to you?

 

[Auto-pilot]

If it smells I would use caution before dumping it in the tank. Smell might mean a bacteria infection of the culture. my cultures never smelled unless it was not doing good and i needed to restart it.

 

[JZ199]

My phyto from Poseidon's kitchen aquaculture does not smell at all. What color is yours? It should be green and not brown or yellowish

 

[Ftrain576]

If it smells I would use caution before dumping it in the tank. Smell might mean a bacteria infection of the culture. my cultures never smelled unless it was not doing good and i needed to restart it.

What is the use by date on the bottle? Also check keep an eye on your po4 level. That will also let you know if you have a bad batch.

 

[Ftrain576]

Does anyone use their Phyto? Does it have a bad smell to you?

What is the use by date on the bottle? Also check keep an eye on your po4 level. That will also let you know if you have a bad batch.

 

[Rams]

Why smell phyto,it's purpose is to mature your reef tank

 

[Ftrain576]

Why smell phyto,it's purpose is to mature your reef tank

If the smell is “ off “ there’s a a chance that bad bacteria is present and that would be no good for your tank.

 

[steveschuerger]

Yeah I wouldn’t put funky smelling phyto in myself.

 

[Rams]

If the smell is “ off “ there’s a a chance that bad bacteria is present and that would be no good for your tank.

I never smelled phyto.i buy from @AlgaeBarn and I trust them

 

[Mmonk005]

I never smelled phyto.i buy from @AlgaeBarn and I trust them

I have received 3 shipments in the last 2.5 weeks. All 3 smell terrible. Never had a problem until now. Please don’t think I’m opening it and taking a big sniff. I’m not! I’m opening it and the smell is so bad it’s hitting me from over a foot away. I’ve filed 2 claims now and they’ve sent it again. Same thing.

FYI, these 3 times are the first times I’ve ever noticed the smell and these are also the first 3 times that they arrived without an ice pack.

I’m not crazy for not wanting to put this in my tank, am I?

Here’s the temp when it arrived today…

 

[taricha]

Live Phyto can start smelling quite bad and still have nutritional value.
If I was unhappy with how these products come, then I'd get some frozen preserved product like this....
https://reedmariculture.com/collections/instant-algae-feeds

 

[Ftrain576]

I have received 3 shipments in the last 2.5 weeks. All 3 smell terrible. Never had a problem until now. Please don’t think I’m opening it and taking a big sniff. I’m not! I’m opening it and the smell is so bad it’s hitting me from over a foot away. I’ve filed 2 claims now and they’ve sent it again. Same thing.

FYI, these 3 times are the first times I’ve ever noticed the smell and these are also the first 3 times that they arrived without an ice pack.

I’m not crazy for not wanting to put this in my tank, am I?

Here’s the temp when it arrived today…

 

[Ftrain576]

I too have been using their phyto for quite some time now, and up until now none have smelled like my recent shipment with a use by date of March 22, 2023. I used the product anyway and noticed a rise in my po4. To be fair I can not say it was due to the Phyto because I didn’t do a before and after po4 test specific to the suspect phyto. Algae barn is a great company, and I’m sure they’ll have a solution.

 

[Jeffbear]

The Phyto I received from them had a slight Oder. The phyto was still a nice deep green and the expiration was end of March. I would describe the smell as "the marsh as you approach the ocean". I have been dosing it and have not noticed any thing bad in the tank. As a matter of observation, my corals seem super happy over the past few days. I'm going to check my phosphates again tonight, cause now ya'll have scared me

 

[Rennurdoar]

I've been using their OceanMagik since September. I've not noticed a smell before, but my last order of two bottles had a slight smell. More like an algae smell. I've used most of the two bottles over the last two weeks without any issues.

@AlgaeBarn any idea by chance or advice?

I'm placing another order this evening also, I trust their products and have been having great success. So hopefully it's nothing lol

 

[Mmonk005]

I've been using their OceanMagik since September. I've not noticed a smell before, but my last order of two bottles had a slight smell. More like an algae smell. I've used most of the two bottles over the last two weeks without any issues.

@AlgaeBarn any idea by chance or advice?

I'm placing another order this evening also, I trust their products and have been having great success. So hopefully it's nothing lol

I didn’t know they were on here. Hopefully someone can help. I just want to make sure I’m not putting anything bad in my tank. I’m a noob and trying to be cautious.

 

[Ftrain576]

I have received 3 shipments in the last 2.5 weeks. All 3 smell terrible. Never had a problem until now. Please don’t think I’m opening it and taking a big sniff. I’m not! I’m opening it and the smell is so bad it’s hitting me from over a foot away. I’ve filed 2 claims now and they’ve sent it again. Same thing.

FYI, these 3 times are the first times I’ve ever noticed the smell and these are also the first 3 times that they arrived without an ice pack.

I’m not crazy for not wanting to put this in my tank, am I?

Here’s the temp when it arrived today…

I just spoke to Raven from Algaebarn, and she informed me that the odor is from a new formula with an increased phytoplankton concentration, hence the stronger odor. You may notice that the odor dissipates after a while after opening. She also assured me that it is perfectly safe to use.