Gross smelling reef tank

[Karen00]

It works huh?

Everything is right when the smell is right. Fortunately I don't have any palys or anything that might make sniffing dangerous. Sniff with caution.

 

[Karen00]

Just did mine today lol smelt like "the ocean" today. And I pray for it to everyday lol

All is right with the world (and our tanks) when it smells like the ocean. LOL

 

[MnFish1]

What do you mean? That the dehumidifier might be causing the return pump to be turning off then back on?

Sorry - it wasn't clear:

1. Re-check your dehumidifier - sometimes when its blowing - it will put out 'smelly air' - which could be why your having intermittent problems.
2. Recheck your tank - to be sure that a) there is not some piece of equipment that is malfunctioning periodically - and causing a smell and b) that there is not something wet near the tank thats moldy (though that would cause a more constant smell)
3. I had this problem once - when the AC was on - there was no smell - then when off there was - it turned out water had spilled on carpet - and when the humidity was low - it was not noticeable - but when high - there was a moldy smell in the room (note - this was not related to the tank).

My comment related to if you're smelling something 'bad' from your tank - it usually will effect the occupants - which you said were doing ok. So - I suggested looking elsewhere. Also humidity makes nearly every smell 'seem' worse - to the person.

Hope this helps - !!!

 

[MnFish1]

PS. IME - a tank - unless there is a problem - should have no smell. An ocean smell usually reflects algae (like the 'beach smell') - when all the algae has gone up on the shore and is decaying

 

[MnFish1]

BTW to the OP - it is the intermittent part that is confusing (to me) - but I thought of something thats a long-shot.

My skimmer has a float switch the turns off the air - if the cup is nearly filled - sometimes - since I tend to use more wet skimming, the basket fills faster than the tube leading to the 'catcher' can't drain fast enough - and it can sometimes cause a brief odor.

But - since your dehumidifier is only a week old - I cant see that being the problem so - Are you emptying often the bucket that holds the water? I guess a little more diagnosis:

1. Did you ever smell the smell before the dehumidifier was put in
2. Does the smell get worse - or better when the dehumidifier is on.
3. If you had one dead snail - you could have more - but that should not cause an intermittent odor.
4. Is the odor stronger near 'anything' - i.e. the tank, where the dehumidifier is, carpeting, etc. Why - out of curiosity did you get the dehumidifier

 

[dedragon]

Make sure to clean all overflow weirs, sump and the top where water meets the air very well from algae. Also make sure skimmer is clean as well, as mnfish said it is usually that low tide beach smell that comes from exposed algae or unclean skimmer

 

[dedragon]

worst case an air purifier works really well to eliminate all smells in a household .so you could check one of those out. i use these in my house, just depends on room size which one too get. But these are really great for just getting any and all smells out of a room, wont treat the root of the problem being the tank

 

[Lps_lover12]

I live in San Diego. A couple of years ago we intermittently smelled something awful. Couldn't locate it.
I finally convinced myself the sewer line must be backing up and called a plumber.
Our plumbing was fine and we decided, maybe the neighborhood main sewer line was the issue.
I called the city and reported it.
Here comes the saltwater connection in my story.....
The city representative explained the issue was a Red Tide phenomenon occurring along the San Diego coastline.
I live right at the origin point of a canyon facing toward the ocean.
Apparently the breeze was channeling the smell right up the canyon and to my house!

When I used to go on vacation it would also be the red tide and it was terrible. Couldn’t even go near the ocean and had to stay at the pool, even then you would get a whiff here and there. It’s an unforgettable smell! And not a good one.

 

[Lps_lover12]

My tank smells like varech. I can smell it when I come home after being away for a while. I figure there’s no way around that. But it’s not the same smell as a rotting fish or invert. Which is yours ?

It smells super fishy. Like a rotting fish or invert

 

[Lps_lover12]

You have Dino’s which definitely smells and can cause allergies / throat pain ect.. it gets in the air look up red tide

They don’t disappear at night so could it still be dinos?

 

[Lps_lover12]

Make sure to clean all overflow weirs, sump and the top where water meets the air very well from algae. Also make sure skimmer is clean as well, as mnfish said it is usually that low tide beach smell that comes from exposed algae or unclean skimmer

I’ll stay on top of that, thanks!

 

[Lps_lover12]

worst case an air purifier works really well to eliminate all smells in a household .so you could check one of those out. i use these in my house, just depends on room size which one too get. But these are really great for just getting any and all smells out of a room, wont treat the root of the problem being the tank

It will still help out a lot, thank you

 

[jmatt]

Did you take a head count? Did a jumper land under a baseboard heater or on top on an HVAC vent? That could cause it to be intermittent as the units go on and off.

 

[Lps_lover12]

BTW to the OP - it is the intermittent part that is confusing (to me) - but I thought of something thats a long-shot.

My skimmer has a float switch the turns off the air - if the cup is nearly filled - sometimes - since I tend to use more wet skimming, the basket fills faster than the tube leading to the 'catcher' can't drain fast enough - and it can sometimes cause a brief odor.

But - since your dehumidifier is only a week old - I cant see that being the problem so - Are you emptying often the bucket that holds the water? I guess a little more diagnosis:

1. Did you ever smell the smell before the dehumidifier was put in
2. Does the smell get worse - or better when the dehumidifier is on.
3. If you had one dead snail - you could have more - but that should not cause an intermittent odor.
4. Is the odor stronger near 'anything' - i.e. the tank, where the dehumidifier is, carpeting, etc. Why - out of curiosity did you get the dehumidifier

You have no idea how much all your comments help! They make a lot of sense and really help me out. And I never smelt it before, at least not to the point where my whole room smells like it. I can’t say if it gets better or worse but I wanna say the same. Currently I don’t have many snails and I don’t beleive any are dead, at least none of my turbos which are the largest. And it’s a lot stronger the closer I get to the tank. I got the dehumidifier just to get all the humidity out of the air, the tank evaporates at least a gallon a day if not more. I beleive I may have found the problem tho and it might be whenever i feed the frozen pe mysis. I’m not 100% sure but I just noticed it tonight, I’m going to keep an eye on it and see if it’s only when I feed the frozen pe mysis. Ever heard of the frozen causing smells for a few hours?

 

[Lps_lover12]

Did you take a head count? Did a jumper land under a baseboard heater or on top on an HVAC vent? That could cause it to be intermittent as the units go on and off.

Yeah I only have 3 fish currently so it’s easy to count them lol. Plus I know it’s the tank cause when I put my nose right up to the water it gets worse

 

[dedragon]

np, just make sure to get one sized for your room, too small and it wont work as well

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I used to get a bad smell when food was aloud to rot in the tank. My mandarin feeder had a dead zone where no water movement would pass through. As a result it smelt really bad if food was left over for hours to a day. The smell reminded me of sulfur. I’m not sure this will help you but I thought I should mention it in case it does.

 

[Lps_lover12]

I used to get a bad smell when food was aloud to rot in the tank. My mandarin feeder had a dead zone where no water movement would pass through. As a result it smelt really bad if food was left over for hours to a day. The smell reminded me of sulfur. I’m not sure this will help you but I thought I should mention it in case it does.

How did you fix that? Did you add more flow to the tank or find something that will search for it?

 

[NowGlazeIT]

How did you fix that? Did you add more flow to the tank or find something that will search for it?

More flow will help if your having this issue. I got better at the feedings but the feeder wouldn’t stink for long. The smell would come as I added more food because the old food and water would get pushed out. The smell would last about 15 minutes

 

[Lps_lover12]

More flow will help if your having this issue. I got better at the feedings but the feeder wouldn’t stink for long. The smell would come as I added more food because the old food and water would get pushed out. The smell would last about 15 minutes

I think mine might be from frozen pe mysis but it could be like you said, rotting food. It only lasts a few hours