My water mix smells like ammonia!

[ScubaSkeets]

Hi folks!
I store my SW mix in a 32 gallon Brute can. I took about half out two Saturdays ago, and filled it back up and mixed it. This evening, I went to fill up my jugs and the water in the Brute smells like ammonia! I did an API test on it and it is reading 2.0 ppm. (I know about the API test being inaccurate, but still, it definitely smells like ammonia...I will be ordering a better test kit. Is Red Sea any good, or should I order Salifert?...Amazon has the Red Sea that I can have delivered on Saturday)

Back to the ammonia smell...it is RODI water mixed with InstantOcean. This batch is about 50% Instant Ocean Salt and 50% IO Reef Crystals. Not sure if that has anything to do with the smell. Last batch was 100% IO salt. Another possibility is that I fill up a 5 gallon can at my RODI station, then transfer it to the 32 gallon mixing station. I used the same can that I put my dirty water during water changes. I rinse the can, but maybe some left over crud stayed in it that converted to ammonia.

I will wait for a better-than-API test to make sure that what I'm smelling is indeed ammonia before I dump the water out, but if it does turn out to be ammonia, is there anything else I can do save the water? Maybe dumping some bacteria into it and wait until it tests for Nitrite/Nitrate.

Thanks,
Ed

 

[CMMorgan]

Hi folks!
I store my SW mix in a 32 gallon Brute can. I took about half out two Saturdays ago, and filled it back up and mixed it. This evening, I went to fill up my jugs and the water in the Brute smells like ammonia! I did an API test on it and it is reading 2.0 ppm. (I know about the API test being inaccurate, but still, it definitely smells like ammonia...I will be ordering a better test kit. Is Red Sea any good, or should I order Salifert?...Amazon has the Red Sea that I can have delivered on Saturday)

Back to the ammonia smell...it is RODI water mixed with InstantOcean. This batch is about 50% Instant Ocean Salt and 50% IO Reef Crystals. Not sure if that has anything to do with the smell. Last batch was 100% IO salt. Another possibility is that I fill up a 5 gallon can at my RODI station, then transfer it to the 32 gallon mixing station. I used the same can that I put my dirty water during water changes. I rinse the can, but maybe some left over crud stayed in it that converted to ammonia.

I will wait for a better-than-API test to make sure that what I'm smelling is indeed ammonia before I dump the water out, but if it does turn out to be ammonia, is there anything else I can do save the water? Maybe dumping some bacteria into it and wait until it tests for Nitrite/Nitrate.

Thanks,
Ed

You can detoxify the ammonia with something like Prime. Still a good idea to get a new test kit. Red Sea is fine. If you can get that by Saturday, go for it.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

You can detoxify the ammonia with something like Prime. Still a good idea to get a new test kit. Red Sea is fine. If you can get that by Saturday, go for it.

Won't adding Prime(or whatever) still cause the water to test positive for ammonia? How will I really know its safe? By the smell alone?
Any ideas why the water smells like ammonia, besides my two possible explanations? Is storing water for long periods just not a good thing to do?

 

[LegendaryCG]

Bacteria can grow in it -- not sure where ammonia would come from unless maybe their death could cause it.

 

[MnFish1]

Won't adding Prime(or whatever) still cause the water to test positive for ammonia? How will I really know its safe? By the smell alone?
Any ideas why the water smells like ammonia, besides my two possible explanations? Is storing water for long periods just not a good thing to do?

Did you ever find out what the problem was? Storing water should not cause an ammonia smell. Its unclear exactly what you did with your mixing - but question - is the TDS of your water 0? Did you happen to check with your water company - had they added any chloramines? Is your carbon block old? Do you have any more of the 'salt' to see if indeed it was the salt that was causing the smell (i.e. mix up another batch)? Lastly - are you sure it was ammonia you were smelling?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

It came from the water?
D

 

[ScubaSkeets]

The only thing I can think of is I was using the same bucket for water changes that I was using to transfer the fresh RODI to my Brute and there was leftover bacteria that turned into ammonia. I've since mixed multiple cans and have not noticed any ammonia smell.

 

[Garf]

The only thing I can think of is I was using the same bucket for water changes that I was using to transfer the fresh RODI to my Brute and there was leftover bacteria that turned into ammonia. I've since mixed multiple cans and have not noticed any ammonia smell.

You sure your DI resin ain’t shot? That can release silly amounts of ammonia.

 

[F i s h y]

Full disclosure I did not read this thread...

Ammonia in INSTANT OCEAN REEF CRYSTALS

First off, I'll just say I'm one sad fish dad. One by one my fish and corals are dying. It's my first reef and my 5 fish were buddies for 2 years. Not a single death until this week. INSTANT OCEAN REEF CRYSTALS crashed my reef with ammonia. I didn't believe it at first but the tests feel...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Garf]

Full disclosure I did not read this thread...

Ammonia in INSTANT OCEAN REEF CRYSTALS

First off, I'll just say I'm one sad fish dad. One by one my fish and corals are dying. It's my first reef and my 5 fish were buddies for 2 years. Not a single death until this week. INSTANT OCEAN REEF CRYSTALS crashed my reef with ammonia. I didn't believe it at first but the tests feel...

www.reef2reef.com

You should. It has little to do with ammonia in the initial mix I believe.

 

[F i s h y]

You should. It has little to do with ammonia in the initial mix I believe.

Actually it does.... like the 3rd paragraph

All of the tests were done to water that was tank-ready, salinity and temp on par. I'm happy I didn't dump it into the tank but that also mean I'm just letting it die until I get new salt first thing tomorrow.

 

[F i s h y]

You should. It has little to do with ammonia in the initial mix I believe.

Was just trying to help OP with searching.... have a great weekend.

 

[Gtinnel]

My mixing station sometimes smells of ammonia. I just continue to use the water. I have an AWC so I am only changing a few gallons a day and any ammonia in the new water would quickly get processed by the bacteria in the tank. If I were doing a large water change at once I'd be more concerned about the smell.