Solution to unpleasant smell in Brute cans

[skyhawkn5262y]

I've noticed after a day or two of storing mixed saltwater in a Brute trash can with a lid it starts to develop an unpleasant smell. It's hard to describe it, but it's almost like a mixture of chlorine and sulfur. I've always just disregarded the smell and used the saltwater anyway, and never noticed any ill effects in my reef tank.

However, it always bugged me and I just couldn't figure out why the smell occurred! I thoroughly rinse and dry the brute after each saltwater batch is used. I use Red Sea blue bucket salt and 0 TDS water. It doesn't seem to happen in any other container I've used before, only Brute cans.

I concluded it must be some kind of bacteria reacting with the material in the can, so I decided to throw in a 9W Green Killing Machine UV sterilizer and kept it running 24/7. Well, that did the trick, even after multiple days of storing it with the lid on there is zero smell.

So, for all of you who've had this problem a small, inexpensive UV sterilizer seems to be the solution.

 

[Flippers4pups]

What color Brute? Grey?

I've not had any "smell" with mine.

 

[brandon429]

I have been writing for years for pico reefers not to cap off stored water. keep it open topped in a blue water bottle, top it off as needed and exchange air. pico reefers tend to do all or most of the water at once, that very specific smell can happen in any capped container thats used over time and develops bioslicks in my opinion, blue water bottles not immune.

I changed with capped smell water once (100%) full change as normal, and within 2 mins every pod and brittle star in the system left the rocks and went the neck of the pico, gasping, truly horrible. given its oxygen consuming characters and your uv findings it seems pretty identified now.

using open-cap storage fully stopped the phenomena to the point of Ive never heard of one episode now for thousands of pico reefs. those bac are there, swirling, but now at least alive vs rotten and taking up all the o2 in decay states

 

[t5Nitro]

I've got saltwater store in a grey brute can as well, no heater and powerhead continuously on for circulation. Agreed that it smells bad. At some point I planned on adding a 2nd 65g norwesco tank to replace it.

 

[brandon429]

my lfs sold fine premade water, various brands, in the very big eight foot tall, about 6 foot circumference big water tanks and it never smelled. It was capped, I dont know how they pulled that off

i stored mine capped for a long time with no effects until that day, turns out its the variation that kills. the sneak attack

open-capped completely stopped the matter, though killing off the bac in other creative ways is wise

 

[andrewey]

Interesting. I've never had a smell with mine and IO. Glad you got it sorted out!

 

[AcroNem]

I've only had a smell with mine when I accidentally stored Saltwater mixed with basically tap water. Using DI and a powerhead running all the time it's never smelled.

 

[brandon429]

given the maintenance required for ro drinking stations/preventative biofilm removal and storage container cleans/swaps its clear the bioslicks must be a figurative mile deep in a common untouched reef container. Randy's chem forum posts review organics present in saltwater, just what scum bac need for the initial boost + hydration.

 

[andrewey]

given the maintenance required for ro drinking stations/preventative biofilm removal and storage container cleans/swaps its clear the bioslicks must be a figurative mile deep in a common untouched reef container. Randy's chem forum posts review organics present in saltwater, just what scum bac need for the initial boost + hydration.

Would you be able to reword this by chance? I couldn't understand anything you wrote, but it's an interesting topic so I'd love to understand your perspective.

@brandon429

 

[skyhawkn5262y]

What color Brute? Grey?

I've not had any "smell" with mine.

Yep, the standard Gray Brute cans that reefers have come to know and love.

 

[thaistalyn]

I had this question about 3 months ago and did a little research to find out that this question has been asked over and over for almost 15 years. Based on what I found - during manufacturing there is a final coating that is applied to the plastic that results in the "cat pee smell" when water is stored in the Brute can. I tested the water a few times worried it was ammonia (cat pee makes me think of ammonia), but never detected it.

I came across an archived post on another reef forum that suggested doing a vinegar wash of the barrel. I guess the weak acid of vinegar removes the coating. Since doing the vinegar bath I have never smelled that bad odor again.

 

[dreamcatcherr9]

I had this question about 3 months ago and did a little research to find out that this question has been asked over and over for almost 15 years. Based on what I found - during manufacturing there is a final coating that is applied to the plastic that results in the "cat pee smell" when water is stored in the Brute can. I tested the water a few times worried it was ammonia (cat pee makes me think of ammonia), but never detected it.

I came across an archived post on another reef forum that suggested doing a vinegar wash of the barrel. I guess the weak acid of vinegar removes the coating. Since doing the vinegar bath I have never smelled that bad odor again.

More details on vinegar bath please. Was it a over night soaking? A simple wipe out with vinegar and cloth? Did you rinse after with tap water or ro water?

 

[thaistalyn]

I took the brute can out back and made a 50/50 (1 gallon tap water, 1 gallon jug of distilled vinegar) solution. Used a brand new basic dish sponge with the sponge on one side and green scrubby on the other. I just scrubbed the whole inside a couple rotations of the can. I rinsed it out, towel dried it, rinsed it again, semi-dried it with a few paper towels then turned it upside down and let it sit a day to completely dry out.

 

[piranhaman00]

I use white and they smell as well. I stopped storing water in them and just use for mixing.

 

[skyhawkn5262y]

I had this question about 3 months ago and did a little research to find out that this question has been asked over and over for almost 15 years. Based on what I found - during manufacturing there is a final coating that is applied to the plastic that results in the "cat pee smell" when water is stored in the Brute can. I tested the water a few times worried it was ammonia (cat pee makes me think of ammonia), but never detected it.

I came across an archived post on another reef forum that suggested doing a vinegar wash of the barrel. I guess the weak acid of vinegar removes the coating. Since doing the vinegar bath I have never smelled that bad odor again.

This is interesting, because you'd think if it was a coating creating the smell problem that it would eventually wear off after multiple uses of washing, rinsing, mixing saltwater, etc.

If it is the coating, then that would indicate the smell is due to some kind of reaction between the coating material and the saltwater. However, it would not explain why a UV sterilizer solved the problem for me because a UV sterilizer would only be effective against a biological issue.

Really strange, glad you figured it out.

 

[dreamcatcherr9]

This is interesting, because you'd think if it was a coating creating the smell problem that it would eventually wear off after multiple uses of washing, rinsing, mixing saltwater, etc.

If it is the coating, then that would indicate the smell is due to some kind of reaction between the coating material and the saltwater. However, it would not explain why a UV sterilizer solved the problem for me because a UV sterilizer would only be effective against a biological issue.

Really strange, glad you figured it out.

So you run a uv sterilizer on your salt water station? What about your stores RO? And just curious, which unit do you use? Like a Turbo Twist? More expensive? Cheaper?

 

[skyhawkn5262y]

So you run a uv sterilizer on your salt water station? What about your stores RO? And just curious, which unit do you use? Like a Turbo Twist? More expensive? Cheaper?

Yes, I am now running a small, cheap UV sterilizer in my saltwater mixing station. I'm using a 9W Green Killing Machine that I purchased from Petco for $50.

I don't do anything with my RO water storage because I don't seem to have a smell issue with RO/DI water, only salt-mixed water.

 

[fyrefightr]

I had this question about 3 months ago and did a little research to find out that this question has been asked over and over for almost 15 years. Based on what I found - during manufacturing there is a final coating that is applied to the plastic that results in the "cat pee smell" when water is stored in the Brute can. I tested the water a few times worried it was ammonia (cat pee makes me think of ammonia), but never detected it.

I came across an archived post on another reef forum that suggested doing a vinegar wash of the barrel. I guess the weak acid of vinegar removes the coating. Since doing the vinegar bath I have never smelled that bad odor again.

New to making my own water and with the RO/DI water there is no smell keeping it caped to prevent evaporation. When I make saltwater however, I did get the cat pee smell and my wife gagged when she smelled it. Glad to know there is a solution for the solution!!!

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

What about using a thick black trash bag.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I was ready to tell my daughter to get rid of her cat due to strong smell of cat urine in house to discover it was my grey brute can. I bleached it and all good now