Sour milk

[wjm6449]

So I asked before and didn’t get a direct response… I went on vacation and nutrient bombed my tank. I have a 125 gal tank and for the last week my tank has put off a sour milk smell.

What I’ve done so far:

Placed Red Sea carbon in a filter sock where water is running through it. (Gone through an insane amount of filter socks almost daily changes), added purigen in another sock (I have 3).

I’ve changed over the week approximately 80 gallons of water through water changes.

Placed carbon sheet on my skimmers top.

Here’s the rub

My nitrates at .7
Phosphates are at 0.07
I’m trying to dial in my reef tank and not overfeed by doing 1/2 cube of mysis. 1/2 sheet of nori. I was doing 1 cube a day and 1/2 sheet of nori.

My skimmer is new. At 2 month mark but producing… minimal skimmate. Talking like haven’t filled a cup once yet. Thoughts. Advice. How do I get rid of this smell before I’m disowned and my only shelter is a fish tank?

Attached is a photo of my skimmer. Am I using it right?

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

So it's just the skimmer/effluent that smells or does the tank smell?

I've always found that skimmers usually stink when they are working. Maybe try ozone?

 

[Formulator]

If it still smells after all that, you may have a bacterial bloom in the water column. Adjust the skimmer by tightening the valve until foam starts coming up over the lip of the cup. You may need to get a UV sterilizer.

 

[wjm6449]

If it still smells after all that, you may have a bacterial bloom in the water column. Adjust the skimmer by tightening the valve until foam starts coming up over the lip of the cup. You may need to get a UV sterilizer.

Okay. I’ll try to play with the skimmer. How can I tell if I have it too high or low in the water? It really hasn’t produced too many bubbles or skimmate.

 

[Formulator]

Okay. I’ll try to play with the skimmer. How can I tell if I have it too high or low in the water? It really hasn’t produced too many bubbles or skimmate.

Placement looks fine to me. I would just adjust the valve so the foam comes up and over the edge into the collection cup. If you can provide a photo looking down into the cup/neck, I can tell you if it is a tuning issue for sure, or still not really producing (out of your control).

 

[wjm6449]

Placement looks fine to me. I would just adjust the valve so the foam comes up and over the edge into the collection cup. If you can provide a photo looking down into the cup/neck, I can tell you if it is a tuning issue for sure, or still not really producing (out of your control).

 

[Formulator]

That looks pretty fluffy (good) to me, though it is pretty clean. Adjust the skimmer a bit so that foam starts coming over the edge.

 

[wjm6449]

That looks pretty fluffy (good) to me, though it is pretty clean. Adjust the skimmer a bit so that foam starts coming over the edge.

How would I adjust it. The knob has it at the top can’t turn it up higher

 

[Solo McReefer]

If you're not getting skimmate in the cup

Adjust the water level up a little bit until the head is right at the cup lip level

I personally don't like to have the foam just sit in the tube like that, on a power loss all that fish and coral poop goes right back into the water. And it's concentrated now

I clean my cup every day or every other day, and it still smells like Lucifer's farts in there

If I had your system wide stink, as you describe, I would mega waterchange and mega GAC the system

And would seriously consider buying an ozone controller and generator

Also get a couple 20 inch box fans. And 20x20x1 MERV 11-14 with Carbon filters. White gorilla tape the filters to the fans, and run those near the tank. Hang a towel soaked with air freshener like Fabreze in front of the fan, if it's really bad

YouTube DIY dust collectors of you don't know what I mean, they pull dust out of the air as well, not just the funk. They are worth that alone, if that's all they did was dust

 

[LPS Bum]

If your skimmer smells you can place a bag of activated carbon on the top of the collection cup. That can help neutralize the smell.

If the entire system smells you’ll probably want to vacuum your sand bed over the course of a week, and perhaps run UV or ozone to neutralize the stink.

 

[VintageReefer]

That looks pretty fluffy (good) to me, though it is pretty clean. Adjust the skimmer a bit so that foam starts coming over the edge.

Then your skimmer is too high in the water. Is it on a stand?

What do the brand and model skimmer? And how deep is the waterline in that compartment

 

[VintageReefer]

How would I adjust it. The knob has it at the top can’t turn it up higher

Just confirming - if you turn the knob the opposite direction, does the foam get lower?

If not, Then your skimmer is too high in the water. Is it on a stand?

What do the brand and model skimmer? And how deep is the waterline in that compartment

 

[wjm6449]

Then your skimmer is too high in the water. Is it on a stand?

What do the brand and model skimmer? And how deep is the waterline in that compartment

Red reef 300. Waterline inside is almost to the bottom visible part of the skimmer.

 

[VintageReefer]

Red reef 300. Waterline inside is almost to the bottom visible part of the skimmer.

How many inches is the waterline? Every skimmer has a max and minimum depth of water it’s designed to run in. If your dial is maxed then the skimmer needs to be in deeper water.

If it’s on a stand, then lower it. Or move it to a deeper compartment. Or the skimmer is not compatible with the sump you have. Or the skimmer is overrated and you don’t have enough bioload to make the skimmer function properly.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

On your skimmer it has a sticker on the rod with the plus and minus sign. The ideal level for the water in your sump is at that sticker.

 

[VintageReefer]

Where does the smell come from? The skimmer? Or the display water?

By the way,
.7 nitrate and .07 phosphate - there isn’t anything wrong with that. Nitrates can be increased safely as well

Doesn’t sound nutrient bombed to me. At least not any more.

 

[VintageReefer]

I read your other thread and your skimmer was pulling skimmate and you lowered the water level in the sump? This is probably why you aren’t pulling skimmate anymore.

Also your fish stock is:
3 tangs
3 anthias
2 clowns
1 6 line wrasse
Exsquisite wrasse
1 (very fat and happy lawnmower blenny)
1 velvet devil damsel. They’re all 2” or less in size.

And you are feeding a half sheet of nori and half cube of mysis a day? I feel you are way under feeding. I have 7 fish in a 75, (including 1 Tang and 2 anthias, damsel, wrasse) so some similar fish as you and I feed 2-3 cubes a day

Anthias need to eat 3-6x a day

 

[wjm6449]

I read your other thread and your skimmer was pulling skimmate and you lowered the water level in the sump? This is probably why you aren’t pulling skimmate anymore.

Also your fish stock is:
3 tangs
3 anthias
2 clowns
1 6 line wrasse
Exsquisite wrasse
1 (very fat and happy lawnmower blenny)
1 velvet devil damsel. They’re all 2” or less in size.

And you are feeding a half sheet of nori and half cube of mysis a day? I feel you are way under feeding. I have 7 fish in a 75, (including 1 Tang and 2 anthias, damsel, wrasse) so some similar fish as you and I feed 2-3 cubes a day

Anthias need to eat 3-6x a day

Okay. I’ll increase the feeding and also try to raise the water level.

 

[wjm6449]

Where does the smell come from? The skimmer? Or the display water?

By the way,
.7 nitrate and .07 phosphate - there isn’t anything wrong with that. Nitrates can be increased safely as well

Doesn’t sound nutrient bombed to me. At least not any more.

Mostly the tank/sump. I’m suspecting I do have a bacterial bloom as the water column is cloudy even with carbon and all I’ve done.

 

[tbrown]

In my experience the "sour milk" smell comes from stagnant water. Also, corals and snails dying give off a nasty putrid smell. If you had a snail crawl out of the tank and die that could be part of the problem. Is it the water itself that smells, the skimmer cup that smells, or is it something else?