Weird smell coming from tank water

[IslandLifeReef]

Got my carbon in and OMG. Everything looks so much better

Two things I've noticed in your posts. First, 1 ppm PO4 is very high. Most tanks run at .1 ppm or lower. Especially if your NO3 is really at 0 ppm. This is unbalanced and will cause you problems in the future.

Second, if you don't have any algae in the tank, then there really isn't any need for a CUC. There really isn't anything for them to eat.

Also, nice looking tank.

 

[FindingNem0]

Yeah phosphate was at 2ppm before but after using gfo in reactor it has dropped to 1ppm. I just changed new gfo today, I'll do another test in a few days.

I've cut down on feeding reef roids and frozen mysis shrimp.

I have a bit of algae just not much that you'll call it a bloom. My clean up crew is small and their always busy during the night.

Thanks [emoji16][emoji16] hoping one day to have full SPS.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

It's really hard for me to pick up what it smells like but sometime reminds me of rotten eggs but sometime earthy as well. So I'm really unsure.

The rotten egg smell is likely bacteria along with organic matter breaking down. If it's stronger in the sump area then it's coming the skimmer. Emptying the collection cup more frequently and rinsing it out each time can help. Adding a vent fan to the sump helps a ton as it keeps it well vented. Adding carbon, purigen, or something similar also will reduce odors from the tank.

If you're smelling this on your hand after moving, handling corals or rock work then it's again going to be bacteria. Wearing nitrile gloves will stop this as well as protect you and the corals as well as keeping the superglue from sticking all over your skin when placing corals. If you wrap a thick rubber band around your wrist a couple times it usually keeps your glove from filling up with water.

 

[mcarroll]

Most test kits only read up to 2 ppm or so at maximum.

Are you positive about the location of the decimal on the readout?

Having nutrients at zero as your nitrates appear to be can cause problems. Very low nutrients are only for mature systems.

If you get anything BESIDES GREEN ALGAE growing, beware as it can be very toxic – and egg smells have been associated with them. (dino's)

 

[Vin's Reef]

That looks like a pretty big investment in corals for only two months of cycling. Did you add Dr Tims or some other nitrifying bacteria before hand to boost the bacterial colonies? The tank will be cycling for another year. It's cool how eager you are to get into it and you have a very solid setup but without a sandbed and only 2 months in you might want to add some Dr Tims and don't be scared to feed those corals every night. Your nitrates are going to be low with no fish and those LPS coral like it around 10ppm. Good luck and test test test.

 

[FindingNem0]

That looks like a pretty big investment in corals for only two months of cycling. Did you add Dr Tims or some other nitrifying bacteria before hand to boost the bacterial colonies? The tank will be cycling for another year. It's cool how eager you are to get into it and you have a very solid setup but without a sandbed and only 2 months in you might want to add some Dr Tims and don't be scared to feed those corals every night. Your nitrates are going to be low with no fish and those LPS coral like it around 10ppm. Good luck and test test test.

Yeah I got all my live rocks from an established tank that's been running for almost 10years. As soon it was in my sump my tank started cycling and yes I added dr Tim and some other boosters. Saltwater has been a big investment. My tank has 6 fishes lol just cant see them in that photo. My nirate currently is at 5ppm, I decided to remove my filter sock since my phosphate was high because of it.

 

[mcarroll]

Can you describe what was it like for the rocks in between the 10 year old tank and your tank? How was it handled? Etc.

 

[FindingNem0]

Can you describe what was it like for the rocks in between the 10 year old tank and your tank? How was it handled? Etc.

It was straight from my lfs main display tank, sps dominated, they had another tank which flows right after the main display tank acting like a sump, but was pretty much like a display sump, holding the same water volume. I've been shopping with these guys for a while ever since I started freshwater. So they were very helpful.

Soon as I bought the live rock it probably took me about 15mins to get home and drop it in my tank which was running for about a week. I never had the ammo or nitrite spikes in my tank due to the volume of live rock was dropped in. But I was left with a high phosphate spike, which is slowly decreasing.

 

[mcarroll]

What's filtration like on this tank? Doing anything like carbon dosing? Other "extra" measures?

If something died and release that much PO4, there had to be a substantial nitrogen release as well....it would be roughly in proportion to the redfield ratio, so quite a bit of N.

The fact that it was "burned off" (whether in ammonium or nitrate form doesn't matter too much) while leaving that much phosphate behind is interesting to me.

 

[FindingNem0]

What's filtration like on this tank? Doing anything like carbon dosing? Other "extra" measures?

If something died and release that much PO4, there had to be a substantial nitrogen release as well....it would be roughly in proportion to the redfield ratio, so quite a bit of N.

The fact that it was "burned off" (whether in ammonium or nitrate form doesn't matter too much) while leaving that much phosphate behind is interesting to me.

Yeah I'm using Reef Spec Carbon from Red Sea in a media bag

Gfo Phosguard in Reactor.

I have been dry skimming ever since I got my protein skimmer, maybe that's the cause ??
Or it could be that my live rocks are leeching out phosphate.

Just did a quick test. Phosphate is still at 1ppm and nirate is at 10ppm now. I also just tuned my skimmer to skim a little on the wet side.

 

[mcarroll]

Just did a quick test. Phosphate is still at 1ppm and nirate is at 10ppm now. I also just tuned my skimmer to skim a little on the wet side.

Wet skimming is the best default IMO....the only reason not to (I'm not currently) is when it's not convenient to empty the cup so often.

Carbon dosing, as in organic carbon like sugar or vodka or vinegar. You're fine with orginary usage of activated carbon. (Not speaking to overall necessity.)

10 ppm is nothing vs 2.00 ppm of PO4....your live rock+sand absolutely blasted the nitrogen from that die-off into N2 gas....only way there's only 10 ppm of nitrates residual that I can think of. Seems pretty radical, but I guess possible.