Tank smells

[Anonymous]

I just re-set up my 100 gallon in my office, moving fish, rocks, etc from a temporary 29 gallon tank where things -- well -- suffered a bit. Everything is enjoying the new clean water, etc, but the tank definitely smells. It is especially noticeable when I first walk in the door.

There is doubtless some decaying material, but ammonia is undetectable and nothing obvious is visible, and it isn't like I can do anything about it now anyway. My guess is there is some sponge or something that didn't enjoy the transfer. Any trick to dealing with this? The only thing I can think of is to go buy some activated carbon.

 

[Anonymous]

Carbon, water change and good circulation should be suffice

 

[Anonymous]

Yep, those three are pretty much all you can do.

I suppose if you are very motivated, you could remove each rock and rinse in a separate container of saltwater, while inspecting for decaying matter. Are there corals on the rocks? The death shouldn't be hard to find.

 

[Anonymous]

True. A dead or dying sponge is a pretty tell tale thing. If it's to the point of stinking you should be able to see white/black fuzz and bubbles in it.

 

[Len]

If you can't locate the smell, put some baking soda around your room to absorb the smell.

 

[Anonymous]

If you can't locate the smell, put some baking soda around your room to absorb the smell.

Meh the hippy students with patchouli will cover any bad tank smell for sure :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Man and I was gonna make a patchouli joke, then I figured you Californians might be tired of them.

 

[Anonymous]

Never tired of joking around about it. It itself we're tired of though :lol:

FWIW it really doesn't cover up that nasty stank. A shower really is a god send for such things, try it on for once patchouli users

 

[Anonymous]

Man and I was gonna make a patchouli joke, then I figured you Californians might be tired of them.

I was going to suggest using ozone for odor control, but... :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah I was thinking ozone as well. But that stuff can be dangerous. You don't want to suggest it to amateurs... especially in a case like this when the OP probably doesn't know Jack about chemicals or chemistry.

 

[Anonymous]

I actually put out an ozone fire once. No way am I putting that in my office. Not to mention what it would do to my lungs.

 

[Anonymous]

It's in an office?


Move the copy machine into your office for a week.

Should put off enough ozone to mask the smell, and you can do your best Richmister:

 

[Anonymous]

I used some activated carbon. Now I have an algal bloom from what I assume is phosphate contamination.

 

[Saltlick]

I know a painter's trick is to place a 5 gallon bucket of water in a freshly-
painted room and it is really good at uptaking the odor. Could work in this
case as well. Air circulation can help, too. Not sure if you can open the
windows, lol.

 

[Anonymous]

Criminy, you used the carbon in the water?

Oh, wait... wrong forum. :lol:

Bill, I'm sure you know that carbon can be used to filter the air as well.