Can I put Saran Wrap on the curing LR??

[James]

I am curing 40 pounds of very fresh (started curing 2 days after it was pulled out of the ocean) LR covered with clams, corals, sponges, tunicates, algaes, and some mantis shrimp (2 so far, both dead ).

My ammonia levels are off the chart and the tank is in my living room which is part of my converted studio. The bedroom wall is really like a closet cover and the awful smell has permeated the entire apartment. My wife is really not happy and honestly it is becoming a little overbearing even for my normally brutish sensibilities. There are 3 powerheads (1 900 MJ and the 2 returns that come with the jbj 28 nano) The temp is 79-80 depending on day or night. My question is:

Can I cover the tank with saran wrap to curb the smell. I think (not positive of this) the air should be in contact the surface water but there would still be a little air from where the power cords leave the tank. Advice? Is this stupid. I need to do something, Susana is getting more upset with each passing hour.

James

 

[D1J8Z]

ummmm don't saran wrap your tank

 

[ecvernon]

hmm not sure if that is a good idea... in the nitrogen cycle the final step is the nitrates turning into nitrogen gas and then being released into the air at the waters surface

 

[James]

As of right now I am not to that part yet, the smell should dissipate when the ammonia gets turned into nitrites right?

 

[prattreef]

Are you running carbon on the curing bin? It might help a little.

 

[ming]

If the ammonia is off the charts and everything is pretty much dead already, then I would saran wrap the tank just for your marriage sake, in a few weeks, and a few water changes, the smell should go down significantly. If things look like they might be alive still, saran wrap stops the oxygen exchange and may kill off anything left alive.
And as randy said, carbon removes odors so you can try running that in a reactor

 

[James]

I don't have a reactor but I am going to put some activated carbon in a nylon bag and put it in front of one of the powerheads. There are lots of worms and such still alive, some random coral polyps (no aiptasia yet). Thank you all for the advice, please keep it coming.

 

[Dre]

Well first off i don't think it was a good idea to put that rock in the tank before giving it a good scrubbing with a big brush.I can just imagin the smell.Get ready to get your hands dirty and remove all animal and plant life before you put it back in the tank with freshly fixed salt water. You do not what any unwanted guesses in your tank.

 

[ming]

if you see any sponges on the rock, try to tear it off and toss it. the sponges are usually the first thing to die when taken out of the water because they fill up with air and suffocate. a very tiny bite will probably be left on the rock and if it is alive, it will regrow

 

[Dre]

If you are planning on having a substrate this is the time to add it don't wait.

 

[Mr.First]

I would start with a water change.

 

[James]

There is LS in there as well , 20 pounds to be exact. I waited 2 days to scrub the rocks hoping to preserve as much life as I could, I ripped off some dying clams and mussels that were covered in coraline and were the size of those you would eat. I also took off several sponges and other things. I left some macro algae on it but I think I will remove that tonight as well. I promised my wife I would do a water change even though I know the new water will get stinky quickly. It can't hurt, only extend my cycle. The frag swap corals are not looking so hot at this point (the ones I prepurchased with the intention of having my tank ready for some easy frags by Dec. 6). we will see.

Thanks for the advice, you all are great.

James

 

[darkdrako]

I've read somewhere (don't remember where specifically) that some protein skimmers have carbon in the cup to absorb some of the lovely smell of skimmate. Maybe it would help in your situation as well. Maybe try the saran wrap idea with an area for air transferrence and put some carbon on that. Don't know if it would help but it is worth a shot.

 

[James]

good ideas with the carbon and a hole for some air to get in there. Funny, I come home and there is a white garbage bag over the tank with a towel draped over it. The temp is 82. Apparently she couldn't stand it. I will put some carbon in there now and will take her out dancing tonight in the city. I wonder if that cost should be put in my tank cost thread?

 

[Quang]

good ideas with the carbon and a hole for some air to get in there. Funny, I come home and there is a white garbage bag over the tank with a towel draped over it. The temp is 82. Apparently she couldn't stand it. I will put some carbon in there now and will take her out dancing tonight in the city. I wonder if that cost should be put in my tank cost thread?

hahaha. that's definitely a cost.

 

[anthony27]

best bet take the rock out of the the tank and then scrub it down compleatly and put it back in the tank the smell you are having is the smell of dead and decaying garbage in the tank.

 

[nycoralguy]

PLEASE put carbon in your tank, that'll absorb all smells quickly. Leave ALL dead rotting speciments, test your water in 2-3 weeks, if ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, stabliszes, your good to go, but please, once again, put some HIGH GRADE CARBON in your filter, LOL.

 

[dnreef]

Saran wrap doesn't make any logical sense. If you can totally seal off the environement that means no oxygen exchange, which means increased CO2, which means increased deathrate, which means more bad smell. One of the things that I came across in my early readings was that if you planned to cure live rock you better be prepared for large percentage daily water changes and bad smells. Putting the rock in a bucket near a window fan that blows out would probably help more than leaving it in the tank. Btw, did I understand correctly that you have this rock in a tank with corals?

 

[seahunt]

Well no posts in two days maybe his wife threw him & his rock out:lol:

 

[James]

Sorry, I missed the last 2 posts! I would have responded sooner. Rock is much better now. I covered it with plastic with a hole near where I positioned a PH up at the surface, this worked to help with the smell. The next day there was a film on the top of the water that I removed then I scrubbed the rocks again. The ammonia test was off the charts again so I decided to do a 100percent water change because the water so was dark I could not see the rocks (I had done a couple 5 gallon changes and it really wasn't helping the smell or water color). Turns out the reason is there were huge clams that had fallen off and were rotting in the bottom of the tank. I couldn't get to them or even see them with just the water change. There was so much detritus that the bottom bit of water was almost sludge. This was not cool but after I cleaned this out, the rock an anything still alive should be happy now (I added a pantyhose ball full of activated carbon floating around the tank, not quite a reactor but it is better than nothing). The water is clear and some polyps on the coral (that came on the LR, I didn't put coral in guys, not an idiot) are actually visible for the first time. They are tiny and green and I am amazed they are still alive after the ammonia bomb that they were in for a couple days. Anyway, I am gonna try to get a photo of the polyps and the LR now so you can see, maybe give me an ID. Ammonia is testing at around 2 , nitrites and nitrates are 0 because they havn't had a chance to show up yet, still too much ammonia. I havn't tested for anything else except my S.G which is 1.025. Let me go try to take some pics.

James

As for my wife, she was not happy at all but since I took her out dancing until 4 am, and the 100% change she is happy with me and the tank. Overall a victory. :tongue1: