Wicked Odor and hair algea!

[GuyAFA]

Hey Gang:

I have a 75 gl. tank that is fully cycled according to the numbers. I have about 60 lbs of live rock and about 3-4 inches of live sand. My amonia, nitrites and nitrates are all at 0. My ph is around 8.2. The temp ranges from 79.7 to 81.2. I'm running the outer orbit with actinic and 10K MH. Actinics from 8am - 6pm, MH from 10am - 5pm. I had a custom sump/refugium built with a built in protien skimmer. Unfortunately, the pump for the protien skimmer was busted and I wasn't able to put it in until Saturday. The tank has been cycling since 12/27/06. I added another 3 lbs of cured live rock on Saturday.

The stench has become overpowering. I'm running the protein skimmer and seem to have adjusted the flow although the liquid is pretty clear. Is it the skimmer that is causing the smell. I didn't really start to notice it till I put it in.

I also have a lot of hair algea growing on the sand. The snails and crabs don't seem to be making a dent on the sand algea. They are too busy climbing all over the rocks.

I haven't done a water change yet.

I just put a length of pura pad in the mechanical filter chamber between the refugium and the pump return.

I haven't got the refugium up and running yet so nothing going on there.

I've got the following animals in the tank:

5 hermit crabs
1 scarlett hermit
2 zebra snails
2 snails (pointy top shapped white shell)
2 snails (small who burrow under the sand)
1 procelain crab (added Saturday)
1 emerald crab (added Saturday)
1 mexican snail

2 hannah gobies (added Saturday)

1 green star polyp (added Saturday)

Any help with the smell and how to get rid of it would be great!

Thanks.

Guy

 

[Anonymous]

Don't add any livestock until you get the smell and algae in control.

Built-in skimmer typically the low-end type that does not do well for reef tank. What type is it? You will need to monitor your A/N/N in next few days since smell usually associate with H2S or decomposing protein. The latter can cause a A/N/N spike if you don't have good skimmer. good luck.

 

[danmhippo]

What kind of stench? Dried up seaweed smell like when you are at fisherman's wharf? or rotten egg smell?

 

[GuyAFA]

Well, I woke up this morning and the smell was much better! Smells like fisherman's market not rotten eggs. Someone elsewhere described it as low tide which is pretty accurate.

I'll hold off on adding anything more until I get it under control. Not sure what the make of the skimmer is as it was custom made for the sump. The sump and skimmer were made by aquatic life systems here in Florida I believe.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[danmhippo]

Most likely something is dead in your tank and the bacterial system is not efficient enough to get them cleaned up in time. It can be fish, algae, mussel, or just about anything that you overlooked or died in nooks and cranny.

It should be alright, just monitor your NO2.

 

[shavo]

i like that smell lol, Just keep skimming and do a water change and see where you are in a few days, the tank is cycling and things will settle, don't do livestock until your confident things are better, but i wouldn't be afraid to do a sally light foot or some smails to take on some algea for now.

 

[GuyAFA]

I have plenty of snails and crabs. They just don't seem interested in the algea. The smell has completely dissipated. I think it must have been just the first flush of my system. Any ideas on the algea growth and how to get rid of it. The only thing that seems to be interested in the algea is the conch but it can't eat fast enough.

 

[dnorton1978]

As for the smell I may be wrong but I believe carbon will help out there. As for the hair algae long black urchins have worked for me in the past. I dont know the latin name or anything, but the one I have destroyed it.

On another note your tank is still relatively new. Different types of algae are normal. I assume you have been through the dreaded brown algae phase? That one is so pretty..LOL

Lastly, where did you get the sand? Was it an old friend? Or brand new from the LFS? Or did you take it from the playground??

 

[GuyAFA]

The sand is a mixture of live sand from the LFS and bagged sand. Some of the algea could have hitchhiked in on the sand or live rock. My LFS keeps telling me to be patient and to sifon the sand when I do my water change. I'm planning the water change for Saturday.

The diatomes showed up the other day and are what I assume you are referring to as the brown algea. The LFS tells me they are normal and to sifon them too.

All my levels are normal and everyghing seems to fine that I have in the tank. I guess I just need to be patient.

The smell is so negligent now that I only smell it when I open the cabinet to change the skimmer. I think it was just the first flush.

Now, if I could just figure out how to get rid of the microbubbles. They have gotten worse since the skimmer went in.

 

[danmhippo]

Siphoning the sand counter the purpose of having LS. After you finished siphoning all the little critters out of the LS, you are left with cycled cheap dead sand. However, I think it is already too late now......

I'd suggest to take LFS's word lightly.

 

[mr_X]

your microbubbles are from your skimmer? can you place some sort of prefilter sponge between the skimmer and the return pump? this should take care of the bubbles, but you'll need to keep an eye on that sponge for it will become a nitrate producer if you don't keep it clean.