Brute cans smell

A

Amatuer21

New member
After mixing water in my brute cans for some time now, they smell like cat urine. Is this normal? Is the water in these cans still safe for my tank? Thank you
 
If it is already mixed with salt yes it will smell like cat urine unless you keep it circulated ..Normally takes a few days for the smell at least in my experience.. I have used the water with no issues that I can notice ..Now I keep the water circulating
 
It probably is not a health risk for the tank, unless it is ammonia from a depleting DI. Your nose is very sensitive to small amounts of some chemicals.
 
I had this happen after I used the brute can to mix salt water when I was in a jam. Next time I filled with RODI water I got the cat urine smell. I let the can sit in the sun a couple days and the smell went away. It was smell free for the next few months (being just used for RODI)until I mixed up some saltwater again in it again and then the smell came back . So it has something to do with the saltwater it seems. Does not affect the tank as far as I can tell.
 
What climate are you located at for the smelly cans?

I had gotten the same thing for my ro/di only. Pull the lid, and it goes away. I have cleaned the can repeatedly. I also put all new filters in the RO/DI, and membrane, same thing. It seems to be the fact that it is covered up in my case. I live in a warm climate in FL, especially now.
 
Ro/di water, and i use reef crystals. I have 3 brute cans that all smell like it. One for fresh ro/di storage, another for mixing and one for waste water
 
Amatuer21 said:
Ro/di water, and i use reef crystals. I have 3 brute cans that all smell like it. One for fresh ro/di storage, another for mixing and one for waste water
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So one that you've only stored ro/di water in (no salt mix) smells? Have you ever cleaned them out, even with a freshwater rinse and cloth or sponge?
 
Yes i do clean them out periodically. More so my mixing can to clean the residue out etc. And yes, the can that holds waste water only has the same smell to it.
 
Amatuer21 said:
Yes i do clean them out periodically. More so my mixing can to clean the residue out etc. And yes, the can that holds waste water only has the same smell to it.
Click to expand...

I was asking because I haven't smelled it in a can I've put RO/DI water in yet, but have after a couple days in a can I had a mix of water from my reef and fresh salt mix.

Hopefully nothing's leaching from the plastic. It sounds like that's not the case, but I don't think I'll be using my Brute cans to store water, only to mix.
 
I'm now putting my ro/di and pre-mixed saltwater in food grade five gallon buckets that they sell at Lowe's. The lid has a rubber gasket in it. No smell with these buckets.
 
Scorpius said:
I'm now putting my ro/di and pre-mixed saltwater in food grade five gallon buckets that they sell at Lowe's. The lid has a rubber gasket in it. No smell with these buckets.
Click to expand...

This is what I may move to for stoarge as 5g isn't enough for me.

http://www.plastic-mart.com/category/109/plastic-storage-tanks

Here's a good thread with a lot of ideas on water mixing and storage.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1711626&highlight=water+change+container
 
I tested the water in the RO/DI can for phosphates, it was zero. No sure what is smelly per say. I do not like it, but I live with it. Gray Brutes.... Randy uses them IIRC, so its gotta be ok.
 
Yeah mine smell when I leave a little water in them with the lids on and not circulating. That's the only time I notice it.
 
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