hydrogen sulfide

[Mimbler1]

Hi Randy,
When adjusting some flows on my reef today, a normally unused back-up overflow was used and flushed 3 or four cups of stagnant water (had probably laid in the tube for 6 months) into the 200 gal tank. I could distinctly smell hydrogen sulfide, the orp dropped from 390 to 145, and my skimmer went crazy (foaming heavily, had to reduce inflow). The orp is now very slowly coming back up, and my corals and fish seem totally unaffected. Is there anything further I should do, or watch for?
thanks, Mike

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I make some suggestions (GFO, aeration, light, etc) about what can be done in this article, but by now it is probably to late to do much useful, and whatever effect it was going to have is likely over as the H2S is likely mostly gone. Does it still smell?

Hydrogen Sulfide and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php

 

[Mimbler1]

Thanks Randy - I had reviewed your article last night and accomplished what I could from it. 12 hours later, the smell is gone, and orp is up to 355 and stilll climbing - I assume it will be back to the tank norm of 390 by the end of the day. There is no longer any smell from the tank, and no observable bad reactions from the occupants. I think it started to break down fairly quickly, because the smell shifted to a more pure sulfer smell rather than rotten eggs within in hour or so. I have to admit, I was surprised what 3 cups of stale water could do diluted in a 200 gal tank - although your article specifically warned about stale water in tubing! I think I erroneously had thought it was -so- stale (6 months), that everything would be "cured" in it (like storing nsw for a couple of months in the dark to let the bacteria eat the organics).
Mike

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

and no observable bad reactions from the occupants.

That's good to hear!


Let's us know if anything goes bad in the near term.