Smelly tank?

[carolinethedog]

1st post...ok had 38 gallon reef tank for 1 year. We have 80 lbs of quality LR (got hooked-up) at least 7 types of corals, nothing super rare, a maroon clown, damsel (can't catch to take out) and a serpent starfish, with an adequate CuC. Tank had been doing quite well, then at 11 months we changed the lights. Apparently we didn't acclimate the lighting correctly b/c we lost our two best corals (finger leather, and massive frogspawn)...they were the first corals we had lost in a year, we were bummed. Anyways, I dialed the lights down from 10hrs to 8hrs as per LFS advice. Lately, everything is just not looking that hot. I finally broke down and had a guy come out and check it out. He said everything he tested came out perfect (pH, ammonia, nitrates...) except for moderately high nitrates. He said I need a sump, so I am building/installing a 20 gallon sump this weekend. He also told me that I could do a 15% water change once a month, instead of the twice per month that I have been doing. The weak link of my tank is probably that I am running a cheap hang-on skimmer, yet with 80 lbs of LR I have had some people tell me that is fine. I am excited to do the sump, but just feel like I am missing something. Anyways, it has been three weeks since last water change and my tank actually smells really bad. I mean like I'm watching TV typing this and it stinks from 15 10 feet away. My girlfriends family is coming in 2 weeks and I really want the tank back on track. I just took my last final and have 2 weeks off school, so time and money aren't an issue. Btw, I am not overfeeding.
1. Do I need a bigger/better skimmer?
2. What is up with the smell?
3. Is the sump the total solution?
Sorry such a long post, but I have been enjoying this hobby and doing quite well I think for a beginner for over a year now. This is honestly the first time I have been frustrated with it. I know some experienced folks are on here, so I appreciate your time and any advice you can give.

 

[sermech]

Is the smell coming from your skimmer or the tank its self?

 

[sikpupy]

If the smell is comming from the tank, try putting on a HOB filter and just letting the water that comes from the filter drain on top the tank water to mix the top water up. Sometimes you get a crap load of oils that sit on top and smell like bleeeeh!

Also, make sure you clean the skimmer once a day ans see if that helps and you could throw some charchol in there too.

 

[cloak]

Any leftover food that accumulates on the edges of a tank can really stink up a storm. A little moisture & time, look out!

 

[YE||0W TA|\|G]

Im assuming you have a canister filter..? i could be wrong.. they are good for FO tanks. For a reef tank its not the greatest because canister filters will house a lot of nitrates. So it is a good idea that you either buy or create a sump yourself. If you go to melves reef site he has lots of sump designs.. plus its a huge money saver by building one yourself. Then once you have your sump up and running get some lighting and stick some macro in their and your nitrates will drop to 0ppm

Not sure what skimmer you have but you can always get a bigger better one. Usually its good to have a skimmer rated for 2-3x the tank volume. this will be able to be placed into the sump area as well.

 

[dcombs44]

Sorry if I missed this in your post, but if you are running a canister, what's in it? If there is filter floss in it or pads, remove them.

Run carbon in the canister filter. It should remove the smell and polish up your water.

 

[GlassReef]

Do you have a sand bed? If so, how deep is it? If you have a fairly deep SB - over 4", you could be having a problem with sulfur pockets in your sand. This would be unusual for a tank only a year old, but could happen. Assuming you have a DSB, have you noticed any layers of black sand where the the DSB meets the glass - or have you noticed any bubbles rising from the sand bed?The fact that don't have a sump could mean a less than optimal circulation in your tank. This could contribute to an organically loaded DSB.

 

[cubsFAN]

Changing your water less is bad advice in almost all cases. If your parameters are in check then there could be a stink problem with your sand bed, but i think its unlikely. very weird. you might want to break down some stuff, pull out a little rock to see if it smells and do some major water changes and rearranging. You can get the tank looking its best for the gf's fam and a new look for you guys. Sounds like youve got the time. i dont think the sump is the ultimate solution, but it will give you a place to put a nice new skimmer and more water volume which cant hurt. i would also run carbon as it will reduce the smell. clean all your filters and replace any media you use. probably get some scented candles too.

 

[odyssey1]

Your bad smell is coming from the organic matter building up in your tank. You need a larger Skimmer Most definately. If the smell is coming from in the tank you just need to get that stuff out. The best way to do this is using a sump with poly pads to catch the big stuff and a BIGGER SKIMMER. This is the only way to get rid or the smell in the tank. Keep in mind that you will need to change the collection cup every few days to alse keep the smell down.

Dont get in a hurry though your tank might not turn around in 2 weeks however the smell will be gone.

P.S. another way to get rid of the nitrates is a denitrifier. This will take 3-4 weeks to really contribute but works wonders on my tank. And best of all only have to maintain every 5-6mo.

 

[Jova]

Lots of febreeze. Lots and lots of febreeze.

 

[dcombs44]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14701235#post14701235 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jova
Lots of febreeze. Lots and lots of febreeze.

In reality, febreeze (especially the air effects and wall plug ins) can crash a tank.

My friend crashed a tank with the wall plug in that was close to the tank. He plugged it in, all was well, next day, tank of death.

No other explanation.

 

[sanababit]

Just run carbon on a HOB filter and smell should go away, if its coming from skimmer then clean it up more often... good luck

Sana

 

[dcombs44]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14705176#post14705176 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sanababit
Just run carbon on a HOB filter and smell should go away, if its coming from skimmer then clean it up more often... good luck

Sana

That's what I said. If my water ever smells, carbon fixes it right up. Keep it simple here.

 

[bubbly]

I would definitely get a bigger / better skimmer.

The live rock won't be able to process the stuff the skimmer can because many of the waste oils and proteins will float at the top of the water -- your rock will never see any of that stuff. There's a lot of nasty stuff that a good skimmer will pull out of the water.

I'm guessing the guy who was talking about your sandbed doesn't have a DSB -- bubbles coming from your sandbed just means that the sandbed is doing its job, converting nitrate to nitrogen (which, being a gas, bubbles up...) -- they say that putting a prefilter on the skimmer so that it only processes the surface water improves the efficiency by about 20%.

Going to the pet store and buying an Aquaclear HOB filter and running it with the carbon is definitely a pretty quick fix. I would get the largest size practical so that you will get the greatest turnover and can use the most carbon.

I don't know why the guy told you to do fewer waterchanges -- that's one of the quickest ways to a better tank.

i haven't done it myself, but I hear that running ozone will also help break up organic particles so that the bacteria can digest it -- do your research before you run one, and only run it for short periods b/c breathing ozone is not good for your lungs.

 

[luther1200]

I would start running carbon if you aren't already. That may help with the smell, and its beneficial anyway.

 

[sikpupy]

Whats a x-mas tree? Have not heard a referance to that yet and I do not see that on Melev's site.