Weird smell, help!

[dr.dator]

I just upgraded to a slightly bigger tank a few weeks ago and something weird happened just after I had moved all the live rock and corals to the new tank... I have no idea what caused it, but basically all my corals started to close up and the tank started to smell almost like chlorine. You know like a swimming pool... The skimmer also started to go crazy and the skimmate was white like milk. I thought something had died due to the move so I did 3 x 25% water changes and replaced my activated carbon. After 48 hours the smell was gone and the corals started to look normal. But now it is happening again! The smell is back and the corals are closing. Not as bad as the first time but definitely noticeable. All my params are normal. I have tests for salinity, temp, PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate, alkalinity, calcium and magnesium and they are all good. What could cause this weird smell?

 

[SushiGirl]

Did you move the sand too?

 

[funkejj]

What is normal? Normal params for me is not going to be the same as normal params for Sushigirl or you. Please provide numbers.

 

[Ghstwolf]

Did you rinse out the new tank?? Did you use the same containers to move your rocks/coral that you normally use for say water changes?? If you used all new stuff there might have been a sulfactant or a residue in either the new tank or one of the containers you used..

Also what SushiGirl asked.. Did you move your sandbed if you have one? If so are you running a deep sandbed or shallow sandbed?

 

[dr.dator]

Yeah, I did move the sand also. But it's pretty shallow, around a half inch at most places. So I figured that wouldn't be a problem?

I filled up the tank with tap water and emptied it two times before I moved everything to it. I also used the same buckets I always use.

Ok, so I just did a 25% WC but my params before that were:
Temp: 79
Salinity: 1.026 (refractometer)
pH: 8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5 ppm
Phosphate: 0
Calcium: 440 ppm
Alkalinity: 10 dKH
Magnesium: 1340 ppm

I used Salifert tests for everything but phosphate which was measured with a hanna checker.

Luckily the corals are recovering again as WC and new GAC seems to be the solution. But it irritates me that I don't know why this is happening. This is the second time since the new tank. In my old tank this never happened...

And yeah, thanks guys for answering. This is my first thread here on RC, but I've been reading a lot since I got my first tank a year ago. I know there are tons of threads like this one but I've never read about a chlorine like smell from a tank except one with a ****ed off girl friend who actually poured bleach in the tank...

 

[dr.dator]

Yeah, I did move the sand also. But it's pretty shallow, around a half inch at most places. So I figured that wouldn't be a problem?

I filled up the tank with tap water and emptied it two times before I moved everything to it. I also used the same buckets I always use.

Ok, so I just did a 25% WC but my params before that were:
Temp: 79
Salinity: 1.026 (refractometer)
pH: 8
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.5 ppm
Phosphate: 0
Calcium: 440 ppm
Alkalinity: 10 dKH
Magnesium: 1340 ppm

I used Salifert tests for everything but phosphate which was measured with a hanna checker.

Luckily the corals are recovering again as WC and new GAC seems to be the solution. But it irritates me that I don't know why this is happening. This is the second time since the new tank. In my old tank this never happened...

And yeah, thanks guys for answering. This is my first thread here on RC, but I've been reading a lot since I got my first tank a year ago. I know there are tons of threads like this one but I've never read about a chlorine like smell from a tank except one with a ****ed off girl friend who actually poured bleach in the tank...

 

[dr.dator]

For some reason my previous message was posted twice. How can I delete one of them??

 

[SKurj]

Anyone else touching the tank...?

 

[dr.dator]

Anyone else touching the tank...?

Well, my girlfriend has access to it but she wouldn't touch it...

 

[Steve175]

Double checking: you are using RODI? Time to change filters?

 

[dr.dator]

Yep, I'm using RO/DI water with Tropic marin pro reef salt. How often do you need to change RO/DI filters? My tank is only about 30 gallons and I normally do 10-20% water changes weekly.

It seems like the tank is back to normal now and all my corals are opening as usual. Let's just hope it stays that way...

 

[coralsnaked]

Normally white can mean bacterial growth. This is usually a temperoary ptoblem and can be managed w/ aeriation. not sure about that chlorine smell though. Not unusual for corals to recede in general after a big move. Also moving soft corals can produce lots of oils to mark their territory, This can cause other corasls to react as well when previously they did not smell each other. Lots of synbiotic zooxanthellae bacteria as well as coral mucus can be released from softies and LPS causing the skimmer to be over active. Bet it all works out for you.

Merry Skerry