siskiou Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Something has leaked into my tank (not sure if it's a bad pump or what), but the water smells really chemical, the corals are looking bad and the fish are hiding! Need help with waterchange water and possibly temporary home for fish! Would you use tapwater to get fresh saltwater quicker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 If you have to you can use tap water. go get some choline remover and then get ready to run phosban. You can also use the r/o water from a place like Capella's or a natural food store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 In got 25G of saltwater just before closing time at aquaserene. Will do a waterchange and run carbon. If anyone in Eugene/Springfield has a phosban reactor they could loan me? Edited to add: how long would you let freshly mixed saltwater sit before adding it to the tank in an emergency. Aquaserene's is only 1.016, and I used the 10G I had and am currently mixing about 50G more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 In my oppinion, if the choice was chemical water, and fresh mixed, I would choose the freshed mixed. I may be bad, but I don't have the space or resources yet to mix water for 24 hours before use. I am lucky to get it mixed for 1 hour with a powerhead with a venturi for air. I know I am new, and I know I am doing it wrong. I will soon have the space and resources for a water mixing bucket, but it has not happened yet. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 I let it "age" for a few hours and did about a 40G water change. Since the smell was kind of bleachy, I added Prime and am running carbon. All my pumps tested fine, run one at a time in a bucket, but I left the sump disconnected for the time being, so I could concentrate on the tank water only for now. Am running a diatom filter and a HOB skimmer on the tank, and two pumps for circulation. Heater is up there, too, not that I need it right now. I've emptied 80% of the sump water, and will mix a new batch of saltwater to fill up the sump once my tub fills with RO water again (that's what I'm waiting for right now). A few zoas that are on a rock in the tank have opened up again, and I see some snails grazing and an emerald crab munching on algae. No fish visible right now, but they seemed okay when the lights went out. No gasping at the surface, just hiding and freaked out from all the water change activity. Has anyone ever heard of AZ-NO3 (nitrate reducer) causing a smell like this? I've been dosing it the last 9 days. Or could something inside a chiller be leaking a causing a bleach smell? I just have no clue what could have happened at this point. How soon should I change the carbon I added tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Electrical arcing can cause a bleach smell from the ozone produced. Do you have a GFCI on the tank? Do you have a titanium ground on the tank? There may be stray voltage. This will definitely affect corals and cause fish to hide! I suggest to begin testing ASAP. http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa101602.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 Yes, I have a GFCI on the tank. No titanium ground. How do I test for this? This morning the fish are all out and eating, the three remaining corals in the tank are okay (acro, ricordia and GSP). I'm going to work on the sump today, and was planning on reconnecting it to the main tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Yes, I have a GFCI on the tank. No titanium ground. How do I test for this? Read the article at the link I posted. http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/weekly/aa101602.htm Put the positive red probe(+) in the tank, attach a wire to the black negative(-) wire and run it to an electrical ground of an outlet or a cold water pipe. Test as described in the article. There is some stray current in all tanks from heaters, pumps, etc., but the reading should not be over a few volts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 Thanks! I'll have to hunt down a volt meter. Edited to add: Found one, and no stray voltage with the equipment that's connected now. I tested in the tank, and in the sump. Later I'll test the chiller separately. I want to run it with water from a tub, to see if that produces the smell and then also check the voltage. I'm starting to suspect the AZ-NO3, though I've never heard of it doing anything like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Everything taken care of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Everyone is still alive and looking fine. Water smells normal. Sump is back in line. I still have no idea what this was. Can AZ-NO3 cause strange bleachy smells (though at first I thought it was more of a petrochemical smell. I'll test the chiller sometime this week (fortunately the weather is still cool enough and I don't need it right now) to see if something could have leaked in there. I'll keep the corals I relocated out for a few more days and will add the new pieces of live rock on by one, though I really don't think the live rock is the culprit. It's perfectly fine in it's own tub, and came from a tank with just about perfect water perameters and happy inhabitants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Okay, so I just set up the chiller with the pump in a tub of tap water. I pumped about 5G through to flush out the water inside and dumped that. Then I ran it from the tub. I think this is it! Strong bleachy smell! Anyone got any ideas what's inside a chiller that could be producing this smell? I bought it used. It's a PCI. Do they do repairs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 odds are someone cleaned it with bleach or other cleaner, run with fresh water a few times in the tub (20 gallons or more), and dump with new fresh water a couple runs, see how that goes, if its been sitting a while it could be simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 I'll give that a try... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Sent you a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 5, 2007 Author Share Posted June 5, 2007 I'm back to the drawing board. It wasn't the chiller after all. Around 6pm, my tank water started developing that same smell, though not nearly as strong and the chiller was off line. I probably caught it early. Would a bacterial bloom from AZ-NO3 cause a strange smell? Adding Prime pretty much helped with the chlorine smell right away, but I also did another massive water change. Maybe that's how the AZ-NO3 reduces nitrates! Makes you jump up and do lots of water changes! My nitrates are much lower now, but I won't be using that product anymore, just in case. Never a dull moment with this hobby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mbeef61 Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 yeah i wouldnt use that....whats the active ingredients....i know some nitrate reducers use sulfur in them and that can be bad news bears when its not used exactly right or even if it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 6, 2007 Author Share Posted June 6, 2007 Here is some info on the AZ-NO3: http://www.simplifiedreefkeeping.com/faq/AZ-NO3.HTM I have the slight white haze they mention as a possibility, and they also say some corals like GSP and leathers can show a reaction, but I see nothing about a strong smell associated with it. I was on hot coals all day at work, expecting the worst when I got home, but we are okay so far. Can't say I'll be feeling safe leaving for a while... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Just an update: ever since I stopped adding the AZ-NO3 after Monday, I've had no more incidences of chemical smell coming from the water. The "haze" has also cleared up. At this point I have to assume it was a bacterial bloom from the AZ-NO3 and I won't be using it again. Am glad to be able to enjoy the tank again, and happy that it wasn't the chiller after all! I'm just test-running it again, to be really sure before putting it back in line. The living room is no longer littered with tubs of mixing saltwater and buckets for water changes. I did another 20G change today, and will try to do one each Friday to tackle the nitrates (down to 15 from 40, after all the water changes) for good, and get rid of the algae. My "new" live rock has been back in the tank for a couple of days and has filled out the rockwork very nicely. I have a bunch left (looks like mostly capricornis skeletons) and will put as much of it as I can into the sump for additional filtration. I've used up almost a whole bucket of salt, but I have to say my husband was very helpful and nice about having to rush to Aquaserene and drop 30 bucks on pre-mixed saltwater on Friday and then have to lug water for me back on forth! And our daughter fished out corals and snail to relocate to the 20H. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 Glad its doing better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.