Rotten egg smell

dav2245 · 10/05/2020, 06:58 AM

I woke up yesterday morning to a bad smell. Come to find out it was my tank. When I open to check my sump it even worst. I notice that all my bio media was like a green and a brown color and smell really bad. It have been in my sump for about 8 months. So I got rid of it and going to replace it. I did a 30% water change and test the water after hour. Do anyone have any advice?

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MarAquatic · 10/05/2020, 08:25 AM

Get some turbo start because you should not have any ammonia in a cycled tank. And that smell isn't normal. I only smell that in dead snails or the skimmate

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djryan2000 · 10/05/2020, 08:30 AM

I second what MarAquatic said. Looks like something fairly big died in your tank, leading to the ammonia smell. I’d add some prime and beneficial bacteria immediately to try to protect your current livestock.

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Member No. 1 · 10/05/2020, 12:27 PM

If it smelled like rotten eggs, then what you are smelling is hydrogen sulfide.

Sources of hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is formed by sulfur- and
sulfate-reducing bacteria that can occur naturally
in water. These anaerobic bacteria use sulfates and
sulfur compounds found in decaying plant material,
rocks or soil to convert organic compounds into
energy. Under these anaerobic (without oxygen)
conditions, hydrogen sulfide forms as a by-product.

An area of very low water circulation, or none at all this can occur.
Example: Stirring up gravel. There is an anaerobic layer where this bacteria thrive and produce hydrogen sulfide. If you disturb to much of the substrate, it can release a lot of gas, and be very harmful to your tank.

Timfish · 10/06/2020, 05:58 AM

+1 to what Member No. 1 said. Check your ammonia levels again and check teh fresh water source you're using. .25 could be just from the water change and it would disappear fairly quickly as it's consumed by bacteria, algae and corals.

MarAquatic · 10/06/2020, 08:55 AM

Try adding a cheap powerhead in your sump especially the area with the lowest water flow like previous member stated. I have 2 in my sump for water movement and to avoid stagnant water.

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dav2245 · 10/20/2020, 11:20 AM

Thanks all for you all advice. So far the smell is gone and everything is back to normal. Did a good cleaning in the sump area where I had found some remains. I did took out some of the bio bricks and put in LR from my display tank. I put in a whole bottle of bacteria and turn everything off for a day. Now everything is good.

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10/05/2020, 06:58 AM	#1
dav2245 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 13	Rotten egg smell I woke up yesterday morning to a bad smell. Come to find out it was my tank. When I open to check my sump it even worst. I notice that all my bio media was like a green and a brown color and smell really bad. It have been in my sump for about 8 months. So I got rid of it and going to replace it. I did a 30% water change and test the water after hour. Do anyone have any advice? Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

10/05/2020, 12:27 PM	#4
Member No. 1 Ver. 2.1 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rehoboth, MA Posts: 1,803	If it smelled like rotten eggs, then what you are smelling is hydrogen sulfide. Sources of hydrogen sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is formed by sulfur- and sulfate-reducing bacteria that can occur naturally in water. These anaerobic bacteria use sulfates and sulfur compounds found in decaying plant material, rocks or soil to convert organic compounds into energy. Under these anaerobic (without oxygen) conditions, hydrogen sulfide forms as a by-product. An area of very low water circulation, or none at all this can occur. Example: Stirring up gravel. There is an anaerobic layer where this bacteria thrive and produce hydrogen sulfide. If you disturb to much of the substrate, it can release a lot of gas, and be very harmful to your tank. __________________ Pete "I never make mistakes... I thought I did once, but I was wrong" Current Tank Info: In the process - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2661614

10/06/2020, 05:58 AM	#5
Timfish Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,985	+1 to what Member No. 1 said. Check your ammonia levels again and check teh fresh water source you're using. .25 could be just from the water change and it would disappear fairly quickly as it's consumed by bacteria, algae and corals. __________________ "Our crystal clear aquaria come nowhere close to the nutrient loads that swirl around natural reefs" Charles Delbeek

10/05/2020, 08:25 AM	#2
MarAquatic Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 689	Get some turbo start because you should not have any ammonia in a cycled tank. And that smell isn't normal. I only smell that in dead snails or the skimmate Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

10/05/2020, 08:30 AM	#3
djryan2000 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Posts: 441	I second what MarAquatic said. Looks like something fairly big died in your tank, leading to the ammonia smell. I’d add some prime and beneficial bacteria immediately to try to protect your current livestock. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

10/06/2020, 08:55 AM	#6
MarAquatic Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 689	Try adding a cheap powerhead in your sump especially the area with the lowest water flow like previous member stated. I have 2 in my sump for water movement and to avoid stagnant water. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

10/20/2020, 11:20 AM	#7
dav2245 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2020 Posts: 13	Thanks all for you all advice. So far the smell is gone and everything is back to normal. Did a good cleaning in the sump area where I had found some remains. I did took out some of the bio bricks and put in LR from my display tank. I put in a whole bottle of bacteria and turn everything off for a day. Now everything is good. Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk