LR bad smell.

[mansiz]

Why my LR have bad smell? There is no white thing on the rock, but there is a dead fish smell. Is this normal? My tank only consist of LR now, no fish yet. I did make currents for the LR, so there is no dead spot. BTW will the bad smell goes off as time goes by?

[ReefLady]

How long have you had the rock? Was it cured or uncured when you purchased it?

[mansiz]

I just bought the rocks today, it was cured.

[fishfreek]

If it smells bad, IE smells like death or dying or decaying materal then its not cured at all. One simple way to test the cured status would be to put the rock in a temporary holding stank/trashcan/bucket with saltwater and a heater and powerhead. Come back after a few hours to a day and check for ammonia. cured rock should not show ammonia but uncured rock will.

If its uncured and it sounds like it is from the fact it has an odor then it will cure over the next few days/weeks. During this time your also cycling your tank.

[cmor1701d]

Sounds like you have some die off, which is quite natural for uncured and for most 'cured' LR. Unless you cured the rock yourself or know exactly where it came from, how it was cured, and transported, you should expect some die off. This will start the nitrogen cycle in your tank and is therefore a good thing.

You should be checking your water parameters for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates.
When Ammonia and Nitrites readings are zero and Nitrates are down (under 20?) you can start adding livestock.

I suggest reading the articles on this site as a good start.

HTH,

Cmor

[ReefLady]

Unless you cured the rock yourself or know exactly where it came from, how it was cured, and transported, you should expect some die off.

Agreed 100%. Did you purchase this LR from a LFS, or online? If from a LFS, you may have less die-off. but if it was shipped to you, you will definitely experience some die-off. Any amount of time the LR is not submerged under water will cause some of the organisms to die.

As Fishfreek said, a simple ammonia test can answer many questions. You can do a small water change - this will lessen the smell, but will also prolong the cycle.

HTH,

[Brisc0]

I have gotten loads of live rock before where there seemed to be a "rotten egg" in the box. If you don't have a ton the new rock in your tank, give the rocks a "smell test" and see if you can find the stinky one. Once you find it, fill a 5 gal bucket with saltwater and scrub it with a nylon brush. It won't help a lot, but will provide some relief if your house is starting to smell like a wharf. If they all stink and its really bad you could try carbon also. Good lUck!

[mansiz]

Really a great thanks to all replies, it helps a lot, but I have a question, can I cycle those rocks in my tank instead of in a bucket or pail... etc? Because I don't want to waste any salt in the bucket. I tested nitrite ( NO2) with the tank water, and the reading is 0.3mg/l. Is it alright? I'll test again later to see if there is any rises or not. BTW there is both ammonia and nitrite presence in my tank, will the organism in the LR died off? But both ammonia and nitrite are not at peak level.

[mansiz]

My Nitrite level had gone up to 0.8mg/l. Is this good for the tank cycling?

[Brisc0]

You can use the new rock to cycle your tank. (im in the process right now actually) LR cycled tanks run for four weeks with no light (or until tank cycles) once it cycles do a 50% water change and then wait two weeks while checking levels and ensuring stability. If two weeks go smooth do a 25% change and its ready for an algae pack or similar light bio load. Some people will say to do a 50% change weekley Its likely a better process to ensure more of the hitch hikers survive, but I did my last tank the way I just described and it turned out great. Good LUck!