Added coral, tank now has unbearable odor

[rhuth]

Yesterday I picked up an awesome variety of coral frags and some live rock from a friend. I noticed that the container had a slight odor. Once I added everything to my reef tank, my tank has since taken on a horrible odor to the point where the room is uninhabitable. Is there anything I can do other than a water change and changing the filter cartridge? Neither has helped and its getting worse.

thanks!
Rob

 

[Sniperhank]

Can you tell us more about the tank? The only time I've ever had a slight odor, or heard about odor in a tank, is from the high ammonia levels you see during cycling.

 

[Mr tap water]

Active carbon should help reduce the odour

 

[rhuth]

It was a FOWLR that I had been waiting to add coral to. Absolutely no odor until yesterday when I added the coral frags. I have two clowns and a coral beauty, it is a 30 gallon tank. I am wondering if the corals could be secreting the odor as a result of stress/defense mechanism? Or if something could be dead. It is a mixture of soft and hard corals.

 

[Sniperhank]

I've never had a living coral smell. A dead coral shipped to me did give off quite an odor. Can you tell us what the corals look like, or even take a picture?

 

[bribo12]

Acropora have a distinct smell out of the water but that's really the only one that does I've noticed. It isn't really a bad odor either. The coral is not what is making your tank smell.

 

[rhuth]

Nitrites were a tad high so I just did another 25% water change. If it isn't the coral then what could it be?

 

[bribo12]

You said you got some live rock? Was it out of the water at all? Something could have died inside of it

 

[Masoniac]

Nitrites or Nitrates? If its nitrites you're tank is cycling. Depending on the size of the liverock it may of caused a mini cycle.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Some soft corals can really stink when agitated.

 

[rhuth]

Nitrites were high so perhaps a small cycle is ocurring. I did a 25% water change and am now waiting on the odor. I think the soft-corals are releasing a mucus that I noticed when moving them into the tank that is causing the odor. Does anyone know how to get rid of the odor? I have a carbon filter and am obviously not moving the corals any longer. Also, could this mucous harm the fish?

 

[Gregcoyote]

It is loaded with bacteria, but shouldn't harm the fish. It is a defense mechanism that can cause problems for some types of corals, so filtering it out ASAP is a good idea. Protein skimmers will also grab that stuff.