How can you run a reef tank without using carbon ?

[Casey8]

As someone here may have been aware that I had been having a problem with carbon lately, so I didn't use any carbon at all in my tank for a few weeks now. But now, I have came up with another problem. Without using carbon, it stinks up with a fishy smell in my bedroom and slowly travelling into my livingroom too. It smells too fishy that I get to the point that I can't handle it any longer. Can someone here that is running their tank without carbon, tell me any tricks on how I can get rid of this smell ?
Thanks for your input.

[daniella3d]

I don't have any smell and I don't run carbon now. Of course when I remove water from my tank to do water change I can smell the corals quite a lot but as soon as the water is back I can't smell anything.

Maybe you could use Purigen, it is safer than carbon.

As someone here may have been aware that I had been having a problem with carbon lately, so I didn't use any carbon at all in my tank for a few weeks now. But now, I have came up with another problem. Without using carbon, it stinks up with a fishy smell in my bedroom and slowly travelling into my livingroom too. It smells too fishy that I get to the point that I can't handle it any longer. Can someone here that is running their tank without carbon, tell me any tricks on how I can get rid of this smell ?
Thanks for your input.

[Casey8]

I don't have any smell and I don't run carbon now. Of course when I remove water from my tank to do water change I can smell the corals quite a lot but as soon as the water is back I can't smell anything.

Maybe you could use Purigen, it is safer than carbon.


Hahaha ... daniella, you must have a plugging nose ! Just kidding though.
My tank is having a terrible smell but the water is very clear, maybe from using an UV.

[The Grizz]

I didn't run carbon on my 165 for almost the first yr. and never had it smell but I also have a high water flow & have been running pellets for some time now.

[jagermaier]

Make sure your protein skimmer is working properly, adding a refufium will also absorb the extra nutrients from over-feeding and waste that might be contributing to the smell.

[sphelps]

No carbon in my tank so far, my previous tanks also rarely used it. Never had a smell issue...

[reefwars]

none in mine this tank but ive had others with it.....no smell either way , nor should there be;p


my first suspect would be said skimmer too :)

[Casey8]

It looks like nobody is having this problem, only me :cry: and why me again

[reefwars]

maybe its your source water are you using rodi??



in my experienece even with low flow, even when the tanks half drained the smell of the tank should be fresh and ocean like.if theres a smell you dont like i bet its coming from the overflow or sump. maybe stagnant water in the overflow box??

[Casey8]

reefwars, I am using r/o water. I will check my sump tomorrow, you maybe right the smell may come from there. I didn't clean my sump for awhile now. But it never happened like that before when I used carbon. Why did jagermaier and you mention about a skimmer, is it something to do with the skimmer too ? But I clean the cup everyday, because it skims too much of goo even I have dialed it to a dry skim, but still, I am afraid of getting overflow when I'm not home.

[reefwars]

reefwars, I am using r/o water. I will check my sump tomorrow, you maybe right the smell may come from there. I didn't clean my sump for awhile now. But it never happened like that before when I used carbon. Why did jagermaier and you mention about a skimmer, is it something to do with the skimmer too ? But I clean the cup everyday, because it skims too much of goo even I have dialed it to a dry skim, but still, I am afraid of getting overflow when I'm not home.


i mention the skimmer because if the lid isnt closing right it gives off a bad smell and if its skimming properly it removes alot of nastys that smell. your skimmer cup filling everyday is IMO too much i would look into that, if you wanted to go on vacation or even out for a few days it would be a pita lol there must be a mod you can do to skim less. i also think having a refuge helps plants absorb alot of bad stuff that would smell bad.

i dont clean my sump too often i may scrape the glass in the refuge here and there to view how stuffs growing down low but the dirtier i can get
my fuge the better.


my other sections get basted regularily.


i woulld also take a smell in your overflow box for sake of elimanation after your return pumps are shut off and see if anything smells from there.

[sphelps]

If algae is exposed it tends to smell, has your water level dropped in your tank at all for some reason?

[globaldesigns]

I also dont run carbon, and have no issues with smell.

[chandigz]

No carbon. No skimmer. No smell. Smell has never been a problem for me. I might add a bit of carbon a couple times a year. Could it be over feeding or really high bioload??

[Casey8]

No algae in my tank as I am dosing Vodka, my water is crystal clear. How come none of you has that kind of smell from your tank, even with your windows closed in the winter time ? Overfeeding ... OK I admit it :mrgreen: I am feeding my fish 2 times a day. Is that what it comes from ? And I love my skimmer, I love to see it skimming lots of goo from my dirty water, I don't mind to clean it everyday. And I am a slave for my tank, I didn't go anywhere in the last 10 years :mrgreen: OK, maybe Victoria for one night, but that is it.

[Skimmerking]

Hamy remember you went from your old skimmer to the Swc 160 and u have stated that it's pulling gross stuff out right. With my skimmer if I leave the skim in the collection cup or open the cup it will give a bad odor. IMO its the skimate

[Casey8]

Huh ... how come I never thought of it. Yes, it must be from the skimmer cup. It is extremely stinky whenever I open the lid. I should blame Rick who sold me a VERY GOOD skimmer :mrgreen: and who is the second one to blame for letting me buy this stinky skimmer ? :wink:

[globaldesigns]

Hehe... glad you like it. What if I want it back? :biggrin: just kidding

[Casey8]

No problem, I will send it back to you at double the price, and no low balling me :mrgreen:

[globaldesigns]

No problem, I will send it back to you at double the price, and no low balling me :mrgreen:

Damn you! And you seemed so nice. :lol:

Let us know if the smell is actually the skimmate. I think Mike is right.

[Casey8]

You don't know me yet when it comes to a price tag :mrgreen:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

I think the problem has been identified. Stinky skimmate. Yummm:twised:

I never run carbon. Now I use some Purigen. In the past I used to use ChemiPure. I found carbon does not last long enough to be worth doing. Purigen is rechargeable.

[Skimmerking]

THAT IS WHY I'M CALLED THE SKIMMERKING I THINK I SHOULD GO BACK TO THAT NAME.

[globaldesigns]

THAT IS WHY I'M CALLED THE SKIMMERKING I THINK I SHOULD GO BACK TO THAT NAME.

A BIG YUP!

[FWC]

My coral is all growing fine ,and I don't use any Carbon.

I do use purigen in my fresh water tanks and I've been debating adding some to my reef tank as well.

[MarkoD]

I use a lot of carbon in my tank and it still smells like ocean in my basement

[ScubaSteve]

I rarely run carbon but when I do, I find it rarely cuts down on the smell. The skimmer on the other hand... If Hell had a smell, it would smell like my skimmer. VSV + MB7 = super-funk.

[Casey8]

Anthony, why didn't you let Skimmer King suffer a little bit more before he can get the answer ?
I was sniffing like a dog around my tank for the whole morning. I checked my sump, my overflow box and emptied my skimmer cup (after having fed the fish). Everything around the tank were OK and cleaned. The skimmer can not skim anything in 2 hours after I fed the fish as usual and the smell in my bedroom was fine at that time. But then, slowly and slowly after another 2 hours, I started to smell the "low tide, fishy smell" came out from my bedroom. I looked at the skimmer cup, it was very little skimmate in there, but when I opened the lid up. Holy smoke ! I knew right away what was in there, the nasty juice smell from the rotten mysis shrimp. Because I always feed the fish with mysis shrimp and soak them with Selcon, I think the skimmer sucked out that juice from the water. After I cleaned the cup right away, the smell is gone till now.

[Samw]

I put carbon in the skimmer cup. Does a good job of eliminating skimmate smell in the room.


Huh ... how come I never thought of it. Yes, it must be from the skimmer cup. It is extremely stinky whenever I open the lid. I should blame Rick who sold me a VERY GOOD skimmer :mrgreen: and who is the second one to blame for letting me buy this stinky skimmer ? :wink:

[Reef Pilot]

I never run carbon. Now I use some Purigen. In the past I used to use ChemiPure. I found carbon does not last long enough to be worth doing. Purigen is rechargeable.
I have never used Purigen, but after reading a few horror stories about what can happen if you have bad carbon, I might try Purigen instead.

How do you use it? Same as carbon in a low flow reactor? Or do you have to tumble it like bio pellets?

And how to you recharge it?

[Casey8]

I put carbon in the skimmer cup. Does a good job of eliminating skimmate smell in the room.


Wow, can I just put it straight inside the skimmer cup ?

By the way, special thanks to Rick who sold me a stinky skimmer :mrgreen: