If the water chemistry is incorrect you know to make water changes and look for something that died. The idea is to illuminate the easiest and most obvious things first. If they are OK, test the pH, ammonia and nitrite levels. The first thing to check is the heater and filtration system. Let’s assume you did not accidentally add anything harmful to the aquarium (if you did, start making water changes immediately). What if the only thing you see in your reef are fish gasping and invertebrates in trouble? The first rule is Don’t Panic! Now is the time for clear thinking. But don’t neglect the water changes! Dirty aquarium water by Nat Tarbox If you use chemical filter media, change it at least once a month. Protein skimmers and activated carbon can help, but nothing refreshes the tank and removes organics like water changes. If your saltwater develops a yellowish tint, which is easy to see when making a water change in a white bucket, it signals a build-up of dissolved organics in the water. If this does not work, a small UV sterilizer will kill the floating algae and keep the bloom away. Some aquarists turn off the light for a few days, to trigger a die off and reboot the algae balance. For some reason a single species took over, causing a disruption in the natural algae balance. The green coloration is due to millions of floating green algae cells. Although rare, reef aquariums can experience a thick “green water” algae bloom. Change your filter media once a day until the water clears up. Look for a fish or invertebrate that is sloughing off decaying flesh. If you find your reef aquarium to contain floating white stringy debris, it usually means something has decayed behind the rock. The biological filter should take care of any residual ammonia within a day.ĭiscolored aquarium water is caused by several different situations. If the tests read positive, make a water change and test again in 24 hours. Once you find it, carefully net or siphon out the remains. Take a visual inventory for a missing fish or invert. Assuming your reef is established, having healthy cured live rock, there is probably a dead fish or invertebrate decomposing somewhere in the aquarium. If, however, you aquarium has a persistent rotten egg odor, you’ve got problems. It takes a lot of hydrogen sulfide to cause problems in the reef tank.
As soon as the H 2S gas contacts oxygenated seawater, it is oxidized to a harmless form. Hydrogen sulfide can only exist in an anaerobic environment, like a stagnant canister filter or deep in the pores of live rock. The interesting thing about H 2S is that it is toxic but rarely harms anything in the aquarium. This bubble could also be harmless nitrogen gas or carbon dioxide. While this natural process occurs mostly undetected, you may notice a bubble or two rise up when you move a piece of live rock. Wherever debris can collect and decompose, some H 2S will form. Hydrogen sulfide also forms inside the aquarium. Hydrogen sulfide is one of the gases of decomposition, having a most noxious odor. The decomposing organic matter used up the oxygen, allowing the anaerobic decay process to begin. The gas came from decomposing organic matter trapped in the low-oxygen (anaerobic) environment, inside the broken filter. If you have ever had a canister filter fail and opened it up, chances are you were hit in the face with a blast of H 2S.
Before we set the record straight about the toxicity of hydrogen sulfide, we’ll take a look at where it comes from.
Alsoknown as rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfide has a reputation for being deadly poison to fish and invertebrates. One of the most common odors encountered in the aquarium is hydrogen sulfide (H 2S).
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