Chlorine smell - water

[delmore]

I've been fishless cycling a new 55g for the last 3 days, and the water has a chlorine like smell. It was like this before/during/after I added the Dechlor and ammonia - no chloramines in our water.

It has an odor like a hot tub. Not a bad smell. Could it be coming from the new AQ filter, pro-heat heater or the digital thermometer? Everything in the tank is brand new.

Of course I'll drain out most of the water and refill a few times before I add the fish, but I think it is very strange.

[vincy4fish98]

I wouldn't know why you are smelling chlorine still? ??? It should have offgassed by now. Have you tried seeding your new tank with an established filter sponge?

Vince

[mikezz]

;) Did you fill your tank with a garden hose???????????

[mikezz]

sorry, some times your hose will leave a smell it did for me and thats what it sounds like. I no that hot tub smell...

[delmore]

I filled the tank with a new Python that I'll only use for the discus tank. Our water has low levels of chlorine, which should have been gassed off overnight -- you'd think. The AQ is cranked up all the way, but there are the glass canopys which prevent evaporation. As mentioned I used dechlor.

The filter is seeded. I'll test for nitrates tonight to see what is going on. It is not a bad smell. I wonder if it is from all of the new/unwashed equipment in the tank.

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
Delmore, It is possible you might be smelling the "Combined Chlorine" scent of Chloramines, which can form in the presence of BOTH Chlorine and Ammonia together. In pool treating, the smell of Chlorine in the air signals that NOT ENOUGH Chlorine is in the water body to effectively Oxidize(burnup) the organics. This is referred to as "Breakpoint Chlorination" and is cured by ADDING more Chlorine. Of course, you DO NOT want to do that, so make sure to remove or off-gas ALL traces of Chlorine from the supply water before adding it to tank. HTH


Steve

[afick1975]

I agree Steve.



DRE

[delmore]

I think it was indeed the "Combined Chlorine" that I was smelling.

Yesterday I drained the tank, added dechlor, re-seeded the filter, and filled the tank. Now the tank doesn't smell like a Jacuzi at a holiday inn :). I assume that running the AQ 500 overnight the first time was not enough to fully gas off the Chlorine, so the nitrifying bacteria were killed off. The glass canopy must have had something to do with it.

I'll cross my fingers, since I need to get the tank cycled ASAP (Frank, if you read this I hope to see you soon!)

Thanks for the help!

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Delmore, what do you mean by "reseeding" the filter?? Guess I'm a little confused here by terminology. Is it that you are adding ammonia? This is NOT a cycled filter, is that correct? A cycled filter (properly seeded & established that is) would enable one to use the tank immediately as opposed to 3+ weeks to recycle. Just wondering if I'm missing something here, Dottie ;D

[delmore]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Delmore, what do you mean by "reseeding" the filter... Dottie ;D

I drained most of the water out of the tank, so there was no water in the filter chamber, took took the sponge media from the filter of an established tank, and squeezed it into the new filter. More specifically, I removed the "upper" sponge from the AquaClear 500, and squeezed the the established media onto the top of the lower sponge, and then replaced the top sponge. I then added dechlor to the tank, refilled and turned the filter back on, and added the ammonia to feed the bacteria to start the cylce.

I tested this morning, and there is now a nitrite reading ;D