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Anyone regularly smell your tank?

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shaggydoo View Drop Down
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    Posted: October 25 2017 at 5:40pm
My wife caught me the other day sniffing my tank and thought I was a weirdo. At least once a day I'll put my nose directly over the top of my tank to smell it, and I do the same thing with my sump. If it doesn't smell fresh to me, I'll stop feeding for a day or 2 until things smell right again.

I'm wondering if anyone else does this?
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Mark Peterson View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2017 at 6:09pm
Yep, I'm a weirdo too and I often recommend it to hobbyists. 

Many years ago, before I had yet lived in Hawaii, a New Zealander visited my home, commenting that my reef smelled like the ocean. That was a proud day for me. Big smile

I've been to a few places where I felt it necessary to tell the hobbyist or client that the tank didn't smell right. Olfactory inspection is just as important as visual inspection. Of course when there is a skimmer in the sump it's pointless to sniff there, although depending on what's been skimmed, the aroma can give varied indications. Wacko


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2017 at 6:12pm
I do. I smell mine before every water change.   If it doesn't smell "fresh" I will do a larger water change. I don't want to be stinking up the house!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sleepingdeep Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2017 at 6:58pm
i smell mine all the time. if it stinks, it means its time for a water change.
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Yes
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I do it. I smell my RODI and mixed saltwater too. And live rock as I buy it. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote shaggydoo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2017 at 8:49pm
Well looks like I'm in good company. Lots of tank sniffers out there. I'm curious what you are smelling for in ro water and new salt water marcoss?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Marcoss Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2017 at 9:00pm
I get busy at work and sometimes don’t use mixed salt water for days. I like to smell it to make sure it’s not funky smelling or smell like plastic. More often then not I’ll be mixing water and get distracted to only come back to it days later.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 8:13am
Originally posted by shaggydoo shaggydoo wrote:

My wife caught me the other day sniffing my tank and thought I was a weirdo.  
"Sweetheart, come over here and smell the tank with me!" 
 Date Night. Woohoo!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adam Blundell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 8:52am
They have a smell? 30 years in the hobby, still learning new things here.

Adam
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sleepingdeep Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 11:26am
Originally posted by Adam Blundell Adam Blundell wrote:

They have a smell? 30 years in the hobby, still learning new things here.

Adam

they typically don't have a strong smell if they're clean. but if you've ever walked into a dirty LFS, you're kinda overpowered with the smell of low tide.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 11:57am
Originally posted by Mark Peterson Mark Peterson wrote:

Originally posted by shaggydoo shaggydoo wrote:

My wife caught me the other day sniffing my tank and thought I was a weirdo.  
"Sweetheart, come over here and smell the tank with me!" 
 Date Night. Woohoo!


Hahaha. I think only one of two people would really enjoy that date. Unless a gift and wine are involved
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote evan127 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 11:58am
Originally posted by Adam Blundell Adam Blundell wrote:

They have a smell? 30 years in the hobby, still learning new things here.

Adam


Give it a try Adam. All the cool kids are doing it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shane H Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2017 at 1:27pm
This is normal.  Something smells funny ...  time to check the tank!

Also, when I had my big tank running, I could tell if a pump or something was off based on the sounds.  Even before I came in the house, standing at the front door, I could tell if something major was wrong.  You get used to the same sounds day after day and it's surprising how even a small difference is noticeable.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wrogers Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2017 at 12:20pm
I have Cold could someone come sniff my tank??   Just kidding..  I glad to see I was not the only one out there that sniffed there water..Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2017 at 5:44pm
LOL
William and Adam both make me laugh.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2017 at 6:29pm
Oh sorry, Evan, I laughed at your posts too. LOL
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Adam Blundell Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2017 at 8:54pm
Originally posted by Shane H Shane H wrote:

This is normal.  Something smells funny ...  time to check the tank!

Also, when I had my big tank running, I could tell if a pump or something was off based on the sounds.  Even before I came in the house, standing at the front door, I could tell if something major was wrong.  You get used to the same sounds day after day and it's surprising how even a small difference is noticeable.



I agree on sound. If my skimmer shuts off in the middle of the night, the silence will wake me up!

Adam
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Mark Peterson Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 27 2017 at 11:15pm
I know women that wake up to sounds in the night that might be their child (even after the children have left the nest). Is this kind of like that, but different?

What if I'm going deaf and because of an industrial accident, can't smell? What then?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote speyside712 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 28 2017 at 7:35pm
Yep I do too. I often smell the sump to gauge if a water change is necessary. I agree with the sound too. I've detected a few problems due to a funny noise. Once I thought the tank sounded a little funny so I inspected it and found a turbo snail blocking my skimmer output. It was a HOB skimmer so the water coming out was going straight to the floor.

Another time I heard a bang, inspected and found that same turbo on the floor behind the tank. I think he was crawling along the top edge and touched some salt creep, causing him to shrivel up and let go. Luckily he lived through the fall!

Might as well use as many senses to keep things running as smoothly as possible right? I used to stick my finger in the tank to check temperature in my first tank. I had a thermometer but it was sure hard to read (one of those stick on ones that dimly lights up multiple temperatures...) Oh how far we've come wkth an apex running the show these days.

I will say I have never used taste to monitor things though (other than a few mouthfuls of water starting a siphon to acclimate a new fish, but that hardly counts
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