Filtration chambers smell like ammonia

[MrMeanyHead]

I have a fluval evo 13.5 and I’m still cycling but basically my display section smells fine but my filtration section smells strongly of ammonia. Is this something to be worried about or is it normal.

Also it may be weird but I smell my display section on a regular basis just to see if it changes and it’s consistently just smelled like water

 

[Dan_P]

I have a fluval evo 13.5 and I’m still cycling but basically my display section smells fine but my filtration section smells strongly of ammonia. Is this something to be worried about or is it normal.

Also it may be weird but I smell my display section on a regular basis just to see if it changes and it’s consistently just smelled like water

I would be surprised if you are detecting ammonia in any part of the aquarium. For due diligence, what is the ammonia concentration in the water?

 

[MrMeanyHead]

I would be surprised if you are detecting ammonia in any part of the aquarium. For due diligence, what is the ammonia concentration in the water?

The ammonia at the time was 0 and I had just redosed ammonium chloride to about 2ppm in the display section. Maybe it was that but I just don’t know why it’s so concentrated in the back and not in the display.

For reference my ammonia has started bottoming out pretty much daily. Im just waiting for my nitrite to bottom out as well.

 

[Fish Fan]

The ammonia at the time was 0 and I had just redosed ammonium chloride to about 2ppm in the display section. Maybe it was that but I just don’t know why it’s so concentrated in the back and not in the display.

For reference my ammonia has started bottoming out pretty much daily. Im just waiting for my nitrite to bottom out as well.

I have been watching your thread since you started it. I don't really think it's possible to smell 2.0 ppm ammonia in your water, but I don't doubt you; many people are quite sensitive to things that don't bother others.

But I cannot imagine that you could smell ammonia only in your filter section, and not the main display, especially since we are talking about a smaller volume (<14 gallons). Ammonia would be in solution in the water, meaning, it's equally distributed in the water, not only in the filter section.

I had been worried that you greatly overdosed the ammonia, but what you added seems about right; you want ~2.0ppm ammonia to get your cycle started.

There's zero need to measure nitrite or wait for it to zero out. Nitrite is 110% non toxic in saltwater aquaria (though it is toxic in freshwater systems).

If your ammonia was about 2.0 ppm and is now nearly zero (<0.25 ppm) you should be able to safely add some hardy livestock

Good luck moving forward!

 

[Dan_P]

The ammonia at the time was 0 and I had just redosed ammonium chloride to about 2ppm in the display section. Maybe it was that but I just don’t know why it’s so concentrated in the back and not in the display.

For reference my ammonia has started bottoming out pretty much daily. Im just waiting for my nitrite to bottom out as well.

I doubt you are detecting ammonia. Here is why.

The typical minimum detection limit for humans is 5 ppm in the air. The amount of free ammonia in a saltwater aquarium at 2 ppm total ammonia solution is about 0.2 ppm. Unless where you think that you are detecting ammonia is totally enclosed, the free ammonia is going to be way below the human detection limit.

Your sense of smell is likely confusing some aroma with ammonia. Do you have a cat?

 

[MrMeanyHead]

I doubt you are detecting ammonia. Here is why.

The typical minimum detection limit for humans is 5 ppm in the air. The amount of free ammonia in a saltwater aquarium at 2 ppm total ammonia solution is about 0.2 ppm. Unless where you think that you are detecting ammonia is totally enclosed, the free ammonia is going to be way below the human detection limit.

Your sense of smell is likely confusing some aroma with ammonia. Do you have a cat?

No cat, in the process of moving and tank is at the new house right now and I believe they may have had a cat. But we got rid of the smell a while ago.

For reference I’m smelling the ammonia smell in the back around here. I’m calling it ammonia but it could be something else. It smells like my friends freshwater tank when it’s time to do a water change.
Here is my whole tank. I circled the region that smells. As I said the whole right side of the tank or “display section doesn’t smell at all so just confused.

 

[MrMeanyHead]

I have been watching your thread since you started it. I don't really think it's possible to smell 2.0 ppm ammonia in your water, but I don't doubt you; many people are quite sensitive to things that don't bother others.

But I cannot imagine that you could smell ammonia only in your filter section, and not the main display, especially since we are talking about a smaller volume (<14 gallons). Ammonia would be in solution in the water, meaning, it's equally distributed in the water, not only in the filter section.

I had been worried that you greatly overdosed the ammonia, but what you added seems about right; you want ~2.0ppm ammonia to get your cycle started.

There's zero need to measure nitrite or wait for it to zero out. Nitrite is 110% non toxic in saltwater aquaria (though it is toxic in freshwater systems).

If your ammonia was about 2.0 ppm and is now nearly zero (<0.25 ppm) you should be able to safely add some hardy livestock

Good luck moving forward!

I’m just waiting to finish my finals because I still need to move in to the house. And then I’m free to start adding some stuff. I think my first inhabitants will be a cleaner shrimp and some snails. That’s why I was waiting for nitrite to go down as well. Simply because I’m not over there everyday and I thought that nitrites were bad for crustaceans.

Btw is there anything I can put in there for about 2 weeks unattended. I have to go home and I wanted to keep my bacteria alive while I’m gone. As well as start populating my tank. If I can’t put anything in I’m just going to tank some shrimp meat from the grocery store and leave it to decompose and feed my bacteria while I’m gone.

 

[Fish Fan]

I’m just waiting to finish my finals because I still need to move in to the house. And then I’m free to start adding some stuff. I think my first inhabitants will be a cleaner shrimp and some snails. That’s why I was waiting for nitrite to go down as well. Simply because I’m not over there everyday and I thought that nitrites were bad for crustaceans.

The nitrite is not toxic at all to anything in marine tanks. Nitrite is toxic in freshwater tanks, but not saltwater, though there's nothing wrong with waiting until your schedule allows for adding livestock.

Btw is there anything I can put in there for about 2 weeks unattended. I have to go home and I wanted to keep my bacteria alive while I’m gone. As well as start populating my tank. If I can’t put anything in I’m just going to tank some shrimp meat from the grocery store and leave it to decompose and feed my bacteria while I’m gone.

The bacteria should be fine. I would add a piece of shrimp or a large pinch of fish food before you leave, and I believe they will be fine for two weeks.

 

[Fish Fan]

For reference I’m smelling the ammonia smell in the back around here. I’m calling it ammonia but it could be something else. It smells like my friends freshwater tank when it’s time to do a water change.

I'm not sure what you're smelling, but I don't think it's ammonia

You can't smell ammonia in a freshwater tank, even when it's time to do a water change. You really shouldn't have or smell any ammonia in a running tank at any time, there should be little to no ammonia present.

I hope this helps!

 

[exnisstech]

The water in the back chamber is the same as the water in the display so.....
I bet of you quit sniffing the back chamber the smell will go away lol.
Seriously tho unless it's an odor coming off of the plastics used for the dividers or a piece of equipment housed in there I can't imagine why the rear chamber would smell any different than the display.

 

[MrMeanyHead]

Not sure, all I know is that it smells similar to my friends freshwater tanks right before they do a water change and they usually change the water every one or two weeks.

I'm not sure what you're smelling, but I don't think it's ammonia

You can't smell ammonia in a freshwater tank, even when it's time to do a water change. You really shouldn't have or smell any ammonia in a running tank at any time, there should be little to no ammonia present.

I hope this helps!

 

[MrMeanyHead]

The water in the back chamber is the same as the water in the display so.....
I bet of you quit sniffing the back chamber the smell will go away lol.
Seriously tho unless it's an odor coming off of the plastics used for the dividers or a piece of equipment housed in there I can't imagine why the rear chamber would smell any different than the display.

I’m gonna smell it again today in the next hour or so. I’ll give an update then.

 

[MrMeanyHead]

Ok definitely still smells back there. I just smelled my main display, I don’t get anything at all similar. I just got no clue what it is. Hoping it goes away once I start running carbon.
If it helps I have PETG 3d print in the back as well as biomedia in a bag. Besides that I just have a heater and return pump.

 

[Fish Fan]

Do you have any mechanical media, or is there detritus building up on your bio media that you're smelling? Other than that, I have no idea what it might be

 

[BigDangler]

Pull out that piece of filter floss and stick it to your nose.. I bet it smells the same lol the back of my tank smells the same.. Salty Stankness!!

 

[MrMeanyHead]

Pull out that piece of filter floss and stick it to your nose.. I bet it smells the same lol the back of my tank smells the same.. Salty Stankness!!

Might be that since I haven’t changed my filter floss, I’ll check next time I’m over.

 

[BigDangler]

Pull out that piece of filter floss and stick it to your nose.. I bet it smells the same lol the back of my tank smells the same.. Salty Stankness!!

Might be that since I haven’t changed my filter floss, I’ll check next time I’m over.

I have an AIO tank and if I smell just the display.. Nothing.. Smell the back where all the goodies are.. Stank.. It's normal.. Bet you can't smell it 3 feet away lol just when you put your nose up to it..

 

[ScottJ]

I just checked my AIO tank. I have a screen cover, not solid like the Evo. Display smell, nada. Over the sock-skimmer, smells like the ocean.

Here's your cure... keep your nose out of the back chamber

 

[MrMeanyHead]

I have an AIO tank and if I smell just the display.. Nothing.. Smell the back where all the goodies are.. Stank.. It's normal.. Bet you can't smell it 3 feet away lol just when you put your nose up to it..

Yea only close. thanks for the responses though

 

[Idech]

Smell whatever is in that section. It could also be filter floss. Why is your water not clear ? It should be.