Skimmate smell, different tanks, different brands of skimmer

[Derrick0580]

Just curious as to why my buddies skimmate will stink up the entire house when draining the cup from his bubble magus and my reef octopus you almost have to stick your nose into the cup to smell it? Color and consistency is almost identical. The only difference I can think of is that I feed and use ab+ every other day and he feeds and doses daily. Is it just more concentrated regardless of color?

 

[Gungo]

It could be a million things... bioload, the flow rate in your sump, flow rate in your skimmer section, the water level in your skimmer section, the water level inside your skimmer, air intake, etc. If it's pulling out skimmate and your nutrients are in check just don't think about it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My skimmate always smelled fresh like the ocean, but I had little SPS that slimed.I’ve often wondered what really was the difference from those that smell bad.

 

[czoolander]

Everyone has different sense of smell is probably the major variable we are forgetting. Just like vision everyone does not have the same levels of smell .

I am guessing those that complain of a skimmer smelling up the entire house either have a small house or a heightened sense of smell.

Would be a superpower I would not want to have . I have sub par smelling ability and thus skimmer smell has never bothered me when I clean it out and I can visually see the nasty in the collection cup

 

[HB AL]

From my experience the slower you have your skimmer skimming, say you empty it once every 4+ days the more it smells. If I skim quicker on occasion say emptying it ever day or 2 it barely smells. Just my observation.

 

[Tathamet]

Haha that’s funny. I actually just got a bubble magus qq1 hob about a week ago. It broke in within a couple days. My cup is about 1/3rd full with pretty dark skimate so I decided to give it the sniff test.

i lifted the lid and was expecting that rotten smell I got when I forgot to clean out a diy algae reactor/scrubber that I took down. But as you said I had to stick my nose right in it to smell anything and it wasn’t that bad. Kinda that foamy beach smell but not as penetrating.

 

[Derrick0580]

I only noticed because he is on vacation so I am taking care of his tanks while he is gone so I drained the skimmer today and it was super strong compared to mine.

 

[ReefEco]

If you are experiencing skimmer stink, check out the StinkSink! https://reefeco.com/pages/stinksink

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I have 2 different 300 gallon systems in my house both are treated the same dosed same, fed same yet I have always wondered why the skimmate smells different on both of them. I wanted to make a thread about it but just thought I was crazy

 

[gbru316]

Mine only smells bad if I don’t empty the cup frequently enough.

My theory is that the smell comes from rotting organics.

 

[Derrick0580]

I also wonder if it’s the fact that I remove the entire cup and carefully carry it to the bathroom to dump it into the toilet. But, my buddy just holds a small container under the drain hose and empties it into that so the liquid is being shaken and stirred up allowing the smell to be dispersed.

 

[Mogwai]

Just curious as to why my buddies skimmate will stink up the entire house when draining the cup from his bubble magus and my reef octopus you almost have to stick your nose into the cup to smell it? Color and consistency is almost identical. The only difference I can think of is that I feed and use ab+ every other day and he feeds and doses daily. Is it just more concentrated regardless of color?

I just emptied my skimmer cup and holy cow that thing STUNK!!! It's an indescribable smell. LOL

 

[The_Skrimp]

Not long ago I switched from the SCA skimmer my tank came with to the bubble magus z series. Same water, same maintenance routine and all that but as soon as the bubble magus broke in, the skimmate I started pulling from it had the worst smell ever. It doesn’t smell in the sump but draining the collection cup could easily clear a room. Both skimmers were pulling about the same amount out every day and in fact, the SCA skimmate was even heavier and less wet than the new skimmer’s but the smell is just so much worse.

 

[Rmckoy]

With my external skimmer . I have a separate collection cut that is essentially a container on the floor below the stand . It takes sometimes a week to fill and when it’s full you can’t smell anything until you empty it .

comparing it to a similar reef octopus external skimmer . It flowed into a 5gal pail and would empty it once per month . That one smelled very bad but only when opening the container and pouring it out .
Wonder if length of time it’s sitting and more time to decompose .
No matter what . They all stink

 

[ReefEco]

I think most skimmers stink when you empty them, the variables of the particular skimmer, airflow, wet/dry skimmate and your maintenance interval determine how much it smells between empties. Every tank and routine are different.

 

[Derrick0580]

I also just wondered if the needle wheel differences cause smaller bubbles which pulls more organics from skimmer to skimmer which would in turn make the smells different.

 

[Mogwai]

Not long ago I switched from the SCA skimmer my tank came with to the bubble magus z series. Same water, same maintenance routine and all that but as soon as the bubble magus broke in, the skimmate I started pulling from it had the worst smell ever. It doesn’t smell in the sump but draining the collection cup could easily clear a room. Both skimmers were pulling about the same amount out every day and in fact, the SCA skimmate was even heavier and less wet than the new skimmer’s but the smell is just so much worse.

I totally understand. I went from the eshopps nano skimmer to the Aquamaxx HOB 1.5 and smimmate was darker in the eshopps and same amount in both but the Aquamaxx is pulling some insanely smelly skimmate. LOL