Rotton Eggs

[outdrsyguy1]

Okay, so I was having some heat issues a while back and i programmed my chiller pump to only come on when the chiller needs to come on. Once in a while I need to pump some water out of the tank for a quick small water change and I just grab the chilled water exit hose, turn it on with the apex and pump it into a bucket.
This water is sometimes mega rotten eggs stanky. I'm wondering if that might be causing problems for my tank at times? After some recent mods, the chiller runs maybe once a day for 15 minutes so the water sits idle for quite a while.

Should I be concerned? anyone else send flow to their chiller only when needed?

Thanks!

 

[ff337]

I flowed mine constantly. Never had a problem. Only smell I had was when I sold the chiller and left water inside with ball valves storing water inside.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

You should flow through it constantly but have it so the chiller itself only comes on when needed. I've never run one any other way.

 

[jennm]

EWWWWWWWWW!

Never leave water standing in a chiller (or skimmer or canister/reactor, UV etc.).

YES that can and will cause issues. Ammonia, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide - the latter is what is causing that stink.

Always have water flowing through the chiller even if it's not chilling.

If you've done that several times you're lucky you haven't killed everything.

GAK!

Jenn

 

[outdrsyguy1]

thanks everyone. kinda feel stupid about it now. there's definitely an area near the return outlet where corals seemed to do much worse than the other not so hot corals lol. my tanks had the on/off chiller thing for at least 6 months so i guess i'm lucky things didnt get worse than they have been!