View Full Version : Smell of nitrites
Altum
February 18th 06, 06:18 PM
The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. That's how I knew the water was
probably fine in the tank with the lost guppy before I even tested it.
I always know when the nitrites appear in a cycling tank, and I know
the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
water chemistry by sniffing it?
Koi-Lo
February 18th 06, 06:32 PM
"Altum" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
> nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. That's how I knew the water was
> probably fine in the tank with the lost guppy before I even tested it.
> I always know when the nitrites appear in a cycling tank, and I know
> the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
> water chemistry by sniffing it?
===================
To me a mature tank smells like the nearby lake. :-) My sun-fishroom
(also loaded with plants) always has that faint aroma of a lake. I love it.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Note: There are two Koi-Lo's on the Aquaria groups.
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>
Gill Passman
February 18th 06, 06:46 PM
Altum wrote:
> The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
> nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. That's how I knew the water was
> probably fine in the tank with the lost guppy before I even tested it.
> I always know when the nitrites appear in a cycling tank, and I know
> the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
> water chemistry by sniffing it?
>
I quite often sniff my tanks to check that all seems well..any suspicion
and out come the test kits...I find using my nose first is a lot cheaper
than shelling out on the chemicals...
So nope, you are not alone...but maybe the two of us are <g>
Gill
Marco Schwarz
February 18th 06, 07:12 PM
Hi..
> Am I the only one
> who "tests" water chemistry by sniffing it?
Well, you (Gill and you) aren't alone..! :-)
--
cu
Marco
Marco Schwarz
February 18th 06, 07:25 PM
> Well, you (Gill and you) aren't alone..! :-)
Oooops, Gill, Koi-Lo and you..
--
cu
Marco
NetMax
February 18th 06, 08:41 PM
"Mean_Chlorine" > wrote in message
...
> Thusly "Altum" > Spake Unto All:
>
>>The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
>>nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. --- Am I the only one who "tests"
>>water chemistry by sniffing it?
>
> No, it's a excellent idea to smell the water.
>
> However, what you're feeling the smell of isn't nitrite, but ammonia
> and mercaptans. Our noses are extremely sensitive to the smell of
> ammonia and mercaptans, and we can detect them at ppm levels.
>
> The rule is that if tank water smells outright bad, a sharp, nasty,
> smell, then it's got a nitrite/ammonia problem, and you need to do
> water changes to save your fish ASAP.
I don't know if I could detect ammonia with my nose, but I do smell a lot of
sulphur in my well water for the last month and it's worrying me for water
changes. To compensate, I'm using more turbulence in the water (hoping to
dissipate it faster), and I'm refilling the tanks slowly (less than a gallon
a minute). I've just started filling 5g water jugs a week earlier, so they
will have equalized more by the time I use them.
Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell? Does it
take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless after?
My only experience with sulphide gases is from anaerobic bacteria under
large ornaments and driftwood, so I already know that this stuff suddenly
released, can be toxic to fish. However are these sulphide gases the same
as what cause the sulphur smell in well water?
TIA
--
www.NetMax.tk
Mean_Chlorine
February 18th 06, 08:57 PM
Thusly "NetMax" > Spake Unto All:
>Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell? Does it
>take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless after?
Hydrogen sulphide is weakly toxic, and smells like, well, like
someone's farted. It's said to smell like rotten eggs, but to me it
smells like fart. Anyway, it's a completely different smell than the
sharp, putrid, smell of ammonia & mercaptans you get in aquaria which
are cycling, and there's no risk of confusing those two smells.
>However are these sulphide gases the same
>as what cause the sulphur smell in well water?
Probably, yes. Fortunately you can smell hydrogen sulphide at levels
much lower than they're lethal to fish, and water changes helps.
This link might be of interest to you:
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex1160?opendocument
Incidentally, it seems crustaceans are far more sensitive to hydrogen
sulphide than fish.
NetMax
February 18th 06, 11:18 PM
"Mean_Chlorine" > wrote in message
...
> Thusly "NetMax" > Spake Unto All:
>
>>Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell? Does
>>it
>>take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless after?
>
> Hydrogen sulphide is weakly toxic, and smells like, well, like
> someone's farted. It's said to smell like rotten eggs, but to me it
> smells like fart. Anyway, it's a completely different smell than the
> sharp, putrid, smell of ammonia & mercaptans you get in aquaria which
> are cycling, and there's no risk of confusing those two smells.
>
>>However are these sulphide gases the same
>>as what cause the sulphur smell in well water?
>
> Probably, yes. Fortunately you can smell hydrogen sulphide at levels
> much lower than they're lethal to fish, and water changes helps.
>
> This link might be of interest to you:
> http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex1160?opendocument
>
> Incidentally, it seems crustaceans are far more sensitive to hydrogen
> sulphide than fish.
Yes, thanks, very helpful. I do periodically shock the well (but
it's -18C right now and the well cap is under much ice & snow ;~).
Discounting their hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, chlorine,
ozone and bleach treatments, they talk about aeration, and make mention
of an iron reducing valve having variable effectiveness (improves as the
water is more acidic). I'm a little more comfortable knowing aeration
will have a significant effect, so I'll stick with a routine of aging the
water for a week, and see how it goes.
OT, regarding Ja b riol in the ' AråchñÕe¤ thread ', these persons are
fully capable, willing and planning to bring significant havoc to rafm.
Rec.ponds is a wreck and alt.aquaria is currently being overwhelmed. If
nothing changes, we will be their next target, and our options are
limited. I don't know about you, but I'm rather fond of rafm and have
enjoyed many interesting discussions here. When I can repeat
conversations to friends, from the newsgroup, then I know the group is
part of my life (social, entertainment and academic too).
If they choose to snow us under 100s of robo-generated posts, they will
regardless. If they want to intimidate me, then they now have a very big
target with over 10,000 mostly boring posts from which to gather
information from (they'll know more about my tanks than I'll remember
;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
justifies the effort, eh?
Thanks again for the link.
cheers
--
www.NetMax.tk
Mean_Chlorine
February 19th 06, 12:23 AM
Thusly "NetMax" > Spake Unto All:
>Discounting their hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, chlorine,
>ozone and bleach treatments, they talk about aeration, and make mention
>of an iron reducing valve having variable effectiveness (improves as the
>water is more acidic).
Yeah, degassing is more effective at lower pH's. However hydrogen
peroxide could help with the smell. I presume you know about devices
like this?:
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/oxydator.html
>;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
>regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
>justifies the effort, eh?
Just be careful. I know from personal experience that guys like these
can cause real-world effects.
Flash Wilson
February 19th 06, 12:34 AM
On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:18:37 -0500, NetMax > wrote:
>;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
>regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
>justifies the effort, eh?
I kind of agree, the sensitive being in me wants to agree, but
the geek in me says "just killfile, and hard".
We don't have to view the ******** they spout.
--
Flash Wilson - Web Design & Mastery - 0870 401 4061 / 07939 579090
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Work: www.wdam.co.uk Personal: www.gorge.org
Altum
February 19th 06, 12:56 AM
> OT, regarding Ja b riol in the ' AråchñÕe¤ thread ', these persons are
> fully capable, willing and planning to bring significant havoc to rafm.
> Rec.ponds is a wreck and alt.aquaria is currently being overwhelmed. If
> nothing changes, we will be their next target, and our options are
> limited. I don't know about you, but I'm rather fond of rafm and have
> enjoyed many interesting discussions here. When I can repeat
> conversations to friends, from the newsgroup, then I know the group is
> part of my life (social, entertainment and academic too).
>
> If they choose to snow us under 100s of robo-generated posts, they will
> regardless. If they want to intimidate me, then they now have a very big
> target with over 10,000 mostly boring posts from which to gather
> information from (they'll know more about my tanks than I'll remember
> ;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
> regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
> justifies the effort, eh?
One thing these trolls sometimes do is post under a regular poster's
name and email address. We've already seen it happen a couple of times
If someone suddenly writes something out of character, check whether
it's from their regular news server (you can find that in the header)
or ask before you assume they've "gone off the deep end."
Good luck with that water, NetMax.
Mr. Gardener
February 19th 06, 12:56 AM
On 18 Feb 2006 10:18:29 -0800, "Altum" > wrote:
>The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
>nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. That's how I knew the water was
>probably fine in the tank with the lost guppy before I even tested it.
>I always know when the nitrites appear in a cycling tank, and I know
>the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
>water chemistry by sniffing it?
Well, with a name like "Altum", this doesn't seem surprising.
-- Mr Gardener
Mr. Gardener
February 19th 06, 01:12 AM
On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 00:34:32 +0000 (UTC), (Flash
Wilson) wrote:
>On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:18:37 -0500, NetMax > wrote:
>>;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
>>regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
>>justifies the effort, eh?
>
>I kind of agree, the sensitive being in me wants to agree, but
>the geek in me says "just killfile, and hard".
>
>We don't have to view the ******** they spout.
The patient in me worries that the impatient in me is setting
killfiles on people who didn't really write the messages I'm killing -
I'm having trouble figuring out who's on first and who's stealing
who's identity. And if I'm not careful, everyone is going to end up in
my killfiles, which would probably please the blue meanies very much.
So I'll begin again by unkilling all of my current kills.
-- Mr Gardener
Mr. Gardener
February 19th 06, 01:13 AM
On 18 Feb 2006 16:56:06 -0800, "Altum" > wrote:
>> OT, regarding Ja b riol in the ' AråchñÕe¤ thread ', these persons are
>> fully capable, willing and planning to bring significant havoc to rafm.
>> Rec.ponds is a wreck and alt.aquaria is currently being overwhelmed. If
>> nothing changes, we will be their next target, and our options are
>> limited. I don't know about you, but I'm rather fond of rafm and have
>> enjoyed many interesting discussions here. When I can repeat
>> conversations to friends, from the newsgroup, then I know the group is
>> part of my life (social, entertainment and academic too).
>>
>> If they choose to snow us under 100s of robo-generated posts, they will
>> regardless. If they want to intimidate me, then they now have a very big
>> target with over 10,000 mostly boring posts from which to gather
>> information from (they'll know more about my tanks than I'll remember
>> ;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
>> regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the cause
>> justifies the effort, eh?
>
>One thing these trolls sometimes do is post under a regular poster's
>name and email address. We've already seen it happen a couple of times
> If someone suddenly writes something out of character, check whether
>it's from their regular news server (you can find that in the header)
>or ask before you assume they've "gone off the deep end."
>
>Good luck with that water, NetMax.
Ask whom?
-- Mr Gardener
NetMax
February 19th 06, 01:21 AM
"Mean_Chlorine" > wrote in message
...
> Thusly "NetMax" > Spake Unto All:
>
>>Discounting their hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, chlorine,
>>ozone and bleach treatments, they talk about aeration, and make mention
>>of an iron reducing valve having variable effectiveness (improves as
>>the
>>water is more acidic).
>
> Yeah, degassing is more effective at lower pH's. However hydrogen
> peroxide could help with the smell. I presume you know about devices
> like this?:
> http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/oxydator.html
No I wasn't. Interesting device. The odour is not too strong. I don't
notice it in the shower, only when I'm using raw well water, and even
then it's not strong, just enough to cause some concern for the fish when
I get up to 20% water changes.
>>;~). fwiw, I'll take your advice if the exchange is fruitless, but
>>regardless of the outcome, it was worth asking them to stop... the
>>cause
>>justifies the effort, eh?
>
> Just be careful. I know from personal experience that guys like these
> can cause real-world effects.
If you can, email me off line with some real-world effects that I might
want to be aware of, but from the cursing I see going back and forth, my
questions to them seemed pretty tame. Thanks for the concern (to
everyone).
--
www.NetMax.tk
Altum
February 19th 06, 02:19 AM
Mr. Gardener wrote:
> Well, with a name like "Altum", this doesn't seem surprising.
LOL! At least you didn't say I look like a fish. :-)
Steve
February 19th 06, 04:40 AM
NetMax wrote:
>
> I don't know if I could detect ammonia with my nose, but I do smell a lot of
> sulphur in my well water for the last month and it's worrying me for water
> changes. To compensate, I'm using more turbulence in the water (hoping to
> dissipate it faster), and I'm refilling the tanks slowly (less than a gallon
> a minute). I've just started filling 5g water jugs a week earlier, so they
> will have equalized more by the time I use them.
>
> Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell? Does it
> take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless after?
>
I remember reading in a Ministry of Environment brochure that the smell
often comes from iron-reducing bacteria in the well. A solution is to
chlorinate your well and water system, which is not a bad thing to do
occasionally. That's done by putting lots of water with abundant bleach
in it in the well, letting stand, then letting it into the water system
and letting stand again, before flushing out. Use the garden hose as
output of flushing, and don't run too much chlorinated water into the
septic system. It's more easily done in spring/ summer, and please
research the details before attempting it. The details are recorded as I
remember them from years ago.
Another source is supposed to be sulphate (gypsum, anhydrite) in the
rocks. that's not uncommon in eastern Ontario. You're near Ottawa, eh?
I'd think that using turbulent water into buckets will probably disperse
most of the sulphur gas.
Steve
NetMax
February 19th 06, 05:08 AM
"Steve" > wrote in message
.. .
> NetMax wrote:
>
>>
>> I don't know if I could detect ammonia with my nose, but I do smell a
>> lot of sulphur in my well water for the last month and it's worrying
>> me for water changes. To compensate, I'm using more turbulence in the
>> water (hoping to dissipate it faster), and I'm refilling the tanks
>> slowly (less than a gallon a minute). I've just started filling 5g
>> water jugs a week earlier, so they will have equalized more by the
>> time I use them.
>>
>> Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell?
>> Does it take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless
>> after?
>>
>
> I remember reading in a Ministry of Environment brochure that the smell
> often comes from iron-reducing bacteria in the well. A solution is to
> chlorinate your well and water system, which is not a bad thing to do
> occasionally. That's done by putting lots of water with abundant bleach
> in it in the well, letting stand, then letting it into the water system
> and letting stand again, before flushing out. Use the garden hose as
> output of flushing, and don't run too much chlorinated water into the
> septic system. It's more easily done in spring/ summer, and please
> research the details before attempting it. The details are recorded as
> I remember them from years ago.
>
> Another source is supposed to be sulphate (gypsum, anhydrite) in the
> rocks. that's not uncommon in eastern Ontario. You're near Ottawa, eh?
>
> I'd think that using turbulent water into buckets will probably
> disperse most of the sulphur gas.
>
> Steve
Thanks Steve, that's interesting about the iron. I dug out an old water
test and they didn't test for H2S unfortunately, but there was a small
(+2) amount of sheated bacteria or iron bacteria, leptothrix spp. This
is why I shock the well periodically, as it leaves a red residue inside
the toilet tank. I'm attributing the odour to H2S since it is
intermittent.
I don't think the iron bacteria are anything which would threaten the
fish. Is the (gypsum, anhydrite) sulphate characteristics similar to H2S
(in regards to threat to fish and the ability to be released through
aeration)?
--
www.NetMax.tk
dc
February 19th 06, 05:40 AM
"Altum" > wrote in news:1140286709.246608.305140
@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
> water chemistry by sniffing it?
Nope, you are not alone. With more than 260 tanks to look after, small is
often my first clue to a new potential problem when I walk into the fish
room in the morning. I will often follow my nose to the trouble spot. :)
Ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate all have their own distinctive smells.
Richard Sexton
February 19th 06, 08:15 AM
In article . com>,
Altum > wrote:
>The dead fish thread reminded me of something. I can smell high
>nitrites as soon as I walk into a room. That's how I knew the water was
>probably fine in the tank with the lost guppy before I even tested it.
>I always know when the nitrites appear in a cycling tank, and I know
>the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
>water chemistry by sniffing it?
>
That's ammonia not nitrates you can smell and yeah you can
smell it across a room if you know what it is.
--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home page: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net
Richard Sexton
February 19th 06, 08:17 AM
>However, what you're feeling the smell of isn't nitrite, but ammonia
>and mercaptans. Our noses are extremely sensitive to the smell of
As in methyl mercapatate as in rotting corpse stink as in yeah
somethings dead in there alright.
Great for plants though :-)
--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home page: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net
Richard Sexton
February 19th 06, 08:25 AM
>> Another source is supposed to be sulphate (gypsum, anhydrite) in the
>> rocks. that's not uncommon in eastern Ontario. You're near Ottawa, eh?
>>
>> I'd think that using turbulent water into buckets will probably
>> disperse most of the sulphur gas.
>>
>> Steve
>
>Thanks Steve, that's interesting about the iron. I dug out an old water
>test and they didn't test for H2S unfortunately, but there was a small
>(+2) amount of sheated bacteria or iron bacteria, leptothrix spp. This
>is why I shock the well periodically, as it leaves a red residue inside
>the toilet tank. I'm attributing the odour to H2S since it is
>intermittent.
>
>I don't think the iron bacteria are anything which would threaten the
>fish. Is the (gypsum, anhydrite) sulphate characteristics similar to H2S
>(in regards to threat to fish and the ability to be released through
>aeration)?
We don't have the sulphur smell but do get the orange residue. I use
this water straight out of the tap, unconditioned - no problems. These
is lots of iron in the water here. Crypts love it :-)
--
Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home page: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net
Mean_Chlorine
February 19th 06, 11:48 AM
Thusly "NetMax" > Spake Unto All:
>> peroxide could help with the smell. I presume you know about devices
>> like this?:
>> http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/aquainfo/oxydator.html
>
>No I wasn't. Interesting device. The odour is not too strong. I don't
>notice it in the shower, only when I'm using raw well water, and even
>then it's not strong, just enough to cause some concern for the fish when
>I get up to 20% water changes.
The human nose can detect hydrogen sulphide at extremely low levels;
the material safety factsheet suggests down to ppb concentrations,
whereas toxicity to fish is cited in the ppm range. Your fish are
probably quite safe.
As for oxydator/oxidator, I've tried a home-made variant (a 0.5L pet
bottle with a pinhole in the cork, filled with 3% peroxide and turned
upside down in the aquarium; the oxygen gas produced by the
decomposition of the peroxide pressed out about 10ml of peroxide per
day though the pinhole), and it DOES increase the ORP, does oxidize
organic compounds in the water, and does seem to make algae miserable,
but my home-made contraption released too much peroxide which made the
fishes start scratching themselves, and killed off some plants. I'm
still quite interested in getting hold of one of the commercial
devices, though.
WRT hydrogen sulphide, peroxide should work like ozone, and reduce it
to non-toxic & odorless sulphate (AFAIK).
>If you can, email me
Details are in the mail.
Mr. Gardener
February 19th 06, 02:32 PM
On 18 Feb 2006 18:19:32 -0800, "Altum" > wrote:
>Mr. Gardener wrote:
>
>> Well, with a name like "Altum", this doesn't seem surprising.
>
>LOL! At least you didn't say I look like a fish. :-)
You haven't sent me a picture and I haven't seen you on alt binaries.
-- Mr Gardener
Mr. Gardener
February 19th 06, 02:36 PM
On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 23:40:44 -0600, dc > wrote:
>"Altum" > wrote in news:1140286709.246608.305140
:
>
>> the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
>> water chemistry by sniffing it?
>
>Nope, you are not alone. With more than 260 tanks to look after, small is
>often my first clue to a new potential problem when I walk into the fish
>room in the morning. I will often follow my nose to the trouble spot. :)
>
>Ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate all have their own distinctive smells.
I agree that one can tell a lot about a tank by sniffing it. Like good
garden soil, a healthy aquarium has a distinctive and wonderful smell.
I generally give each of my tanks a quick sniff during the morning
feeding. The fish get to look at my nose before they get their
breakfast. And the warm moist air clears my sinuses.
-- Mr Gardener
Gill Passman
February 19th 06, 02:52 PM
Mr. Gardener wrote:
> On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 23:40:44 -0600, dc > wrote:
>
>
>>"Altum" > wrote in news:1140286709.246608.305140
:
>>
>>
>>>the smell of a healthy, mature filter. Am I the only one who "tests"
>>>water chemistry by sniffing it?
>>
>>Nope, you are not alone. With more than 260 tanks to look after, small is
>>often my first clue to a new potential problem when I walk into the fish
>>room in the morning. I will often follow my nose to the trouble spot. :)
>>
>>Ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate all have their own distinctive smells.
>
>
> I agree that one can tell a lot about a tank by sniffing it. Like good
> garden soil, a healthy aquarium has a distinctive and wonderful smell.
> I generally give each of my tanks a quick sniff during the morning
> feeding. The fish get to look at my nose before they get their
> breakfast. And the warm moist air clears my sinuses.
>
> -- Mr Gardener
Hope they never mistake your nose for breakfast - lol
Gill
Steve
February 19th 06, 03:50 PM
NetMax wrote:
> "Steve" > wrote in message
> .. .
>
>>NetMax wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I don't know if I could detect ammonia with my nose, but I do smell a
>>>lot of sulphur in my well water for the last month and it's worrying
>>>me for water changes. To compensate, I'm using more turbulence in the
>>>water (hoping to dissipate it faster), and I'm refilling the tanks
>>>slowly (less than a gallon a minute). I've just started filling 5g
>>>water jugs a week earlier, so they will have equalized more by the
>>>time I use them.
>>>
>>>Does anyone know the characteristics of the source of this smell?
>>>Does it take long to leave the water, and is the water left harmless
>>>after?
>>>
>>
>>I remember reading in a Ministry of Environment brochure that the smell
>>often comes from iron-reducing bacteria in the well. A solution is to
>>chlorinate your well and water system, which is not a bad thing to do
>>occasionally. That's done by putting lots of water with abundant bleach
>>in it in the well, letting stand, then letting it into the water system
>>and letting stand again, before flushing out. Use the garden hose as
>>output of flushing, and don't run too much chlorinated water into the
>>septic system. It's more easily done in spring/ summer, and please
>>research the details before attempting it. The details are recorded as
>>I remember them from years ago.
>>
>>Another source is supposed to be sulphate (gypsum, anhydrite) in the
>>rocks. that's not uncommon in eastern Ontario. You're near Ottawa, eh?
>>
>>I'd think that using turbulent water into buckets will probably
>>disperse most of the sulphur gas.
>>
>>Steve
>
>
> Thanks Steve, that's interesting about the iron. I dug out an old water
> test and they didn't test for H2S unfortunately, but there was a small
> (+2) amount of sheated bacteria or iron bacteria, leptothrix spp. This
> is why I shock the well periodically, as it leaves a red residue inside
> the toilet tank. I'm attributing the odour to H2S since it is
> intermittent.
>
> I don't think the iron bacteria are anything which would threaten the
> fish. Is the (gypsum, anhydrite) sulphate characteristics similar to H2S
> (in regards to threat to fish and the ability to be released through
> aeration)?
The small amount sulphate from rocks that are mainly limestone, should
just contibute to your water's hardness. It's not harmful at all, as far
as I know, but perhaps other posters better understand the chemistry
involved. I suppose you could get H2S developing from any sulphur
sources in the well/ aquifer: sulphates, sulfides... and I'd guess that
those bacteria probably obtain/ assimilate/ release dilute sulphur from
the water anyway.
When we had a limestone well, the splined shaft of our 5 year-old
washing machine corroded so badly that the agitator slipped. The
repairman attributed it to sulphur in the well. I found this strange due
to the high hardness/ pH - how could there be acid... but who knows what
detergents do?
Steve
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