"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
--
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