Essential oil diffuser to cover a recent smelly stage

[Squist]

Wondering if there are BAR folks with experience running an essential oil diffuser in the general area of their tank. After reading through search outside BAR, generally the "I read and heard this"-type proclamations, I thought no better group than this one to ask.

Limited use? No use? Depends how much? Depends on the oil? (I'm using lavender.)


My tank (2 years) and the room it sits is starting to stink like a mudflat. Another recent search with opinions pretty limited to "check your parameters... too much X ... Y. or Z." (Parameters are in-check. NO3: 3, PO4: 0.05.) Suspecting something that will pass. But don't want the place smelling like tank gas.

 

[Coral reefer]

I suspect skimmer? Use carbon?
The skimmate lockers with carbon help. Make sure there’s no old food sitting around anywhere.

 

[Squist]

Thinking the same about skimmer. Though I empty the cup when it’s full, it went many months without a cleaning. Neck swab was afunk.

I don’t use carbon. Looking into the skimmate locker you mention.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[robert4025]

Anything that is in the air can be pulled into the tank by the protein skimmer so be careful with that stuff.

Your tank shouldn’t have any smell coming from it. Otherwise, something is not right.

Small air filter in the room would probably be your safest bet for a temporary solution.

 

[JVU]

I agree, if your tank smells bad it could be because something IS bad, and that is what you should focus on.

At the very least skimmer cups should be cleaned every week, not wait until they are full. Remember the air you are pumping into the skimmer is continuously coming out of it after blowing over the skimmate.

The common things I’ve encountered:
- Something died (find and take it out)
- Skimmer cup needs to be cleaned
- Organics in the water (run carbon)

If you are set against running carbon inside the tank, you can run carbon outside the tank as part of an air purifier. I would NOT put any fragrance into the air around the tank to try to cover the smell. Not that I know it would be harmful, just that it is worst of your options.

 

[Coral reefer]

Pellet food that didn’t make it in the tank and has gotten wet at all STINKS super bad

 

[Squist]

I appreciate your thoughtful replies. Suspecting it’s a combination of factors: dirty skimmer (clean now for a week), pellet food that got spilled (I went on a trip 3 weeks ago and used a carousel-type feeder; and I over-fed the tank plus some sloppy filling), and I am sensitive to the smell.

I pull air into skimmer from outside house.

Suspecting organics, although water parameters test fine.

I’m not missing any fish. Tho I did a major zoa paring-back (outside the tank) last Sunday on a few rocks that might have been sloppily done. First timeMaybe some rot from that breaking-down.

Otherwise the tank is looking better than ever.

Family visiting today. An honest group. Will see (smell)

 

[Corallus]

Looking great!
Love the pectinia, is it extra stingey like the green one?

 

[Squist]

I found a main source! Under my sofa! A snail evidentially got out. A cat batted it around. And their it laid in stink.

Love the pectin is too! It has lots of feeders. The space invader too. And they get along great.

 

[Coral reefer]

Yeah dead snails stink bad.

 

[JVU]

I pull air into skimmer from outside house.

To clarify what I was talking about with air/skimmer/stink, I’m talking about the air AFTER it leaves your skimmer after blowing across the skimmate, not the intake. People focus on the air coming in but not the air going out. That’s why they all have holes from the collecting chamber, usually on the lid.

 

[Squist]

“Pulling air from outside” was in response to Robert’s concern about the essential oils in the air entering thru the skimmer.

Thanks for tip. I see the vents on skimmer and may add a carbon pad to top it off.

Finding the snail under sofa is helping a lot of things add up. Like: why the room smelled worse than inside the cabinet

 

[svreef]

Ew