is it normal for coral and other stuff to be stinky?

I've had my reef tank set up for a little while now. I didn't know alot about it when i first got into salt water and the live rock was not cured. It has been in the tank for well over a month now so die-off has been managed. However, If I pull anything out of my aquarium, it has a stinky odor to it.

The water does not have odor, just the things in the water when they are pulled out. Tonight I reached in and cut a frag from my pulsing xenia to put in my other tank and even though the xenia is looking very healthy at all times, It had a stinky odor to it. Live rock was more understandable but is it normal for a healthy coral to be stinky also?

2010-11-06T21:03:34Z

I don't have a skimmer. It's a 12g cube. Nitrates are less than 20 ppm and 15%-20% water changes are done religiously every weekend.

The live rock looks very clean and purple aside from things such as little live tube corals, and turf algae. Perhaps bi-weekly water changes may be needed if nothing in the tank should have a stinky odor to it. It's alot like the odor of a fresh fish market where fresh caught fish are being gutted. Not enough to stink a room when the coral is pulled out, just enough to notice when handling the coral.

TheRav1n2010-11-10T16:35:46Z

Favorite Answer

Yes, most corals will have a faint odor when you pull them from the tank. It should be faint. Strong odor could indicate a sick or dying coral (or a sensitive sense of smell).

Iliana M2010-11-07T03:50:46Z

No, coral should not have a bad smell, but rather it should smell like fresh seawater. The fact that there is a bad smell suggests that the die-off has not yet been managed, or there is a lot of buildup of organic waste in your water. Any black patches on the rocks are areas of die off.

I recommend testing your water, and seeing what your levels are. Are you using a decent rated protein skimmer? Doing regular partial water changes every 1-2 weeks?