When you open the Seachem Prime bottle of container, you may notice that there is a distinct smell that resembles a rotten egg. This unpleasant odor is normal as the solution uses sulfate as an ingredient. If the odor is different, then you can check out this article at Aquarium Blueprints to see whether or not you should be concerned.
Garlic Odor
If you smell some garlic in the Seachem Prime solution, then you most likely have nothing to worry about.
According to Seachem, this particular smell came is due to the manufacturing process. Depending on the parameters used by the warehouse, the product may end up with a distinct garlic smell.
The extra odor should have no impact when it comes to the strengths and effectiveness of the water conditioner when it comes to removing chlorine and chloramine as well as detoxifying ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It also shouldn’t affect the slime coating enhancements and removal of heavy metals.
Stronger Rotten Egg Odor
If you are getting the same rotten egg smell from before but it appears to get stronger over time, then this is also considered to be very normal.
The stronger smell is most likely due to the sulfate settling down at the bottom of the bottle. You can try shaking the container before you use it in order to better mix the solution. By doing so, the rotten egg smell should become weaker over time.
Other Odors
If the Seachem Prime gives off an odor that doesn’t resemble garlic or rotten egg, then the water conditioner may be contaminated. This could happen if something else got into the bottle or container.
If Prime gets contaminated, then it may not be as effective when it comes to dealing with chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. It may also deplete the oxygen levels in your tank.
Moreover, when mixed with the wrong ingredients, the water conditioners may be fatal for the fish and other inhabitants if your aquarium.
In this case, we recommend that you be overly cautious. Instead of using the same bottle or container, you should throw it away and then purchase a brand-new replacement.
