Why does rotten seafood smell so awful?

[shelburn61]

A juvenile question... maybe? But I'm asking anyway:

If you have ever pulled a dead astrea snail out of your tank or accidently let dried zooplankton get wet you know how terrible rotting marine organisms smell.

Why is the stench so pungent compared to terrestrial organisms?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The smells of rotting flesh are often ammonia and organic amines of various sorts, but I'm not sure why they prevail more in marine organisms that land based ones.

[Mike O'Brien]

They do smell bad, I agree. But I'm in the burial vault's buisness and assure you there are land based thing's that have a much more overpowering smell.

[klasiksb]

Why did I open this thread? I knew I shouldn't have. I tried to forget that time I thawed out some assorted frozen foods to feed the fish and forgot to feed. What is that god awful smell? Oh yeah, that's right....it's the stank arse food that's been sitting on top of the tank for the last few days basking in the heat of the MH's! :hmm5:

[shelburn61]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9095711#post9095711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mike O'Brien
They do smell bad, I agree. But I'm in the burial vault's buisness and assure you there are land based thing's that have a much more overpowering smell.

fill a coffin with dead astreas and get back to us...