Blue Lobster Tank Stinks

[ac106]

Hi all,

Although this is about an invert I think the problem is more beginner in nature.


I have had a blue lobster (species unknown) for about 5 months or so. More so lately, (but its sort of always been a problem) the tank really smells bad.

here is a pic for reference:



Water stats are fine, no ammonia/nitrite. I do water changes weekly about 20-30%. often i will do it more often due to the smell. He is in a 10 gallon tank, with regular gravel and a rock cave. There is also an airstone.

Here are things i know are not the problem:

overfeeding: I feed him an algae wafer 3x a week. I used to provide feeder goldfish but they really dirtied the tank so i stopped that. I gave him one about a month ago but none since

dirty tank. I vaccum the gravel regularly. One LFS employee suggested decaying fish bits, snails etc. I have found none. Since the tank doesnt get any light, there is little algae but i scrape that as needed.

Decaying food under the lip oif the hood. Nope

inadaquate filtration: No way! I have 3 filters a whisper 10i intank, a whisper power filter and an aquaclear 20.

so the water is usually clear and everything is ok except the smell but i came home to this fiasco:




what the HELL IS THAT???


ok guys, my girlfriend is on the verge of making me get rid of him so I need help..



Also why isnt he blue since molting?

 

[Durbkat]

That second pic is his old skin after he shedded it, a 10g is to small for such a big fish. You don't need that many filters for such a small tank. You only need a whisper power filter 20 it filters 10-20g tanks. Not sure as to why the water stinks but it may be because you vacum clean the tank to much. I always thought fish water stunk.

 

[ac106]

That second pic is his old skin after he shedded it, a 10g is to small for such a big fish. You don't need that many filters for such a small tank. You only need a whisper power filter 20 it filters 10-20g tanks. Not sure as to why the water stinks but it may be because you vacum clean the tank to much. I always thought fish water stunk.

Its not his shell, he molted 2 months ago.

that stuff was fuzzy and looked like some kind of mold.

i realize i dont need all this filtration. i had the extra filters and though it might inprove the situation.

 

[Mr Miagi]

It looks like rotting food to me. Syphon it out and do a small water change.

 

[ac106]

It looks like rotting food to me. Syphon it out and do a small water change.

already did. it stank before and after

 

[OMA]

Hi there. my tank smells if i'm not using an active filter medium like carbon. if i do, the smell goes away.

 

[PlecMama]

I can offer no help but fish tanks do smell, ours do and they are perfectly clean and bright with clear water. I guess fish maybe think we stink too

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

How often do you clean the substrate? I take it you use dechlorinator? Lobsters/crayfish are generally predatory critters, its not good to just feed him algae wafers all the time otherwise it'll get malnourished and die, but...That doesn't look like a blue lobster to me...A blue lobster should look more like this as far as im aware;

But really im no expert on invertebrates- this is a good site for ID your critter;

http/www.shrimpcrabsandcrayfish.co.uk/Sh...m.htm~mainFrame