Funky Fish Tank Odor

[GuppyGoddess]

Hi everyone,

I have five bettas. . .each in their own tanks.

All of them smell fine except for the one I have in a 3-gallon eclipse tank. I'm VERY good about changing the water in that tank. For a while I was putting Indian Almond Leaves in and the water began to take on that brownish cast (which was fine). It's just that the water began to smell. I took the leaves out and have been doing water changes, yet the smell persists.

The rest of my tanks also have IALs in them and there isn't a small.

Anyone know why the one particular tank won't freshen up? The ONLY difference between it and the other tanks is that it's acrylic. Could the plastic have absorbed the smell? I've had the tank for seven months.

Thanks!

 

[Haych]

any hollow ornaments?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

any hollow ornaments?

The only items in there are: gravel, one silk plant, a heater, filter, and a mini-terra cotta pot. Do you think it may be the terra cotta?

I'm going to take the silk plant out and put a real one in. Today I checked out the plants at the petstore and am going back on Friday when they get more in.

 

[Mauricia]

How bad does it smell? Did you try taking everything out and giving it a good rinse/scrub? Of course preserve the filter media but I would still swish the media in some tank water. Do you do regular gravel vacuums and rinse the media and all?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

How bad does it smell? Did you try taking everything out and giving it a good rinse/scrub? Of course preserve the filter media but I would still swish the media in some tank water. Do you do regular gravel vacuums and rinse the media and all?

Yes, I do rinse the media and just did that in hopes that would help everything out. I also take out the fake plant and the terra cotta pot and wash them off once a week. It must be the substrate that I'm not vacuuming up properly. Still it's odd that I tend to all my tanks exactly the same.

 

[Haych]

do all tanks have a teraacotta pot?

I have hollow ornaments in one of my tanks and the smell is awful when I remove them

 

[GuppyGoddess]

do all tanks have a teraacotta pot?

I have hollow ornaments in one of my tanks and the smell is awful when I remove them

The terra cotta pot is just laying on its side in the tank. One other of my tanks has a pot too, but there isn't a smell.

The other three betta tanks do not have anything aside from silk plants.
My guppy tank (tank 6) has many live plants and decor and no smell either. I do frequently remove the decor and vacuum under it.

I'll take a water sample into the store. Maybe the tank has just cycled nicely. (At least I'm crossing my fingers that's what the pet store says

 

[Haych]

i can't help - am stumped

 

[GuppyGoddess]

i can't help - am stumped

Okay. . .thanks anyways. I just bought a plant for her tank and picked up a nitrate kit and will see if the water has any of that. If not, I'm going to rinse the substrate.

 

[Haych]

keep us updated

 

[GuppyGoddess]

keep us updated

Update No nitrate in the tank. I took some of the sustrate out and there was a lot of gunk under it. Not sure why my syphon isn't doing a good job and I guess I'll have to shell out $8 for a better one. But, anyway, I put her real plant in and changed out a lot of water. Hopefully she wasn't stressed too much. She's still acting as spunky as ever. She even swam up and nipped my hand while I was planting her anubius!

All my bettas bite for some reason. . . guess that's a tale for another day. lol

 

[Haych]

lol Terry hides from my hand, the younger boys follow it and watch - the girls will happily nibble on me!

 

[kelly528]

It sounds like you have an anaerobic bacteria bloom. Anaerobic bacteria live where there is no oxygen (ie under a deep gravel or sand bed) and consume nitrate. As a byproduct they release hydrogen sulfide gas, which is toxic to fish and also has a rotten egg smell. Disturbing the gravel once in a while via a siphon, burrowing animals such as Malaysian Trumpet Snails or an undergravel filter should eliminate the problem.