Smelly Tank

[j@mie]

Hey guys, i have 2 snakeheads in my 20g at the moment, getting a bigger tank at xmas so they have more than enough room at the moment, I have 1 problem thou and it cos of the kind of food i feed them, muscles / bloodworm blocks etc.

i went downstairs yesterday and the water really smells bad, to the point where i could smell it when i walked into the room. I only did a 20% water change 2 days before hand, so its not like im neglecting it.

Please tell me what to do, thanks guys .

the tank only has a filter.

cheers

 

[wetwetwet]

If everything is working properly then there should be no smell.

How long has the tank been set up?

Any water readings?

If it is cycled and the filter working properly then there must be something else wrong - make sure that any uneaten food is removed before it starts to decay. If you have real plants check that none of these are rotting....


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[j@mie]

well i was thinking of getting an undergravel filter to clean up the gravel, other than that, the filter im using was given to me from an old goldfish tank, i just washed the sponges, didnt replace them.

when i cleaned it out last the plants did smell quite bad, but i think thats cos of the water. I just dont know.


The tank has been setup for about a month now. Fish are fine! its just the smell

Please tell me what to do step by step, then i can reply with more information.

thanks

 

[The-Wolf]

what kind of smell is it?
does it smell like rotten eggs?

 

[Fish Buddy]

I know that too much nitrate in the water causes a foul smell but I don't know if it can smell as bad as you discribe...

 

[wetwetwet]

I'd guess that the tank isn't yet cycled - read some of the pinned topics in beginners

Cut back on feed ing and make sure there is no uneaten food decaying in the tank.

I wouldn't bother trying to fit a UGF - no benifits over your internal(?). Get a gravel cleaner to use when doing water changes

You could really do with some test kits especially with a new tank...


hth


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[j@mie]

right just 2 clear a few things up

1) i have 2 tanks, 1 of 6 months! with guppies etc that is completely cycled, so im not a newbie hehe
2) the smell is just gut wrenching, like an eggy smell i suppose
3) snakeheads are very hardy fish so it will prob be uncycled. As its only 4 weeks old.

 

[The-Wolf]

then you have an excess build up of ammonia, that is why you can smell eggs.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

You need to do daily changes of at least 30% (less will not be of any benefit) and gravel clean any uneaten food. Feed as little as possible for now and as you haven't given us your readings I presume you don't have a test kit (?). I suggest you get/borrow one so you can know what is going on as levels are always a good indicator of problems.

 

[David]

I have a cyanobacterial bloom in my tank as it is still uncycled and it smells really bad. I have kept the lights off and tank covered for several days to choke them out but as they die off and start to decompose the smell is even more unbearable. Not sure but this may be the case with you.

 

[Teelie]

If everything is working properly then there should be no smell.

Actually a properly established tank should smell faintly pleasant, like fresh earth or like a pond. All of mine are well established and have just a hint of earthen smell to them when you open the lid.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

If everything is working properly then there should be no smell.

Actually a properly established tank should smell faintly pleasant, like fresh earth or like a pond. All of mine are well established and have just a hint of earthen smell to them when you open the lid.

Not exactly the same thing though is it. In a cycled and healthy tank there should be no bad smell might have been a better way to put it.

I like the smell of my tanks actually, strange to have pond smells in a flat in a city centre!

 

[Teelie]

Yeah, I meant a healthy tank does have a slight scent though wetwetwet said there was no smell. It's not bad or nauseating like a cycling tank or improperly established tank.