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Very smelly fishtank, what can I do? | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Thanks, folks! (none / 0) (#3)
by nancylb999 on Mon May 09, 2005 at 08:48:32 PM PST

Guess what! The tank doesn't stink anymore! Yippee! If you don't want to read all the dribble-drabble below, see the bottom of my post, the solution (I think) is there:

I did the checklist, according to all the excellent suggestions above.

I read on another site that hood mold can create and awful smell. This was discounted in my case, since, when I pulled the hood away from the tank to do the water change on Saturday, the awful smell was definately in the tank itself.

That being said, we always seem to care for the tank, with water changes, gravel washings, filter media changes etc, and forget that the hood should be washed too, perhaps once a month, I think. That's on the list for next weekend.

No snails. I haven't placed anything live in there except the 6 guppies since I started the tank, and there are no live plants that could have transported some unwanted guests (It happened to me before, I had bought some plants that had a couple snails and a few months later, I had hundreds, but that's another story...)

The filter I think is clean, as I just changed the floss, since it's only been running for a few weeks, but, along with the hood, that's on the maintenance list for the weekend. I will rinse the charcoal throughly with treated water, perhaps change the floss once more.

No casualties rotting in the corner... this isn't a heavily decorated tank, and now I have a mirror right behind it so I can view the back well enough, and, as I mentioned earlier, there were six gups put in initially, and all are still alive and well...

The gravel is very thin, to the point where if I look on the underside of the tank (I have a tube stand) I couldn't pick out any pockets of gunge or uneaten food...

No live plants... or dead ones...

No Dead mice, or otherwise in the tank. My daughter, and my hubby for that matter, won't touch the tanks without talking to me first. And we don't have any smarty-pants friends or relatives that would get a kick outta that kind of silliness either. Besides, most folks that know me well enough would know I would have them lined up and shot promptly if they messed with my pet fish :)

Uncle Scott, I'm not sure what you meant by an "anaerobic pocket", but...

There was a pocket of "air" underneath one of my rocks. Since I have a tube stand, I was able to look underneath to see if anything "funky" was going on. All I found was this, perhaps, 2 square inch pocket of air or whatever. Here's a shot:

So I lifted the rock last night, to let the bubble out.

This morning, the tank did not smell. Same with the afternoon, and now. Yeah!

The nitrate level is still the same, the nitrite is still climbing slowly. A water change is planned for tomorrow or the next day.

So, was it the water change or the filter floss change on Sat., (the tank still stunk terribly last evening), or the release of the "bubble"?

Methinks it was the release of the "anaerobic bubble", but I'm just surprised that would cure the smell in a mere 12 hours.

Thanks for your help again, Uncle Scott and Guppygirl!

You folks are the best!

-Nancy.

[ Parent ]

Well... (none / 0) (#5)
by nancylb999 on Thu May 12, 2005 at 07:23:09 PM PST

The smell came back. It wasn't as powerful as it was earlier in the week, but it was defiinately there.

I completed a 30% water change last night. Which worked well, since I used the gravel vac to save another 4 fry from a 9 fry drop (the other 5 I had scopped up in the a.m.)

I also washed the hood. I don't have any baking soda here, so I just used water and a deliagted scrub brush. But the hood wasn't smelly or mouldy at all. Good idea to do it anyway.

Then the filter, the floos was replaced again, and the whole unit was thoroughly rinsed, along with the carbon.

Tonight, no smell. The Nitrite level is a wee bit higher than right after the water change last night, the Nitrate remains the same.

So, was it a combination of both, the little "air pocket" and a needed water change? Or was it the water change itself?

I read on another site that suggested you don't need test kits to tell if the water quality is deteriorating. They were saying that if the water doesn't look or smell good, it's time to get at the water changes. Although simplistic (same for the rest of the site), to a degree that logic makes sense. But, I prefer not to wait until that point, I still use my test kits to tell me if there is a potential problem on the horizon... BEFORE it's a disaster.

Looks like I will be changing water twice a week in that tank until that biological cycle is properly established.

-Nancy.

[ Parent ]

Re: Well... (none / 0) (#7)
by rikho on Sun May 15, 2005 at 08:25:49 AM PST

Hi. I don't want to be symplistic, but it is true, water changes are the best you can do in order to fix this problem, in the other hand, you say there is no plants (live) in your aquarium......try with a couple hardy plants, may be vallisneria, since your pH is high. Your aquarium is new, and not too big, takes a lot of time to reach this "magic" equilibrium, even if your other water parameters seem ok, you need more life, bacterial life. In nature water changes are a matter of every minute, we change water only once every week, and this is not totally replaced. Don't worry too much, don't clean too much your filters, every time you do that you are getting rid of the benefitial bacteria, and then the cycle has to start all over again. Patience and time......bye, enjoy your aquarium.....
Guppies rock!
[ Parent ]

That simplistic approach to water quality does (none / 0) (#6)
by unclescott on Fri May 13, 2005 at 06:39:21 AM PST

it's merits. :) Sort of like a baby, if it smells funny, change it. ;)

Something I struggle with ... leaving the filter floss and a little bit of the dirt in the box/power filter. I too don't want to do that on gut reaction. However, we're tossing out a lot of "good guy" bacteria that way.

I suppose one should seek a happy medium. Squeeky clean in the filter looks good to us, but may not be the best to the fish.

I go through the same dilemma squeezing out sponge filters. By the time I get around to that, they are heavy, even getting solid with gunk. But I need to either remember to quit squeezing them before they run "clean" or to not feed the tank much the next day or two until the water and fish poop recharge the sponge as a biological filter.

Decisions, decisions! Well, off to change water and prepare for a CKA meeting tonight.

All the best!
unc;e

[ Parent ]

Anaerobic bubbles or gravel happen when (none / 0) (#4)
by unclescott on Mon May 09, 2005 at 09:26:43 PM PST

the oxygen supply is cut off from that part of the tank. While there are ways to actually tear down nitrates with anaerobic sections in filters, as a rule that is dangerous in a fish tank. That rotten egg gas, hydrogen sulfate, is one such product. Hopefully it can be released without making it's toxic presence felt in the water.

Thank you and G.G. for that monthly tank top cleaning idea. Glass tops can benefit from getting algae, mineral deposits and what-have-you removed too.

A little baking soda on a piece of wet paper towel or soap-less T-shirt scrap makes a great cleanser and seems to help quash bad smells. If a tiny bit falls in the water, it is no big deal. The pH may be tweaked up a tad, but that isn't usually earth shaking. :)

[ Parent ]

Very smelly fishtank, what can I do? | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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