# Smelly fish tank issue



## Blacklight (Oct 11, 2012)

I'm having a problem where my 5 gallon tank is stinking like a swamp and it's beginning to get fairly strong despite constant water changes and gravel vacuuming which we do once every 5-7 days. 
The amonia level is at 0. The PH is at 7.0.
The filter cartrige looks fine and is only 3 weeks old.
We don't feed flakes, just pellets (and those are in the water for less than a few secconds given at how quick the betta eats them) so there shouldn't be any decomposing food in there.
I always make sure that I give the gravel a good vacuuming when I change the water.
Yet despite all this, the tank is getting a very strong swamp smell to the point that it's beginning to stink up the bedroom where it's located.
I've had other fish tanks in the past and none of them ever made an odor like this.

Anyone have any idea as to what's going on and how to remedy the problem?


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

How many water changes are there decorations?


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## Blacklight (Oct 11, 2012)

Yes. There's decorations. We do about a 50% water change each time. We change water every 5-7 days.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I think more water changes like double and maybe a 100 percent will help.


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## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

If you're cycling the tank, never do 100% changes.

Do you have any live plants? If not, really stir up that gravel with your vacuum. A lot of poop and crud falls between the stones and gets stuck underneath the gravel. Try doing more water changes per week. I would up it to 2 50% changes per week.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Makes sense in my 10 I do 1 50 so 2 50 percents for you is good addibg pothos to the filter will help.


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## Friendlyfishies (Aug 16, 2012)

My 20gallon long smells the same way! Its been pretty bad since I added the driftwood and hygrophila plants, yuck...I dont even have fishes in there yet!


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

I wonder where the ammonia came from?


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## Blacklight (Oct 11, 2012)

I have a theory that when my wife did the last water change that she didn't do a good vacuum of the gravel. Tomorrow, I'm going to get out the siphon and force her to watch me to see how it's supposed to be done. 
In my years of aquarium ownership in the past, I never smelled a tank this bad. And this tank has ONE fish. My old tank was a 10 gallon and had a freakin' crowd of fish and it never smelled.


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## Wendyjo (Oct 19, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> I wonder where the ammonia came from?


What ammonia?


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I got curious and sniffed my own tank... it smells nice! and I havent done a water change for ageeeees XD

but you know what smells reallllly bad? my drawer with all the fish food and supplies ... blehhhh


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## Blacklight (Oct 11, 2012)

The tote that we keep all the fish stuff in smells like mouse/ferret/Ginnie pig wood chips. Everything you ever get from a pet store has that smell.


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## LadyVictorian (Nov 23, 2011)

My fish tank has a slight fishy scent but you only notice if you pretty much suck water up your nose. I think a good deep gravel change and maybe 2 times a week 50% change until you can get the smell down again. Maybe give your wife a good gravel cleaning lessons with the vac. My cousin did that with her tank recently. Half heartedly cleaned the gravel and then got a massive ammonia spike. 

aokashi...so does my drawer. It smells like my NLF fish food turned into a town stead of stink. That stuff smells rank, soooo fishy. GAH and the old heaters and plastic plants >.<


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## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

I have a cabinet of fish supplies. Old filter, a bag or two of old gravel that I'm hesitant to throw away, some food (just treats, like shrimp and bloodworms) test kit and the bucket and vac I use for water changes. Peeeyew!

But, really vacuum the gravel and up your changes to 2 50% changes a week. That's what you should be doing anyway, unless your tank is cycled. Which, I have a feeling it isn't.


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## Blacklight (Oct 11, 2012)

No. The tank hasn't even gotten going with the cycling yet. Last Sunday, it seemed to have a TEENY amount of ammonia.. but barely registrable. 
We'll get the water changed twice a week now and see if that makes a difference.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

Hmmm.. I realized that if I throw a plant into a stinky water, it usually stops stinkyfying after a while. (I'm talking about stinky worm cultures....)

maybe try an elodea or something if you can find it in the LPS?


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## paloverde (Nov 9, 2012)

It could be cyanobacteria,aka as blue/green algae. Blue/green algae smells like a swamp, and grows in sheets that range in colors from blue/green to black it's nasty stuff.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Blacklight said:


> No. The tank hasn't even gotten going with the cycling yet. ...


My UNcycled tanks stank. My cycled tanks smelled like a freshwater wetlands. That's one of the reasons I cycled ALL my tanks...even the 3g and 2.5g ones.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

My unfiltered 2.5 gallon smells awful when I do water changes. It smells like sulfur or something. I haven't been able to figure out what it is, but I think it's the gravel. It's a different brand than I use in my 5 gallon. I also recently started using that gravel in my girl's one gallon tank, and that starting to stink, too. It's not poop, though, because I use a gravel vac every time and I do 100% changes on my 1 gal. and clean out the gravel real good. It could be your gravel or plastic decorations or something.


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## paloverde (Nov 9, 2012)

OrangeAugust said:


> My unfiltered 2.5 gallon smells awful when I do water changes. It smells like sulfur or something. I haven't been able to figure out what it is, but I think it's the gravel. It's a different brand than I use in my 5 gallon. I also recently started using that gravel in my girl's one gallon tank, and that starting to stink, too. It's not poop, though, because I use a gravel vac every time and I do 100% changes on my 1 gal. and clean out the gravel real good. It could be your gravel or plastic decorations or something.


That sulfur smell could be caused from anaerobic pockets in your gravel, and that perhaps you might need to investigate.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

paloverde said:


> That sulfur smell could be caused from anaerobic pockets in your gravel, and that perhaps you might need to investigate.


Every time I clean it, though (twice a week), I use the gravel vac and poke and mix around the gravel a lot, so I don't know if that's it.


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## paloverde (Nov 9, 2012)

OrangeAugust said:


> Every time I clean it, though (twice a week), I use the gravel vac and poke and mix around the gravel a lot, so I don't know if that's it.


Just a thought, do you use prime to treat your new water, it has a pungent sulfur smell.


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

paloverde said:


> Just a thought, do you use prime to treat your new water, it has a pungent sulfur smell.


Nope, I use API Stress Coat.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Assasin snails do a water change and add them they bury in the subsrate if sand.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

Ever since I visited a water recycling plant with my school back in the day, NOTHING has smelt as FOUL. lol.

Try perhaps a 100% water change? I know it's very unadvisable but, it could help. Perhaps your are overfeeding?


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

It is adviseable but not too much.


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## asukabetta (Oct 2, 2012)

ChoclateBetta said:


> It is adviseable but not too much.


well it does stress the fish a little, but since the tank isn't cycled it should be okay.


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## ChoclateBetta (Jul 22, 2012)

Only in large amounts like too many is 100 percent bad a little stress every ounce in a while is safe.


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