Cloudy/smelly water help??

[Teeny]

Can anyone help me with cloudy, smelly water? I added two live plants recently.

 

[mfdrookie516]

What color is the cloud? Is it white, green, or tan? If you're not sure, use a clean, never used white plastic cup with some tank water in it. Smelly? Like what? Earth smell, fish smell, pond smell?

 

[Teeny]

It is white cloudy water. It smells like a pond.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Did you cycle the tank? It sounds like a bacteria bloom IMO. Seems like i remember my first tank (uncycled of course) smelling like a pond. What are the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings?

 

[Teeny]

The tank was cycled. I only have one fish in there. Ammonia and nitrate are perfect. However the PH is WAY low. I have had low PH before but it did not come with this odor!!!

 

[jsoong]

What plants did you add? Are they rotting? <That would be esp. true if you got a non-aquatic plant.> That might give you the pond smell.

Also, is there black or blue green algae on the plants .. that would smell as well.

 

[Teeny]

They are "onion plants" I think that is what they call them. However the pet store had them in their tanks of freshwater fish and it was clear. There is no signs of dead plants in the tank. I had the same type of fish and the same setup for many years. One fish is in a 30 gallon tank so it is not over crowded. I had my water tested and it was showing a low PH coming from the facet. Could low PH cause the smell and cloud? When I moved I reset it up however I lost my fish of 9 years. Now I can not seem to get a handle on the problem......

 

[HeathB]

I think white means its a bacteria bloom, and I think (but don't take my word on it) these usually clear up given time. Activated carbon in filters is supposed to help with smelly water too (I think. I've been wrong before, so I'll let someone else chime in.)

 

[HeathB]

Another thing. Most of my tanks do smell a bit, but I always thought this just sort of came with the territory of owning fish.

 

[dkpate]

Tanks should smell kind of earthy, not sulfury, (if that's a word LOL)

 

[CA_BroncoFan]

Earthy is a good smell, anything else and you should check your param's

 

[Lowryder]

I noticed my tank had a funky smell to it right before a huge algae bloom. Alot of times plants carry some sort of algae in with them. Just keep up with your pwc's.

 

[corrado33]

I don't have anything to add but...

My tank doesn't smell at all. Yeah the substrate smells when I moved the tank, but once I put water in there it doesn't smell at all...

 

[dkpate]

Smell your filter media LOL.