Aquarium smell...whats acceptable?

[Abemas]

My 29 gallon (which was stocked about a month ago) has a bit of a funk to it. All my water parameters are normal and its not overstocked (4 Red Wags and some ghost shrimp - no plants.) I'm running a HOB. The smell isn't fishy just a little funky and I only notice it when I'm at the tank or above it such as on the stairs nearby. Is it normal to have a bit of an odor? What can I do to help bring it down?

 

[Crepe]

Mine smells like dirt after a good rain. Not exactly "spring fresh" but natural smelling.

 

[fort384]

I think a little odor is normal. I think crepe described it well.

 

[ezy33]

I would describe it as earthy! If it smells sulfuric then I would be alarmed.

 

[adeebm]

If I sniff the my water, it's a bit fishy, like a pond smell. And the filter media has an earthy smell, which makes sense because plant bits get caught up in it As long as it doesn't reek of dead fish, it should be fine.

--Adeeb

 

[mgamer20o0]

i never really noticed a smell from my tanks when everything was going right.

 

[BigJim]

Most of my tanks have an earthy smell, one has a fishy smell, and one has a swampy smell. The swampy smell disturbs me a bit, but that's the tank where the plants grow best and the fish breed well. I think it may just be a slight lack of water movement.

 

[Tim Wheatley]

None of my tanks have much of a smell except the brackish one. When you go close you can smell kind of earth/wood but that smell is in the filter, not the tank. The smell tends to build until I change the replaceable part of the filter media.