Swampy Smelling Aquarium

[TigerFusion]

Hello everyone,

Can someone Please Help!!! My tank smells like a Swamp.

This is in reference to my 75 gallon Aquarium:
Filters: Fluval 406 & Marineland Emperor 400

Fish:
2 Shubunkin
2 Gold Dojo Loach
8 Boesemani Rainbowfish
12 Gold White Cloud Mountain Minnow

AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor calculates that I am a slightly overstocked, but filtration is adequate.

Parameters are as follows:
Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrate and Phosphate are all 0. (I am using Seachem Seagel,which controls nitrate and phosphate)

PH, Gh & kh are perfect levels for Goldfish (sorry, I forgot exact numbers, but we're in range.)

Water is Gin Clear and I have Tons of Aeration from 2 air pumps, 2 24" flexible bubble wands, 12" air stone and 2 2" air stones in decor.

I have been cleaning algae off glass (it comes off easy with sponge on stick and is brown)

I am rinsing my filter pads in tank water every week and doing 25% - 40% water changes weekly.

A few days ago, out of desperation, I removed Every decorations(rinsed them in tank water), and slowly vacuumed every square Inch of gravel to make sure it was not decaying food and poop in hidden places.

Today, I rinsed off the Pad filters in the Emperor 400 (which were quite brown). I also cut a slit in the top, emptied out the old carbon and poured in Seachem Seagel (which is Seachem Matrix Carbon & Phosguard Mixed).

The Media Box behind the pads was filled with a mix of Seagel and Marineland Diamond Mix (carbon and ammonia remover) last week.

Still smells like a Stagnant Algae Filled Pond, which is Quite Nasty being next to my TV in our living room.

No real plants, just artificial.

I have addressed everything I can think of:

• No dead fish
• No excess food or poop
• Parameters are Golden
• Water is Clear
• No Phosphates (Seagel takes care of phosphate and silicate)
• Not grossly overstocked
• Do weekly water changes and filter maintenance (not all at same time)
• Weekly gravel vacuuming (usually not all at once, just last time)

What am I missing?? The tank is fully cycled. Started this tank 2 months ago.

Any Ideas??

 

[Brookster123]

You're doing it right...

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[54seaweed]

my fw 40g stank like that did 20g water change don't smell no more
oh almost forgot added charcoal too

 

[Brookster123]

A healthy tank should have a slightly organic smell.. if it's swampy though.. upping the wc's would ceratinly help..

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[TigerFusion]

Agreed

A healthy tank should have a slightly organic smell.. if it's swampy though.. upping the wc's would ceratinly help..

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I agree, I believe I will start doing water changes twice a week and see how it goes.. I may have been over feeding a bit also... I am cutting down on that as well.

Other than that, I am keeping the carbon fresh and gravel clean every week.

 

[em1981ma]

I love your tank design Tigerfusion. I'd loved to change my ornaments in my tank to something more stylish but my platy Rodney is really attached to his squidworth house and Scooby doo haunted house. So I feel im stuck with a cartoony looking tank lol

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[Fatboyfish]

whats the room temp and tank temp?

 

[TigerFusion]

whats the room temp and tank temp?

Room temp is about 72 degrees F. And the tank is about 71. Unfortunately the room temp fluctuates, and I don't have a chiller.

 

[Fatboyfish]

How long are you leaving the lights on? Hopefully the tank light is on a timer and being ran no more than 12 hrs a day 10 would be better. To cut down the algae that you have to scrape off and fill the water column with making algae soup.

Overfeeding could have led to an explosion of algae growth. You should be feeding these fish no more than twice a day as much as they can consume in about 1 minute.

 

[TigerFusion]

I have a Marineland Single Bright with a Ramp timer on it. It is on from 9am to 9pm (12 hours). The light is not a very bright one.

 

[TigerFusion]

I have also cut down the amount I feed. I do only feed twice a day. The light is a full 48". The 36" that came with it is on my 30 gallon breeder.

 

[Fatboyfish]

Sorry struggling to help you here. What about air blowing on the tank? Releasing more stink than normal?

Also seems like you are very bubbly. Maybe having so many air stones is feeding this issue. Algae water splashing up from all the bubbles and cooking on your light?

 

[TigerFusion]

No problem... There is a ceiling fan in the room which probably circulates the smell in the room. I do have a lot of bubbles, but I have been taking the glass lids off when I do water changes and wiping them down. I may need to take the HOB filter off and wipe down the inside and get a long brush to clean out the intake tube... ?

 

[Fatboyfish]

A little late but I've thought about your dilemma for some time and can only come up with this.

Having all those air stones and bubbles in your tank is making a huge wind tunnel between your lid and water surface blowing stinky tank air out and about into the room. All that air has to go somewhere.

Not sure if you have them for looks or for fish health. If they are there for fish health they are not needed. Having a hang on back filter and your canister return agitating the waters surface is more than enough oxygenation. Especially since your tank water is so low temped. The only time extra air is needed is in high temp water.

Hope this helps.

 

[TigerFusion]

I had the volume of air for what I thought was health... Some for looks... Thank you for the advise, I will turn it down and see how it goes!!

 

[GouramiLover]

This happens to me once as well. Everything seemed fine, except for the smell.

I ended up using charcoal (which I don't normally use) and multiple water changes a week for two weeks before there was a change in the smell. I haven't had a reoccurrence since

I hope this resolves soon for you! It is more irritating than anything else.


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[Jessiicaxrosex3]

My lfs suggested a water treatment called refresh and swears by it. Not sure what brand, but its worth a shot to try to find.

 

[Brookster123]

I would advise against using unnecessary chemicals in the tank..

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[Jessiicaxrosex3]

I would as well. But if nothing else will work... Im having the same issue with my 125 but im trying to wait it out.

 

[TigerFusion]

Thank you for all the great advice!!!

I am now having a Huge NitrATe Spike!!

Less than a week ago we lost power for about an hour. I got the filters up and running when the power came on, but read afterwards that the filter media should be rinsed, I had just done that a day or so prior.

I have done three 40-50% water changes and vacuumed about a third of the gravel over the past few days...... Still in the RED with Nitrates (40-80 ppm) when tested day after water change. I just tested water straight out of tap and there is Nothing in the way of ammonia, Nitrite or nitrate.

Do I need to rinse the biological media in tank water?