Aquarium Smell

[TNGuy85]

I have a 37 gallon tank housing 3 small fancy goldfish. I’d like to ditch the tank hood/light combo and let it be an open air tank and buy an external LED light. I want to do this for aesthetic reasons, but also for the ease of tank maintenance.

I’ve done some experimenting with this lately, and the problem I keep encountering is that aquarium water smell that fills the room. That said, it’s not awful, it’s faint. I just have a sensitive sense of smell.

I keep the tank meticulously clean and do a few large water changes each week. Water testing doesn’t show any levels of nitrates or nitrites.

Does anyone know of any tricks I could try to cut down on the aquarium water smell?

[fishwonder]

Simple aquarium activated carbon is used to remove smells from water. Simply put some in your filter. Only good for about 30 days so replace it when needed. Once smells are gone, you can remove it.

[TNGuy85]

Thanks for the reply. My filter media is carbon-activated, and I still have that smell. However, I know goldfish are pretty dirty fish, so I’ve been toying around with the idea of getting a second filter going. Maybe that would help??

[Brookster123]

Get a dog, they smell worse than aquariams, mostly. It will make you nose blind to aquarium smells.

[fishwonder]

Originally Posted by TNGuy85

Thanks for the reply. My filter media is carbon-activated, and I still have that smell. However, I know goldfish are pretty dirty fish, so I’ve been toying around with the idea of getting a second filter going. Maybe that would help??

How old is that media? Exactly what filter do you have and what is the media you have in it?

[rlederer]

Do you have aquarium gravel or sand? I have found after cleaning fish tanks that have had gravel for a few years, if you totally clean the tank and remove the gravel you'll find the substrate reeks. I doubt the problem is in the water if you have been doing regular maintenance.

[seemokaynotokay]

How much filtration do you have on this Goldfish tank?

I don't care how big or small the tank is, Goldfish are like Mollies - FILTHY!...lol

I love fancy Goldies but man oh man do they produce waste.......