tank smells like dug up lawn

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renerivera

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jun 18, 2018
Messages
19
Location
Newk City
What does it mean when your tank smells like a recently dug up lawn? O kind of like when you uproot a plant. It's not a n unpleasant smell, but it makes me curious. i hadn't encountered this before.
 
What does it mean when your tank smells like a recently dug up lawn? O kind of like when you uproot a plant. It's not a n unpleasant smell, but it makes me curious. i hadn't encountered this before.
Without knowing any specifics about your tank, the same nitrogen cycle that occurs in your tank occurs in soil naturally by the same bacteria. If it smells too severe, check water perameters and partially change water as needed.
 
I now understand it must be due to the cycle taking place. After 1 week parameters are as follow: PH= 7.2, ammonia 2.0 ppm, nitrite= 0.0 , and nitrate=40ppm. I asked because of the smell and the cloudiness which doesn't seem to go away and I expected that by now it would have.Ammonia 3 days ago was unmeasurable(too high), so I guess it's cycling although a bit slower than expected.
 
What does it mean when your tank smells like a recently dug up lawn? O kind of like when you uproot a plant. It's not a n unpleasant smell, but it makes me curious. i hadn't encountered this before.
Unlike the dead rotting fish stench, that earthy smell is actually a good sign, it's always happened when I was very close to being fully cycled.
 
I now understand it must be due to the cycle taking place. After 1 week parameters are as follow: PH= 7.2, ammonia 2.0 ppm, nitrite= 0.0 , and nitrate=40ppm. I asked because of the smell and the cloudiness which doesn't seem to go away and I expected that by now it would have.Ammonia 3 days ago was unmeasurable(too high), so I guess it's cycling although a bit slower than expected.
Are you sure your nitrite is 0? I'm not an expert by any means but usually when you have a reading of 40 Nitrate with an ammonia reading, Nitrites should also be present.
 
have tested thee times .always reads 0. I checked my other tank that's almost finished cycling and got a reading ,so test kit is ok...
 
It is not uncommon to miss the nitrite spike. When I was doing a fishless cycle, it was always zero. I then checked it at different times of the day (every 3 hours) and was able to catch it at one of the testing intervals.
 
I mentioned earlier that the bacter in aquariums works the same as in soil. Bacteria give off other harmless (and harmful) substances as well. They give off gasses that are harmless to the tank that evaporates. An earthy smell does not sound alarming unless your not getting fresh air flow between your water surface and tank lid. Do you have an airstone in your tank?
have tested thee times .always reads 0. I checked my other tank that's almost finished cycling and got a reading ,so test kit is ok...
 
????No, I don't , nor will I own a cat.What bearing does that have on what's being discussed?
 
????No, I don't , nor will I own a cat.What bearing does that have on what's being discussed?
Deep breath... cats love the smell of earthy tanks and tend to drink from them. I was going to offer a warning.. seems like you're not a cat person though;) you want your tank to smell organic, its healthy. Not like sulfur or cat pee though. Good luck!
 
It is not uncommon to miss the nitrite spike. When I was doing a fishless cycle, it was always zero. I then checked it at different times of the day (every 3 hours) and was able to catch it at one of the testing intervals.
I hate to say it but I've always had fish in when cycling. Never lost anyone but I know it's still not good. I never knew that, of course now I'll have to Google why, just for curiosities sake. Lol thanks
 
It's not that I dislike cats. I actually admire them for their agility, strength andsheer survival capabilities, It's just that I'm allergic.Thanks for the info, though . Il certainly pass it on if the need arises.
 
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