10 gallon trouble!!!!!

[nevaehleon]

I recently got a 10 gallon tank with 2 male ACFs. I got a Tetra Whisper 10-20 gallon filter, the problem is my water is very clear and my whole room where the tank is stinks. I have narrowed down the source of the odor. Well, it's my cartridge. I had activation carbon in it, but I talked to somone online that told me the carbon is what is making it smell. So I took the carbon out a cleaned of my catridge, but I used the same cartrdge because she said to almost never replece your catridge because it has a good bacteria on it. Well, my tank still smells very bad. Did I forget to mention the day this started I did a full water change? I am completly clueless!! I am just a beginner so I'm thinking of just getting a new filter, should I wait? Can you recommend any good filters that this won't happen with? Also I will be upgrading to a 20-55 gallon tank soon so I need to eventually get a filter.
Thanks,
Nev

 

[librarygirl]

HI and welcome to AA!

You said your tank is "new." Have you cycled it before putting your ACFs in there? Cycle means that new tanks need time to grow the good bacteria needed to keep the tank healthy for fish and frogs, etc. A good way to do that is fishless cycling. If you can return your frogs to the store and do a fishless cycle, it would be best for you and for the frogs. Otherwise you are in for a LOT of water changes and potential problems with the frogs. This is a good step-by-step instruction on how to fishless cycle a new tank.

If you can't return the frogs, this article will be your friend for the next few months. This method is a lot of work and very dangerous for frogs and fish, etc., so just keep that in mind.

You should also purchase an API Master Test kit to test the water parameters. Test strips aren't very accurate so a liquid test kit is best.

Also are you adding a dechlorinator to the water before putting it in the tank (you should be!)? If so, what kind and how much did you add?

As for the smell....I'm not sure. Are you over-feeding? Someone else more experienced will be along to help. But let us know about the tank - whether it's been cycled. If you have a test kit and know your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) please post them here.

Good luck.

 

[Hubert90]

I recently got a 10 gallon tank with 2 male ACFs. I got a Tetra Whisper 10-20 gallon filter, the problem is my water is very clear and my whole room where the tank is stinks. I have narrowed down the source of the odor. Well, it's my cartridge. I had activation carbon in it, but I talked to somone online that told me the carbon is what is making it smell. So I took the carbon out a cleaned of my catridge, but I used the same cartrdge because she said to almost never replece your catridge because it has a good bacteria on it. Well, my tank still smells very bad. Did I forget to mention the day this started I did a full water change? I am completly clueless!! I am just a beginner so I'm thinking of just getting a new filter, should I wait? Can you recommend any good filters that this won't happen with? Also I will be upgrading to a 20-55 gallon tank soon so I need to eventually get a filter.
Thanks,
Nev

historical question but have u clean all ur filter media in aquarium water? if u have try vacuuming ur substrate... IMO/E carbon is useless. doesnt work for very long and theres a change for the carbon to release whatever it has absorbed back into ur water column (but this only happens if ur ph lvl changed drastically). so if i were u ill remove the carbon and replace it with something else.

hmm im a big fan of canister filters! i use eheim pro 2 2028 on my 40g! its super awesome! i love it! fluval also makes good canister filter and they are cheaper!i also have a Aquarclear 70 HOB filter on my 10g!! they are the best HOB filter in the market IMO/E. my advise is always over filter!

 

[nevaehleon]

Well I cant return them but I can buy another tank maybe a 55 gal and put them in that one until my 10 gallon is done cycling and vise versa. Does that work?

 

[nevaehleon]

But i did test my water with test strips it said the alkalinity was high I have soft water my nitrite and nitrate levels are ok and my ph is high. I am not over feeding though. I put Aqua safe in before I added the frogs.

 

[Homedog98]

Well I cant return them but I can buy another tank maybe a 55 gal and put them in that one until my 10 gallon is done cycling and vise versa. Does that work?

That would be pointless. Then you'd have to cycle that tank too. Lol, welcome to AA!

 

[librarygirl]

No, a new tank wouldn't work, you'd still have the same problem of it not being cycled.

Also test strips aren't good, they're usually inaccurate; get a liquid kit ASAP. Also you said your nitrite and nitrate levels are "OK" - what does that mean? Can you post your results?

So it looks like you are doing a fish-in cycle: please read and study this article, it will tell you what to do to keep your fish safe. But accept the fact that you will need to test the water every day (hence you need your own liquid test kit right away) and you will probably need to do daily water changes (maybe even more than one per day) for quite a while to try to keep your fish/frogs safe.

YOu mentioned a friend with a tank - does s/he have an establed cycled tank that's been running for a while? If so, can s/he take your frogs for you until you cycle your tank without them?

As for the smell and cartridge issue, I still don't know. I just know that constantly replacing filters isn't a good idea, although since your tank is new you probably don't have any or much bacteria on it since it isn't cycled yet. Are you still using the same filter or did you replace it? Does the tank still have the odor? What does it smell like?

 

[nevaehleon]

The odor smells like fish really bad fish. I have a crack tank that my little sister fixed with duct tape I could put my frogs in there while I cycle my other more important tank then just get rid of the other tank when the normal one is cycled??

 

[librarygirl]

The odor smells like fish really bad fish. I have a crack tank that my little sister fixed with duct tape I could put my frogs in there while I cycle my other more important tank then just get rid of the other tank when the normal one is cycled??

No, I probably wouldn't trust a cracked tank lol And I'm guessing this tank isn't being used? If not then it isn't cycled and wouuld not help. Any new tank or unused tank has to cycle (which means to grow the proper bacteria to eliminate the toxic levels of ammonia, etc that the fish give off ). Can you ask your other friend with the tank if she can keep your frogs until you cycle your tank? Or, does she have any seeded media (a filter or some gravel) from her established tank (something that's been running a while with fish, NOT NEW) that you could add to your tank to help cycle it?

Also, do you have any fish in that tank or just ACFs? I'm not even sure it's possible to cycle a tank with just ACFs, although I guess in theory it would work, but I'm not sure (and either way it will be very hard and potentially harmful so, again, if your friend can take them it would be best).

Here's a good article that explains what cycling (the Nitrogen Cycle) is.

As for the filter: instead of the carbon can you use something else in there, like filter floss or padding or foam? Might be better. But wait for someone more experienced to let you know for sure

 

[nevaehleon]

She can take my frogs for a LITTLE bit. She has no aquarium media she can give me at this time. So I guess that I can do a fishless cycle, but will this help the smell or increase it at all??

 

[allaboutfish]

that smell is ammonia. just saying. all cycling tanks stink.