mapexmac007
Aquarium Advice Activist
I use my nose for regular "odor checks" - and I can tell when the water is healthy and when it's not. Carefully clean ALL the nooks and crannies of the HOB filter and the glass top. Try your best to thoroughly clean the undersides of the glass top, the tank's top edge rim (which supports the glass top, holds it in place).
One day, while doing a super-thorough cleaning, by simply using paper towel wiped under that edge rim/lip - I was shocked at how much gunk, algae, and scum had accumulated under that lip. Given the proximity of the heaviest gunk growth to the splash zone of my aeration stone (the water surface area under the glass lid) - I was made aware of just how the heavily oxygenated moisture breeds algae.
I had some serious battles with algae growth, in the tank, and suddenly, my canister filter. I dropped my guard of frequent chem tests, (got lazy because everything was perfect week after week...) and my Rates must have spiked without me knowing it. Warm water (78-80f) plus high rates plus a pesky algae presence equals a run-away algae bloom. It clogged my filter, ruined my ammo-carb, overpowered my bio-mech and completely destroyed my nitrogen cycle.
I didn't have a strong "sulphur" odor (if that's what you mean by swampy), but there was a strong mildew odor, and the water just didn't smell "healthy". It smelled bad though, but not sulfur-ish bad.
If your tank is truly out of cycle, you lose/risk nothing by doing a complete filtration make-over: new filter elements, new media. Jump-start BB presence with a BB starter, and carefully manage WCs while your cycle gets going. Such a filter rebuild will ensure you've eliminated any source in there as a negative source of bad bacteria, algae, etc.
Good luck, please let us know how it progresses.
from iPad using Aquarium Advice
29 gal, fresh water, fluval 206 with ammo-carb + mech, replacing gravel with sand and live plants
One day, while doing a super-thorough cleaning, by simply using paper towel wiped under that edge rim/lip - I was shocked at how much gunk, algae, and scum had accumulated under that lip. Given the proximity of the heaviest gunk growth to the splash zone of my aeration stone (the water surface area under the glass lid) - I was made aware of just how the heavily oxygenated moisture breeds algae.
I had some serious battles with algae growth, in the tank, and suddenly, my canister filter. I dropped my guard of frequent chem tests, (got lazy because everything was perfect week after week...) and my Rates must have spiked without me knowing it. Warm water (78-80f) plus high rates plus a pesky algae presence equals a run-away algae bloom. It clogged my filter, ruined my ammo-carb, overpowered my bio-mech and completely destroyed my nitrogen cycle.
I didn't have a strong "sulphur" odor (if that's what you mean by swampy), but there was a strong mildew odor, and the water just didn't smell "healthy". It smelled bad though, but not sulfur-ish bad.
If your tank is truly out of cycle, you lose/risk nothing by doing a complete filtration make-over: new filter elements, new media. Jump-start BB presence with a BB starter, and carefully manage WCs while your cycle gets going. Such a filter rebuild will ensure you've eliminated any source in there as a negative source of bad bacteria, algae, etc.
Good luck, please let us know how it progresses.
from iPad using Aquarium Advice
29 gal, fresh water, fluval 206 with ammo-carb + mech, replacing gravel with sand and live plants