Bad Smell

[Tubby]

For the last couple of days I noticed in the house was a bad smell couldnt figure where it was coming from till last night when I opened up the top of the aquarium and it took my breath away!!

The water is clear as a piece of glass all levels are right I am due for a water change this weekend

What can be done to stop this smell I have had this tank for about 5 years now and have never had this problem. I did recently 3 mos ago have to move it in which I hade a brown algae bloom which took about 2 weeks to clear up but since the water has been perfect !!

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[Lateral Line]

What does it smell of?

Normal, cycled tanks have a damp earthy smell to them. Some people dislike it, other don't notice it - to me it conjours up a walk in the woods after a warm summer shower.

If it smells bad egg like - that's probably anaerobic bacterial activity, and the source should be found and corrected, as should any... errrm.... "toilet" like smell.

Bit more info on the smell and your setup I think!

 

[Tubby]

Lateral Line

To tell you the truth it smells just like a pair of old tennis shoes or bad foot odor !!!

The earhy smell thats what it always used to smell like but this smell brings back memories of the locker room in high school!

The setup is a 125 gallon with undergravel filte with 4 300 gph powerheads and the other 2 up tubes have the air tubes in them I do run a HOT filter after I do a water change just to catch all of the debris when i vaccum the rock

 

[Lateral Line]

That sounds like bacterial decay or something. Nothing died in there?

(That "sounds" - hmmm, we are discussing a smell in a written medium and it sounds like - strange thing language).

 

[Tubby]

No all fish are acounted for and I remove any feeders that dont get consumed (dead ones)

 

[Tango]

If you have any bog wood give it a whiff.

I've just pulled mine out to attach some java moss and it smelt like my ass .

I boiled it to get rid of the smell.

Tango.

 

[pondfreak4365]

LOL Tango, a clear case of TMI!

 

[Opcn]

You might be able to clear up the smell with lots of activated carbon. Are your fish doing okay?

Opcn

 

[Lateral Line]

Activated Carbon will probably take the smell away now, but it's intruiging where it is coming from.

Your test kit - is it fairly new? They do tend to stop working after a while - usually quite a long while though.

 

[rsz]

LOL Tango, a clear case of TMI!

too true!!

 

[Sea_Monster87]

Do a water change ASAP! One of my friend's tanks smelled like that and she lost every single fish in her tank soon after.

 

[Tubby]

Did the water change and added a couple of bags of charcoal and it seems better today

Thanks for the help

Lateral the test kits are brand new

I would love to know where its coming from

 

[Moe]

Blue green algae will give a fishtank an odor. Sometimes it does not look blue or green but comes in brownish sheets. It grows over everything and can be moved around when you move the water around it. Is it possible your algae problem was blue green instead of brown algae. Brown algae is slimy and will wipe off easily when you touch it but does not flap up if that makes any sense. If you think it was BG algae and the carbon does not help you could try treating the tank with erythromycin for 10 days I'd only do this if you're sure it is BGA.