Foul smelling filter

[F.sparverius]

I bought one of those little aquatec 5 aquariums from walmart the other day. It has an eclipse biowheel, something I've never used. * Always used Whisper*. The filter is very quite however it smells absolutly horrid. I have no fish in it and only added a tiny but of fish food yesterday to see how well the filter works. The filter now smells roughly the same as an overgrown microbiology lab. Is this part of the normal cycling or do biowheel systems just smell bad? I'm fairly shure it's not the water because my 20 gallon system on the other side of the room has next to no smell. It has been set up for a few months though.

any thoughts?

[travelinman1969]

What kind of cycling has occured so far? You're scarin me cause I just bought a bio wheel to go on my 150 and should arrive tomorrow. I don't care what the benefits are, I don't want a smell.

[F.sparverius]

It's only been running a day. Wheather that is a good or a bad thing I don't know. does stink rather bad though. I'm shure someone here is familiar wth biowheels? If these things do indeed smell horrid because of the biological filtration I certainly would not want one on my little 5 gallon tank, let alone a 150 gallon one!

Whisper filters also have biological filtration via an underwater sponge, I've never had one smell like the little biowheel.

[JSchmidt]

I've got a number of biowheel-based filters and none of them smell in the least. Must be something else.

Jim

[Dapple2]

Same here *looks aroung the room* geesh I'm surround by them and it smels just fine in here, perhaps it's the flakes? I have some brine shrimp flakes that smell pretty darn ripe when I open them.

[Gulp]

Not sure what is going on.....but bio wheels do not normal stink. On top of that, there is no way that something "stinky" could have grown on a bio wheel in just one day, especially with no live critters in the aquarium. Give it a little longer and look around your room for a dead squirrel or something. :p That, or like mentioned above, you have stinky food. Take that top off and give it a good wiff. Some fish foods are really potent.

[as40]

I too have used a biowheel before and it never smelled. Since it has only been running a short while I'm not sure if you've really had time for any biological material to form on the filter yet, so you may want to take it apart if possible and rinse it very well under running, lukewarm water, and maybe soak it in just plain tapwater a bit, put it back together, let it run and see if it smells still. Also, like Dapple2 said, you may want to sniff out your fishy food. Put a bit in a cup of water, wait a bit and smell it, compare the smell to your filter, see if they match.

[Dangerdoll]

I agree with those above, I've always used the biowheel filters and have yet to have a single problem.....smell or otherwise. I would look to an outside source, perhaps the top isn't on tightly enough for the fish food..... Is this the only tank in the room?

[LMOUTHBASS]

the bio wheel itself has never stunk to me - mine smell fine -well once they get covered in slime they mihgt smell jsut a bit if you get your nose on top of it

[DeVitaf]

Originally posted by Gulp
Give it a little longer and look around your room for a dead squirrel or something. :p

Gulp, that made me laugh out loud :)

I have several biowheels running as well and none of them smell.

[F.sparverius]

Twas not the biowheel after all. It was the horrendous fishfood that got sucked into the carbon filter. I cleaned it out and it seems to smell much better.

I should have known better than use free fish food for anything. specially from walmart.

[Grassguy]

I, too, have used bio wheels for some time and never have had a bad smell. I did get my som that eclipse six, and the cartridges lay flat in the filter that cam with it, sometimes when he overfeeds, some of the smaller flakes will get pulled up and lay on top of the cartridge and start to smell. So, I think it may be the food yur usin.

[SayersWeb]

So how many people went and smelled their bio-wheels because of this thread? LOL! :hi:

[Grassguy]

Not this one!:duh:

[Gulp]

Originally posted by SayersWeb
So how many people went and smelled their bio-wheels because of this thread? LOL! :hi:

http://webpages.charter.net/dustlee/Pictures/Smilies/+1.gif :p

[travelinman1969]

You guys are killin me. lol. :D I would have if I had one. :p

Merry X-mas all!!!!!!!

[travelinman1969]

Okay, I now officially own one. Nope, doesn't smell!! :p

[mrleaf81]

Ok i know this Aqua-Tec i have for my 20 gallon stinks really bad i bought it less then a week ago and a day later it started to smell foul. I had another filter before this one worked great just couldnt find the insides to replace it and when i did i was expenisivel. So i cruised walmart and found this never replace filter all i need to do is buy the blue pad and thats that, but if i knew how bad this would smell i would have never bought it. I know its not my food because as i mentioned i had another filter and it was fine nothing changed since. Is this room filling horrid smell normal for bio pad filters cause it gives me a headach :sad:

[RockabillyChick]

i dunno, could it possibly be the food you added rotting in the filter???

[mrleaf81]

no because as i said before i had another filter prior to this one and it never smelled. I use the same food same everything nothing has changed but the filter