Smell of a tank?

joeyg2100

joeyg2100

AC Members
Oct 31, 2005
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I have my tank in my bedroom, and I have had it in there for about 2 months now. It is starting to smell a little. It isn't something that I really notice I guess that I am getting use to it, but my friends notice it. I was wondering if there is anything that can get rid of the smell? I clean the tank once a week, with atleast 50% water changes. Is it normal to have a little smell with a tank? Thanks
 
Do you wash the underside of the hood and keep the filter body and media clean? That is where most people find the problem. A tank should not smell.
 
I think there is a tank smell but I dont notice it in any of mine... I did for a period of time but I did an insane amount of water changes to get rid of it... when you are doing water changes you are using a gravel vac each time? (dont take offense, you'd be suprised) You could put activated carbon in your tank before people are coming over and that will take the smell away
 
Describe the odor. While there is an odor associated with things inside the tank, I've never had a problem with them unless I'm working on the tank--ie, wood that's exposed during a water change, or cleaning filter media. Even then, it tends to be an earthy scent--not really unpleasant. If the smell is present all the time or is really unpleasant, you may want to check to be sure that food isn't getting caught in a lip around the opening, or something similar. Mold can also grow around the edges of the tank, and this should be cleaned regularly (I just wipe it off with a clean, damp rag).
 
I would think of it as an earthy smell, but I will make sure that I clean under the hoods and clean out the canister for my filter
 
Smell of a tank?

Wasn't that a Al Picino movie? :D :D :D




j/k ;)

Abraham
 
I think that was "Odor of an Earthworm" :)

An earthy smell is okay, but it shouldn't be noticeable unless you lift the hood or open up the filters.

I've noticed that in my tanks where I have plecos I have to really clean the filters twice a week sometimes. It's all sludgey and stinky and plecoy :)

Like OG said, check for decaying food and clean the outside of the tank as well.

Roan
 
I have one tank that smells earthy. It is my 37g with one 11-inch pleco in it. I finally figured out that when the water level starts to drop from evaporation, I can smell the algae on the sides of the tank. So, I keep it filled to the rim.

I also got rid of a bio-wheel...as anything wet/dry, you can smell.
 
Sometimes you can feel an egg-like odor. If that's the case, you may have a lot of ammonia in the water.
 
I recently had a problem with a "funky" tank. Here's what I did to fix it:

1. Removed some gravel (I had a TON of gravel in there, maybe collecting dirt?)
2. Upgraded to a larger filter, with more gallons per hour turnover rate
3. Did a few 20% water changes over the course of a week.

Within 1-2 weeks the smell completely disappeared.
 
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