Smelly water

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karen99

AC Members
Nov 21, 2005
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I've had more delay in getting my fish. I filled up the tank and started the filters only to notice a horrible 'fishy' smell from the tank. It was filled with tap water and gravel. Some of the gravel was freshly bought and rinsed well. Some of the gravel was old used stuff which had been cleaned and boiled and then stored down in the basement, where it had gotten a little musty. I'm assuming it was the musty gravel that's the source of the smell. I ran filters with charcoal for one night. It still smelled.
I drained the tank down, then poured in about 5 gallons, and drained that off. Then I refilled it again.
It STILL smelled. I tested ammonia and it was somewhere between 0 and 0.25 mg/L (low but I think there was a little).
I am draining it off again.
Any idea why it would smell so bad - and would it be dangerous for fish?
Is there anything I could do short of removing and cleaning out everything?
 
After cleaning the gravel again, I refilled the tank for the third time - and it still smells, but much less. The fish are going in tomorrow. For now, filters are running with charcoal. Tomorrow when the fish go in, I will put in the filter sponges from the established tank and hopefully the fish will be ok.
 
dont stress they water will always smell bad. how big is your tank ,how many fish do you have, what kind? if you over stocked it smells really bad. get something called "tank buddies" and choose "water clear". it gets rid of oders
 
The problem is - there aren't any fish in there yet! It is 50 gallons, and I will be putting the fish in tomorrow - 7 cichlids and 2 plecos from a friend who is moving and doesn't want to move the fish. Hopefully the tank will be ok for the fish by then.
 
Are you done cycling? How long has your tank been set up? My inclination is that the tank is not established, e.g. done cycling, so the beneficial bacteria have not kept up with waste production. In which case, the smell is ammonia. A fully cycled tank will have ZERO ammonia and ZERO nitrites. Nitrate is the final stage in the nitrogen cycle in an unplanted tank. Regular water changes and gravel vacuuming are the key to keeping these down. Nitrates, by themselves, are not necessarily toxic but long-term and high-level exposure to these (in mature tanks) is detrimental to fishes.

Good job with the gravel rinsing and water changes. I'd say keep that up, and it should clear up. Until then, though, please do not add any fish. They will most likely be stressed by the imbalance in your tank, and not make it.

To me, any strong noticeable odor from a fish tank means something is wrong. If it smells like rotten eggs, it's sulfur gas from anaerobic bacteria (e.g. not enough oxygen and water circulation). If it smells FUNKY, it's probably ammonia. If it smells strongly like grass or dirt, you have too much algae probably from too many nutrients. Either way, you need to do more water changes until the problem clears up.
 
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I don't believe in any chemicals that claim to clear your water. Like algae removal, only you can do that safely and reliably. Take my advice, and just continue with thorough and frequent water changes and gravel siphoning.

It's a lot of work, I know, but this is the toughest part of aquarium keeping. During cycling, one has to be constantly vigilant and ready to do water changes on a dime. Of course, once your tank is cycled, you will still have to do reguar and frequent water changes and tank cleanings, but not usually on such short notice.
 
The tank is, unfortunately, not cycled, and has only been set up for a few days. I'd much prefer to have it fully cycled for the fish, but I need to take these fish NOW.
I will be putting in filter media from my established healthy tank, and also some stuff from the cichlids' old tank when I move the fish to my tank, so it will be semi-cycled when the fish go in (plus I will do water changes as necessary to keep ammonia down).
But right now, I can't think of a reason for the smell. I haven't added ammonia, there's no algae. The only organic material in there might be a few dead spiders from the gravel that had been stored in the basement...at least I found one floating when I first filled the tank.
 
Well, like I said, in a fully established tank, ammonia should always read ZERO, not low, zero. I just wanted to clarify that. To me, any levels of ammonia or nitrite mean that there is not enough bacteria to complete the conversion to nitrate.

Since you are in a bind, I would recommend Bio-Spira. It is the only bacterial cycle speeder-upper that people on this forum think positively of. It contains not only the strains of bacteria appropriate for freshwater (unlike shelf products like Stress Zyme or Cycle), but is also always refridgerated and has an expiration date that's less than years. That's if the supplier is doing it right. It makes sense to me, because a living thing cannot survive without any food for years in a little bottle.

Do a search on this forum for "Bio Spira" if your LFS does not carry it. It can be hard to come by, because of the stringent handling requirements. Even then, some people have been getting bad batches because the store or middleman did not store it properly. The stuff's expensive ($15-20 for 1 oz, or treats about 30 gal), but it seems to be the only one that seems worth a dang.
 
I know ammonia should be zero, I just mentioned there was just a little, because I was not sure if that could be the source of the smell.
I'll order the biospira if I have problems keeping ammonia levels safe with water changes. The fish are moved in - 7 young cichlids (around 3" or so), and one medium sized 6-8" pleco. I think it's a common, but he said he's had it for 3 years and it's grown very little.
But at least for now the tank is not too crowded and I can monitor ammonia levels.
 
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