Aquarium Smell: How to fix the Foul Smell
- Oct 02, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 607 0 0
Your fish tank should not smell bad. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you must not keep a fish tank because of the smell.
If you are looking for a quick fix, add activated carbon to your filter, and the smell will vanish overnight. But, for those of you who understand that something in your tank is causing this funky smell, here you will know what might be causing it and how to prevent putting dozens of activated carbon if you don't actually want to.
https://kavemanaquatics.com/aquarium-smell/
Activated Carbon
Activated carbon is excellent. It will remove the odor and medication from your tank, and it also helps a lot in making your water look crystal clear. But, activated carbon is a chemical media that needs to be replaced about every month. If not, it can actually leech out all the nasty that it has absorbed over time, right back into the tank.
The cost of replacing it every month, along with everything we spend on the beautiful hobby, can quickly add up. So, besides putting a band-aid on the issue with chemical media, let's talk about the underline reason why your tank smells like the hard-boiled eggs left out in the sun all day.
Decomposing Organic Matter
Your tank smells because of the decomposing organic matter in your tank. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. If you get the decomposing matter out of your tank, you will eliminate 90% of the stench.
Dead Fish
The number one decomposing matter causing could smell, in most of the cases, is a dead fish. So, check your fishes, and make sure no dead bodies are trapped in your tank, decomposing aways and causing your entire living room to stink.
If you cannot find a fish or the body, it has undoubtedly been eaten by another fish in the tank. A few pieces of the fish might lay out in the tank somewhere, causing the smell.
Fish Waste
Well, if you are allowing a lot of fish waste to be build up in your tank, you have to understand that it will make your tank stink. Schedule water changes and vacuum cleaning of your substrate will help this waste buildup. However, the fish-keeping hobby is not for the lazy. When we get lazy, our fish gets sick, our tank looks nasty, and it will eventually smell foul.
But, how often should we do water changes? Or when do we know that it is a time of water change? The indications will come way before your tank starts to stink. And do not forget your filter. You can water change and vacuum as frequently as possible, but the filter cleaning will never come out of that rule.
Filter cleaning should be done on a schedule as well because the trapped waste and gunk inside your filters will also eventually release those stinky gas into your tank water and then out in your home.
Over Feeding
Overfeeding your tank will lead to more fish waste in the tank. But, other than that, un-eaten food can cause many different things, from Ammonia spikes to cloudy waters to stinky tanks. As the uneaten food decomposes, bacteria east those dissolved organics, and their waste stinks too.
Dead Plants
Dead plants can also create an odor in your tank. Sometimes, they can go unnoticed if you have a heavily planted tank, but finding adn removing them will also eliminate the smell. The premise here is that any decomposing matter in your tank, whether dead bodies or uneaten food, dead plants, or excess waste, will all contribute to a horrible aquarium smell.
Don't blame your fish and your tank for stinking up your place. The thing to blame is you. Some of you might be new to the hobby and might be unaware.
Happy Fish Keeping
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