Fish tank smells like rotten eggs after only 3 days!?
Well i am VERYY aware i did this in the wrong order so don’t even say anything about me doing it wrong i just wanna know how to fix it so my fish tank and room stop smelling like this, i can’t take it……ANYWAY i bought a 10 gallon fish tank from meijer and rinsed it out, filled it with tap water put in the dechlorinater and the anti-ammonia stuff then i put in my BETTA. I then bought the filter put it together and put it in the tank and turned it on, i then bought plants and rocks and put them in there, i rinsed and rinsed and rinsed the rocks before i put them in there but when i put them in there the water got cloudy, so maybe the debris clogged the filter? idk but the first 2 days it was PERFECT, so perfect i decided to get a PLeco and threw him in there. i put some pleco food in there for him and i feed the betta 5 pellets everyday. today is the first day it has stunk and it is like rotten eggs. and it makes my room stink…i called soldan’s and asked them what to do and they said bring in the water tomarrow (cause they were closed) and they will test it but for today try some sea salt, so i did that and it hasn’t seemed to help…so idk, HOW DO I FIX THIS? my only guess is new filter, change 50% of water…i really have no idea though, only people that know what there talking about please, cause i could sit and guess just as well as anyone. i really need help cause i don’t want any fish to die and i can’t stand this smell.
duh the pleco will out grow it, my mom has a 55 gallon tank i will switch him to that when the time comes, anyway i will try what the first guy said because i don’t want to starrt all the way over like alysha s. said, thats too much damn work, for 2 stupid fish!!
to “Laura” or whatever, im not listening to anything you say, i will NOT take my pleco back he will be fine, when he gets big enough i will move him to a bigger tank, and i know about the stupid cycling the tank first crap but i was in a hurry for my kids b-day. so once again i KNOW everything i did wrong i want to know how to fix it, THANX!!!
i recently took the top i had on it off and added seasalt and it seems to have help alot with smell, i can stand my room again lol. but whehn you get right over the water it still stinks, im thinking its a bacteria “bloom” or w/e cause of everything i put in the tank, and im assuming when good bacteria grows it will take care of the smell….right?
I just got a new fish tank 5 weeks ago and this happened to me too. Go to a walmart and get clear water in the fish section and it totally works along with taking out 50% of the water and putting new in first. If it still smells after that then just add more clear water drops after 48 hours again until it doesn’t just make sure to follow directions on the bottle so you don’t put too much in. Hope I helped.
First of all, you should NEVER put fish in a tank until it is already cycled. Best thing to do is take the Betta and Plecostumus and clean the tank, gravel, ornaments, thermometer and filter REALLY good. Then, put more water in it, set the temperature at about 75 and get the pH at about 7. Let the tank run for a week without the pH and temp changing. After that you can add your fish to the tank. I wouldn’t recommend a Betta in a community tank, though. While waiting for your tank to cycle, see if a friend can take in the fish.
Here is some more detailed info on starting a Freshwater Aquarium…
http://www.fishlore.com/Beginners.htm
Get a water test kit. API master liquid test kit for freshwater is a good one. That way you can test everything yourself. I don’t really know why it would smell really bad. Your tank is obviously going through a bacterial bloom since you added two fish and didn’t cycle first. There is probably an ammonia spike and that could be the cause of the smell. Keep doing small water changes and get a test kit so you can make sure ammonia doesn’t get too high. Soon the ammonia should turn to nitrite and then to nitrate, which is safe under 40 ppm. Ammonia and nitrite on the other hand are toxic and can kill or at the least stress out your fish. Lastly, the pleco is going to out grow the 10 gallon.
Test kit http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4345+4454&pcatid=4454
About the nitrogen cycle http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?c=3578&articleid=1165&category=266
Plecos CAN’T be in a 10 gallon!!
he’ll grow and u’ll stunt his growt
(don’t worry I made the same mistake)
And you need to research the NItrogen cycle
It’s the pleco food that smells
what i advise youfirst take back the fish to do go to this link
http://70.151.72.168/SDLocator/DealerLocatorStart.php
and see who sell stabitity (this will grow good bactiria to get rid of ammonia)
PLEASE DON”T MAKE THE SAME MISSTAKE I DID!
The smell was Ammonia (just like the cleaning product) it was produced by the pleco and betta’s waste. (poop, urine and left over food.) The Ammonia is toxic and can kill your fish. The Nitrogen Cycle is occurring in your tank. Bacteria (Good for your tank) is produced and eats the deadly Ammonia. Producing another deadly chemical called Nitrate. The Nitrate is eaten by another beneficial bacteria. Producing a harmless chemical Nitrite. The Nitrogen Cycle will happen no matter what and it will tank 2 weeks to complete so NEVER EVER put fish in a cycling tank, you will kill them. I suggest start over with new fish because the ammonia probably damaged their immune system and they can contract a disease called Ich.
Also, the cloudy water was caused by a bacteria bloom and usually goes away when the tank is cycled.
I’m assuming you’ve cleaned the aquarium and used a Bacteria Supplement to now cycle the tank, waited 2 weeks and then put the fish in the aquarium since you posted this in April, so good luck and dont give up this hobby because its fun! Later and if you have another problem email me dmuell01@unm.edu
I have a 40 gallon tank it have had it for about 4 years now. I just now in the recent months started having the rotten egg smell problem. So I am not sure what to do. The smell only occurs in the evening after the light goes off it is set on a timer and goes off the same time at night. The smell starts about an hour after the tank light goes out. Can anyone tell me why?