# What to do



## Cobra (Sep 25, 2004)

Weather u like it or not, a fish tank will always emit a humid fishy smell. This might sound silly but is there a tank water deodorant we can buy somewhere??


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I dont agree. When a fish tank is fully cycled, there is no odor at all unless there is a problem like an ammonia spike caused by rotting food.

I have 4 tanks running in one room (over 300 gallons) and there is no smell at all.


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## Relik (Apr 29, 2005)

well i had the same problem so i bought a sack of diamond carbon at the lfs and within a day or two the smell was gone. apparently the cabon reduces the smell and penguin and emp cartiges dont have enough carbon so the guy suggested i buy the bag of carbon and put it in my filter and it worked so im happy


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## elTwitcho (Jun 22, 2004)

Yeah mine smell fine as well, 2 40 gallons, a 50 gallon, 10 and 5 gallon and 2 gallon hex all in the same room and you can't smell a thing. If you really can't bring it under control, a lid for your tank will help alot, and a glade plug in air freshner in the room should help.


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## jasert39 (May 1, 2003)

no smell here either...maybe its the food you are using for there is somehing decaying in your tank or something.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I dont use carbon in my tank...I have heard it can mask the smell...but again, a healthy tank shouldnt smell imo.


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## cmsCheerFish (Dec 17, 2004)

mine just smells like water if ur nose is like on the tank. I put a glade plug in so people at my work wont complain...


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## mori0174 (Mar 31, 2004)

Mine doesnt smell like anything either. Now, that cup of water with shrimp remains in it thats been sitting around for 3 days...now that smells like death.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

Certain filter medias will make your water crisp and clean without any smell. I never have any problems with my tank smelling. Are you doing your water changes as often as you should? Be honest now...








~Taylor~


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## phil me in (Jun 6, 2004)

my tank doesnt smell at all and never has...maybe u can try more graval vacs


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## Cobra (Sep 25, 2004)

The tank is bare at the moment so its easy to maintain. Its just that the whole living room area feels really humid and smells funny since the 75gal was set up there. U can really see the difference if ur coming upstairs from the basement. Oh and yes the tank is always coverd with a glass hood.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Try cleaning the glass hood and stay on top of your water changes.


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## eL ChiNo LoCo (Apr 16, 2004)

I have a 55 gallon and a 10 gallon in my room, it gets real humid in here, and the smell, well, smells like water. I mean my tanks have sort of an odor, but not so bad as to where you have to crack a window open, its just normal water smell.


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

I have a 240 gal in a room with tiny windows and little circulation. Tank never smells unless I accidently overlooked a piece of food thats been in the tank for 2 days. Sometimes, its an indication for me to finally change water.


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## mr limpet (May 10, 2003)

Cobra said:


> The tank is bare at the moment so its easy to maintain. Its just that the whole living room area feels really humid and smells funny since the 75gal was set up there. U can really see the difference if ur coming upstairs from the basement. Oh and yes the tank is always coverd with a glass hood.
> [snapback]1019516[/snapback]​


The increased humidity could be bringing out other odors from the room.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

If it smells bad, something is wrong.
You should be able to open the lid and stick your nose right above the water and inhale deeply through your nose and not smell anything foul.

Carbon absorbs chemicals such as ammonia and other sulfates.


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

mine smells like Melafix! haha
the P's wounds should heal soon..


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## Joga Bonito (Oct 30, 2004)

i have a 60 gallon, a 29 gallon, 2 ten gallons in my room, and it never smells bad


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

Grosse Gurke said:


> *I dont agree. When a fish tank is fully cycled, there is no odor at all unless there is a problem like an ammonia spike caused by rotting food. *


Just check what GG told.This is the only reason for smelling bad.........try to find the solutions by checking your tanks parameters....

I have 450g of tanks in my living room and almost 300g in my room without any smell problems.the only problem i am facing is the humidity and only if a tank has open top!


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

my 55 gallon started smelling funky and...yeah funky...

i had polywool in the filter on top of the biomax rings and sponge and stuff. i decided to take the polywool out, and replace it with a big sack of carbon. the smell is gone now.

the worst was when i left the jar of krill open...yuck....smelled like the dirtiest girl you could imagine...and then place her in the hottest, most humid climate...ewwww.

most of the time, the smell is from a lack of cleaning. i hadnt cleaned the tank in a bit when it smelled. a good water change and vac can go a long way...smell wise.


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## furious piranha (Mar 22, 2005)

do alot more water changes


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## zrreber (Mar 8, 2005)

I have a 75gal and a 30gal in my room with no smell at all...


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## RhomZilla (Feb 12, 2003)

Moved to Water Chemistry


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

Grosse Gurke said:


> I dont use carbon in my tank...I have heard it can mask the smell...but again, a healthy tank shouldnt smell imo.
> [snapback]1019329[/snapback]​


That is defenitely right, and I dont use any carbon either.

I have tanks with over 15 fish, over stocked so to speak.

One room has a 240 gallon, 180 gallon, 90 gallon, no odor at all.

If you have no decor, do you have hang on filters???

Do you wash out the sponges in tank water and keep those clean and maintained??


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## Blue (Mar 23, 2005)

A friend of mine had a newly set up tank with some goldfish in it and as it was starting to cycle it had a noticeable "fish store smell". After putting a cycled sponge filter in it for a few days, the smell was completely gone.


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## spec-v (Feb 27, 2005)

just do your water changes and it won't smell I did 20% once a week now I do it twice a week and no smell and my fish are showing better color. good luck


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## smithgrind_who (Mar 26, 2004)

Piranha_man said:


> Carbon absorbs chemicals such as ammonia and other sulfates.
> [snapback]1020299[/snapback]​


Sorry if this is off topic, but carbon does not absorb ammonia. Carbon will alleviate dissolved organic compounds (DOC). Tannins and phenols are two sources of DOC. Phenols is the cause of that fish type smell of aquariums. Carbon as a filter will not take out ammonia, nitrIte, or nitrAte from an aquarium's water.


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