# Why, when I do a water change...



## ShaneN. (Mar 8, 2004)

Well the day before yesterday i did a 20% waterchange because i added some ammo-lock for my ammonia problem. anyways this time when i did the waterchange my tank started to stink up my room. almost smells like a rotten egg (closest thing i can think of). the smell slowly went away by the next day (yesterday) and then today when i did another water change it happened again.

here are some facts that might help. 
the tank has not to recently finished cycling. 
the first time i added ammo-lock and THEN did a waterchange (20% btw) it smelled.
i had been doing weekly water changes for the first 2 weeks or so then after i found out about the ammonia problem i had been doing one almost every second day (missing a few days here and there) up until now which is like 6 or 7 since the fish have been in (and the tank started)

i assume i'm just now started to get my beneficial bacteria. could the sudden bloom be the smell?

any help would be great


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## ShaneN. (Mar 8, 2004)

ttt


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## killfishykill (Jan 13, 2004)

i had that problem but it was weird. i smelled it when i did water changes and found out that i had a dead goldie decaying inside the wood piece. smell can be caused by other things, for me it was a rotting fish that was in there for mroe than a month


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

OK that's because the nitrate is being broken down in the deep area's (the area's with no oxygen) of your gravel bed. Its a form of natural denitrification. the gas (nitrogen)? Is released from your gravel when it was stirred up. that gas is also harmful to fish.

My suggestion is to syphon your gravel more often.


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## Doviiman (Jan 13, 2004)

I just had the same kind of problem in my Rhoms tank,a real strong "fish" smell,i did a 30 per cent water change,cleaned the filter media,but the water stayed a little cloudy and still has a slight smell,what could be causing this??


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## ShaneN. (Mar 8, 2004)

i also forgot to add that my tank looks like it is filled with a cloud of smoke. and today the water is even cloudier

doesn't a bacteria bloom make the water appear cloudy though?


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## ShaneN. (Mar 8, 2004)

...........


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## mrnewbie (Apr 14, 2004)

i had a strong smell from my tank it was the gunk that had built up on the lid , which i tend to forget to clean


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

moved to water forum


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## Davo (Jan 29, 2004)

Ok guys this is really starnge!!! Sorry to jump in on this thread but...

Why do you guys mess around with your water so much?? How come the water is going bad??

I very rarely have to do water changes. I clean the Power head evry week. The water is clean & clear. There is no smell either.

Once I had a problem after feeding them LIVER!!! The water became cloudy and smelly. There was a thick layer of oil on the top as well.


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

Davo said:


> Ok guys this is really starnge!!! Sorry to jump in on this thread but...
> 
> Why do you guys mess around with your water so much?? How come the water is going bad??
> 
> ...


 whats your nitrates at? I change my water to maintain 40 ppm or lower.


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## Davo (Jan 29, 2004)

I guess i'm still not upto that level!! I don't even know how to check for Nitrates.

I purely go by the behavior / Appearence of the P's and the appearence of the tank. I need to learn this. Any clues as to the best way to educcate my self.


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## Guest (Apr 21, 2004)

nitrofish said:


> OK that's because the nitrate is being broken down in the deep area's (the area's with no oxygen) of your gravel bed. Its a form of natural denitrification. the gas (nitrogen)? Is released from your gravel when it was stirred up. that gas is also harmful to fish.
> 
> My suggestion is to syphon your gravel more often.


 I think you're right on this. Sulfur dioxide (SO2 / H2SO4) can build up in the anaerobic layers of the gravel. When it's released, it gives off a rotten egg or struck match type odor.

The other possibility is that you have chronic gas and you're leaking silent-but-deadly farts while you're cleaning your tank.


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

Davo said:


> I guess i'm still not upto that level!! I don't even know how to check for Nitrates.
> 
> I purely go by the behavior / Appearence of the P's and the appearence of the tank. I need to learn this. Any clues as to the best way to educcate my self.


All you need to do is get a nitrate test kit and follow instructions. You want to maintain nitrates under 40 parts per million. Or take a sample of the water to your local fishing store and have them check it for you.


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## ShaneN. (Mar 8, 2004)

Davo said:


> Ok guys this is really starnge!!! Sorry to jump in on this thread but...
> 
> Why do you guys mess around with your water so much?? How come the water is going bad??
> 
> ...


 this is what mine is like.. the smell has gone but it's REAL cloudy and the filters aren't clearing it up. there is also a slight film on the surface....

ideas?
since water changes caused it i'm scurred to do a water change now....


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## Davo (Jan 29, 2004)

ShaneN. said:


> Davo said:
> 
> 
> > Ok guys this is really starnge!!! Sorry to jump in on this thread but...
> ...


 check your tank for any left over food stuff. This could be a reason. i would suggest cleaning the tank completely. Hopefully you have a spare tank to house your fish till this tank is ready


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