2006-07-21 08:35:43 · 10 answers · asked by jcsbarrett 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
DON'T CHANGE THE FILTER SO OFTEN. A lot of the bacteria needed to break down the ammonia and keep it from smelling lives in the filter media. When clogged up it is best to simply rinse it in water the same temperature as your tank. Until this cycle builds up you can only do partial water changes of up to 15 percent.
2006-07-21 08:59:21 · answer #1 · answered by iceni 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What kind of filter needs to be changed every week?
The smell is from ammonia from fish pee, and rotting food building up in the water. The bacteria that grow on the filter normally will be able to take care of that.
I suggest that maybe you are feeding the oscar a bit much, and cleaning the filter way too much. Only replace carbon filters. If carbon filters are all you have, replace them once with a plain piece of foam, and then wash that out once a month at most.
You'll also want to use a gravel vac if you don't already have one. That should be done once a week along with the water change. Sometimes, if the gravel is really filthy, it may help to remove some of the gravel.
2006-07-22 00:11:34 · answer #2 · answered by ye_river_xiv 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The odor is most likely coming from the water. Accumulating waste (ammonia) can be overpowering sometimes. How often do you clean the tank? I recommend a good 25-30% water change once a week. (oscars are very messy!) This will help with the smell as well as good tank/water parameters. How big is the tank they are in? For two I would recommend around 100 gallons, (-at adult sizes) although i've heard of a mated pair being kept in a 75 gallon. Keep up on water changes, and hopefully the smell will subside, good luck!
PS- I would not change the filters that often, they contain beneficial bacteria that help break down ammonia. At the most I'd replace once a month, but really you shouldn't need to replace them (no matter how disgusting they look), unless they are clogged.
2006-07-21 15:54:47 · answer #3 · answered by ~Rush~ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok I have the remedy for your problem. Listen closely, clean your filter cartridges once a week as usual but also put a thin layer of polyester cotton behind your filters. change them once a week and you can save your main filters so they will last two months it will bring down the smell of feeding live fish to oscars. Stop feeding live fish so much. Only feed live fish to oscars once a week. What size tank do you have? the bigger the tank the less amonia and also never ever pour the water from your live fish into your tank. Never. Drain the water off when you buy your feeder fish. It will keep your tank so much cleaner .
2006-07-21 19:20:40 · answer #4 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oscars are MAJOR waste producers. What you should do is do a 25% water change of the total water volume twice a month. And what you should do is get a GRAVEL VACCUUM, and vaccum out the gravel. Also run activated carbon in the water, it will help absorb organics and other things in the water. But VACUUMING the gravel is PERTINENT for odor.
2006-07-21 20:35:25 · answer #5 · answered by Ben H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
STOP CHANGEING THE FILTER TO OFTEN!!!! the fish need some of the bacteria by doing that ur taking out alot of it
2006-07-21 18:13:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have you tried carbon filters? Also, check the food - it can get stinky.
2006-07-21 15:40:01 · answer #7 · answered by Special Ed 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pan fried w/ butter -salt & pepper to taste
2006-07-21 15:38:16 · answer #8 · answered by likeitis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe it his food that stinks keep it in a plastic bag and spray febreeze in that room!
2006-07-21 15:37:50 · answer #9 · answered by bettyboop344 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get them some deoderant (waterproof of course).
2006-07-21 15:39:37 · answer #10 · answered by Billy W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋