Cloudy, smelly Fish Tank...What's up??

Question

I have a 20 gal (high) fish tank with about 14 fish (small ones, most under 1" long) and it's SMELLY!! Whew, lemme tell ya, it's pretty stinky I can smell it across the room and I just did a 100% water change, cleaned the gravel and plants, etc. last Saturday (this is Wed.) and it's already cloudy and smelly. Whatin the world??? I have another 20 gal with a separator with a Betta on each side that never gets cloudy or stinky. Any suggestions? I checked PH, alk etc and it's fine. I haven't checked the ammonia levels but can ammonia be high already and if so, would it cause this cloudy stinky problem?
Thanx

Do y'all think maybe if I took some gravel from the tank that's doing great and used it in the yuck tank that it would have the beneficial bacteria in it and help it to get it a-growin' in there??

Answer 1

That's exactly your prob... 100% water change...

Your fish tank needs bacteria to decompose fish waste, if you clean your tank completely, you kill the bacteria. You need to cycle your tank....

Go to the pet store and buy some beneficial bacteria.. and do not empty your tank again... let it run for a while until all the bacteria is created...

Once the bacteria is there do only a 25% water change once a week....

Be patient, once your tank stabilizes the nitrogen cycle the smell and cloudiness will go away

Answer 2

It is cloudy because you are experiencing the 'New Tank Syndrome'. This happens when the ammonia from the fish waste mixes with the clean water and it takes about a week for it to clear up and the bacteria to start the ecosystem you have created. Sometimes there is a smell but not usually. Are you overfeeding them? Also since Koi are carp, they have a tendency to excreate more waste than other freshwater fish. Also, you may have overloaded your system right away and may have to do a water change of 25% to eliminate some of the smell. It is recommended that you only place 2 fish in at a time to give the system time to kick in.

Answer 3

To clear up cloudiness right away - change 20% (4 gal on a 20 gal tank) of the water for 5 days in a row… use a water conditioner with each water chance treat the water you are adding – not the whole tank. I use Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Conditioner Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Zyme and I’m very happy with the results.
To protect fish from stress of bad water quality add 1 Tablespoon of Aquarium Salt (not regular salt) per each 5 gallons of aquarium water. Remember - Treat only the water you add not the whole tank!
To maintain a healthy tank - Measure the width and length of you tank (go it link below, enter info) to find out it you tank has to many fish.

Make sure you filer is the right size for you tank change the filter medium (probably Carbon) monthly. If you have slightly too many fish for your tank you can go one size up on your filter.

If you do not have a under gravel filer - get a simple suction vacuum to remove waste from the bottom of you tank they cost about $10 or less - do this monthly.

Change 20% of the water every 2 weeks – have a clean 5 gallon bucket you use only for your aquarium availably for water changes.

It’s probably a good idea to get test kit for pH, ammonia, nitrite… and check monthly before your water changes to see if you tank is healthy.
Make sure you don’t over feed you fish – feed them adding a little food time fro 10 minutes – food should be eaten before it reaches the bottom
Keep you temperate as recommended for you fish.
That’s all I can think of…
Good luck!

Answer 4

What you might try the next time you do a 25% water change...use distilled water. Make sure not to do 100%. The distilled water doesn't have the chlorine and other chemicals found in tap water. I used to have the same problem with my tank, and since I started using distilled, all of my levels, such as ammonia have been under control.

Answer 5

that has happen to me with this new 10 aquarium that I got for my birthday clean it and set it up let it filter for 24 hours and put fish in next day the very next morning water was already cloudly and had to take all of my fish out of the tank and put them in my old one. in the mean time lost quite a few fish in that tank.
water is real bad on fishes and tank and keep water cloudy and a green color but i do put my drops to clear up the water and it works fine. I had to completely clean that tank and everything in it and fill it back and let it filter again for 24 hours before i put any fish in this time doing better.

Answer 6

You need to change the water in the tank. Microorganisms are growing in the water, giving it that disgusting stagnant odor. Technically, the water in a fish tank should be changed once a month, even if you have a water filter running constantly.

Remember to only change about 75% of the water. Otherwise, the fish would experience too much stress and the water temperature change is bad for them.

Answer 7

When there is a good balance in your little ecosystem, you never have to change any water at all. You only have to add the water that has evaporated. To get good water to add, take a bucket with tap water, hang a bubbling stone with a small air pump in the water and leave it bubbling for one week, all the additives will disappear from the water, so no shock to your fish. For safety you can put this water in a plastic bag and leave it in the tank, so the temperature is the same.

Answer 8

should never 100% change water.....you should only do maybe 25%, that is the problem.

Answer 9

water change , only do 25 percent. it might be your water to from your tap water they do chemical in them

Answer 10

It is probably the amonia that you are smelling.

Clean it again, but do it properly this time.