How to get smell out of fish tank?

Question

We just got our kids a fish tank and fish for Christmas and we have the tank that is closed in on the top because we have cats and don't want them to get into the tank.
The only problem is that our tank after a couple of days starts to smell we have put distilled water in the tank to see if it helps but it still stinks when you open the lid. How can we keep the smell out and still have the fish.
We put the aquarium salt and everything we have filters and all. Please help I don't know what to do. The water is only about 2 weeks old.

I have 2 filters in the tank the one that came with it and a smaller on that is also a pump for the air bubbles. It is a 10 gallon tank

Answer 1

The bad odour out of the water is the symptom of the water containing excess amonia and nitrates. This is also disastress for your fish health.
STOP USING DISTILLED WATER. YOU ARE AFFECTING THE FISH HEALTH BY THAT. THE DISTILLED WATER LACKS OXYGEN AND ESSENTIAL MINERALS NATURALLY PRESENT IN FRESH WATER.
Give some ventiallation in the cover of your tank, however that does not stop the water odour, it gives fresh air movement for oxygen exchange, with the water.
So, for odour.....
1.Yes, a strong filter you need.
2.Avoid live worms feeding if you are doing.
3.Exchange(remove and add fresh) 20% of the water every week.
4. Lastly but very important..... dont use gravel filters. This holds all the fish excretes and the water colour changes due to the disolved ammonia content from there leading to pollution of your tank.

Answer 2

A new tank will go through several ammonia spikes while it cycles. If you are new to fish keeping then do not worry, this is completely normal. That bad smell is most likely ammonia and probably lots of it. You must do weekly partial water changes of at least 25% in a new tank for the first couple of months to keep the cycle going.

Example: I have a 20 gallon tank. So I normally take out 5 gallons of water.

You will need a siphon hose to do this and you can get them for about $10 or so. THe nice ones cost more, but I make due with a regular one and an old 5 gallon bucket. Make sure you have another CLEAN unused bucket with treated warm water in it to put into the tank after you take out the dirty water. You have to bob them up and down quite a bit to build up suction and MAKE SURE to use the siphon hose when cleaning the tank because you must get to the bottom of the gravel bed. These detailed directions will be on the siphon hose box so don't worry! :)

Make sure you have water treatment to add to any new tap water before adding it to the tank so that it can de-chlorinate it. There are some products you can get that are great "cycle starters" that have live bacteria to help break in your tank quicker. THese are highly recommended with a new tank.

Live Plants also help cycle a new tank quickly and they are great for the fish and looks of the tank in general. I recommend Ferns because they are DEFINITELY the easiest to grow and maintain. They do not need much light at all and are very tough. So grab a few of these at Petsmart and throw them in there when you do the water change.

Make SURE you or your child are not overfeeding your fish. I did this and it causes a lot of excessive waste in your tank which can lead to some NASTY algae growth and ammonia spikes too.

A fish's stomach is only as big as one of it's eyes! :) So keep this in mind. If you have tropical/community fish just a few flakes (enough to fit in the center of the palm of your hand) should do about twice a day. Also, get some freeze dried blood worms. They LOVE them as a snack and it helps to maintain their color!

This is as much info. as I can think to give you without knowing more detail from you... like what fish you have, how many, and the size of your tank.

Hope this helps some! Good luck and happy cleaning..lol

Answer 3

Smelly tanks mean you are feeding too much. Feed only what they will eat in 20 seconds, remove any uneaten food. You should do a 30% water change twice a week in new tanks, and use a gravel siphon. Do not use distilled water in your tank, it is devoid of minerals, fish need minerals. Carbon filters can help with the smell, but proper maintenance is the way to go.

Answer 4

The only reason I can think of WHY your tank would have a smell is maybe over feeding- or they type of food you are using.

you need a better filter, Bio-Wheels are excellent!

also remember not to overstock your tank!
10 Gal is a small tank- if you are using it for goldfish- they require 10 Gal per fish.
Remember your weekly water changes 10, to 15%, and
use *Aquarium Pharmaceuticals,inc- Tap Water Conditioner* to condition the water.I put it right into the tank right before I put in my clean water- straight from the tap)
This removes *Chlorine, Detoxifies metals, and breaks the chlorine bond*
take a look at my website, and email me for any questions.
good luck!


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Answer 5

Hopefully you have the room for all these bettas! And ways to make THEM not boring! And fish that aren't from a pet store. It's not very recommended to breed these guys. And many are past the breeding age. You should really only breed bettas who's parentage and history you know. Ultimatebettas (the link you were already given) is the be-all-end-all of betta breeding info. They'll walk you through it if you really want to go through with it. If you want your fighter to be a little more interesting, put him in a larger tank. Mine is in a heavily planted 5 gallon with 2 oto cats and he's very lively. Give him swimming room and change his decor every now and then, and he should be entertaining enough without having to be a stud haha.

Answer 6

It takes time for a new tank to set up. There is a natural balance between Nitrates and Nitrites that needs to develop. These are natural bacteria that helps a tank keep itself clean. They sell in Pet stores many things that can help this process. Your tank will smell much better.

Answer 7

maybe the food smells and when u put it in, it stinks up the tank. why not try a different brand of food?

Answer 8

I think your filter is not strong enough. Or, you got a bad tank.