My fish tank has this horrible stale smell all of a sudden, does anybody know any quick fixes for this problem

Answer 1

I would change 25% of the water. Use your gravel vacuum/siphon (whatever you call it) to clean the gravel. Then smell it. Does it still smell bad? It could be:

A dead fish
A dead snail (these stink TERRIBLEY!)
Extra food rotting
Extra fish "waste" rotting.

Answer 2

Your gravel is probably dirty. Get a large bucket.. clean of course. and put all the fish and 1/2 of the tank water in it.. Try not to stir up the water near the bottom so siphon off the water from the top of the tank then net the fish out then stir up the gravel and clean the water out... do this many times.. until the water is clear... then put in 1/2 tank of fresh water with the appropriate clorine remover,, let it sit to get to the right temp.. and when it is ready add your fish back to the tank.. also remove and clean the filter.. This should fix the smell in your tank

Answer 3

Hi Toygirl, do a partial water change of perhaps 30% using treated, same temperature water. Also ensure you vacuum your gravel with a siphon & rinse the filter media gently in a bucket of old tank water during a partial water change. The object of this cleaning is not to make your tank spotless but to retain the good bugs which eat the ammonia & nitrite while removing any loose debris.

A healthy tank should have a feint 'clean pond' smell. Bear in mind to keep a tank healthy the above should be performed at leat once a week.

Answer 4

That earthy odor is the smell of your Nitrifying bacteria creating lots of Nitrates,so it's actually a good thing. However it probably also means that the Nitrate numbers for that tank are (or will be) too high. The answer is several small water changes,don't do a massive change or a really thorough cleaning,go slowly so as not to upset the bacteriological processes. When the smell of fresh plowed soil reduces,it will mean the Nitrates are coming to a reasonable amount.
Sorry, the fix is not all that quick.

Answer 5

If I had this problem I too would vacuum the gravel and add at least 1/3 fresh de-chlorinated water . I would just bet you have a layer of black stuff in that tank , this is sulfur producing bacteria , they smell bad , and aren't good for your fish , you should cut back on feeding so much . I would leave the fish in the tank ,just when you add the water back go slow,no sudden temperature changes

Answer 6

change the water! like 1/2 of the water needs to come out and then clean the sides of the tank with a CLEAN sponge or something. then check to see if there is a dead fish. and also smell the gravel. make sure that there is no excess food or anything nasty under the gravel...to do that, stir the gravel around b4 u take out the water. then after the tank is clean and finished, add water that has been conditioned with a good conditioner and is the right temp. i use API Stress Coat for my betta's water.

Answer 7

I sure do! Normally fish aquariums start to smell when you havent done a 20% water change in a while. Start cleaning your tank weekly put tap water in, and clean up all of the doo doo.

Answer 8

Do a partial water change and clean the tank

Answer 9

Check for any deads. You can also add a filter with carbon. If you have a filter, then replace the carbon.