i got a fish tank 4 days ago and the heater worked for a day and the light is still on but my tank is not getting any warmer. and now it smells. why does it smell so bad and why is my heater not working? help!?
2007-09-26 13:23:32 · 4 answers · asked by sillygirl 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
I'm going to answer your questions a little out of order.
First, for your heater, do you have the proper size for your tank? If the light is on, the heater is running. A heater should be 5 watts per gallon of water in your tank. So if you have a 10 gallon, you need a 50 watt heater, a 100 watt for a 20 gallon and so on. If you need to change your water temperature by more than 10 degrees over what the temperature of the room is, you should get the next largest size. If you have the correct size by this guideline and the light is staying on without the correct temperature being reached, the heater isn't working - take it back to where you bought it (along with your receipt) and get another.
The smell is probably due to wastes building up in the tank. Normally, the wastes are broken down by bacteria in the tank, but in four days time, you haven't had enough time to build these up yet - it takes 3-6 weeks. Just make sure you aren't overfeeding your fish (only give them what they're able to finish in 2-3 minutes twice a day) and you're doing regular partial water changes (about 25-30% each week). Until your bacteria are established, ammonia and nitrite, both of which are toxic to fish, will be accumulating in the tank, so it's up to you to remove them by doing the water changes. See these links for more details about this:
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/CloudyWater.htm
2007-09-26 17:06:12 · answer #1 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, it would help to know if you have fish in there. Fish, like all living beings pee and poop. The smells are of the poop, pee, and the water and it's bacteria. If you have live plants, they can smell too. All fish tanks have a smell, and it's not pleasant, so don't stick your nose right up to it.
As for the heater, if the light is on, it's working. Heaters have a thermostat, so once the water has reached the temp it needs to be, it will shut off. Just like your house's thermostat.
Hope this clarifies things.
2007-09-26 13:33:46 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
First of all are your fish goldfish or tropical? Only tropical fish need a heater. If you use a heater with goldfish your tank will get mucky and stink. If you have tropical fish you need a tank thermometer to determine if your heater is working and it's warm enough. If the heater is broken you better take it back and get a new one. Unplug it ASAP if it's cracked in any way otherwise you can electrocute your fish or yourself.
2007-09-26 13:40:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wash your tank with HOT WATER and soap everyday.......
2007-09-26 14:17:04 · answer #4 · answered by Om S 2 · 0⤊ 6⤋