Help with the smell???

[Bleeding]

I am currently keeping a 20 gallon tank which is housing some various live bearers.


The last few water changes have been pretty dirty (with the gravel vac), where the waste water was very brown. The tank is on the verge of overpopulation (probably close to 30 half grown livebearers, mostly small), but I am moving at the first of the month and will set up my 30 gal and 55 gallon for these fish (all guppies and platys.)

After I did the gravel vac the other night, I have been noticing a strong odor in the room when I get home. The only variable that has changed in the last six months is the tank was recently moved, and is close to a window getting plenty of daylight during the day; oh, and now there are many more fish because of breeding.

Also, there have been a few deaths in the tank, 2 of which were my origional female guppies I purchased to start this community almost a year ago. Both lost thier color (almost becoming opaque), tail fin rot, and some slimy coating on them which almost resembled ick. I treated the tank with some melafix and removed the sickend fish, which expired. (These deaths were on seperate occasions, one after another within about a weeks time.) 3 other deaths have occured, 1 was before the 2 i just talked about, and it was found on the rocks and looked as to have been fed upon on its side. One was just the other day, but the fish appeared healthy, just expired. Another was found under a decorative rock when I was trimming back some plants. Other than the 2 first discussed deaths, these fish were all only about half grown, where the first 2 were full grown adult guppies.

So my concern is that there might be some infection in the tank, due to the smell, but none of the other fish appear to be sick or showing any signs of fin rot or ick or any other disease. I did some research on the symptoms that the adult guppies had shown, and it matched what was called Fish Tiberculosis, but I am not totally sure, other than they lost the greyish color on thier spine, which made them look sickly and opaque, rotted fin, red spots, and slime/white spots.

What steps can I take to reduce smell/prevent further infection and death, and what precatutions should I take if I am going to transfer half of this population into a newly set up community tank?

Sorry for the long windedness

 

[Chuckeff]

I am not sure if it will help you, but do you use charcoal in your filter? It seems to help my tank whenever it smells bad. That is the only time I use charcoal.

 

[Bleeding]

I only use a standard hang on back filter with carbon. I did remove the carbon while i was trying to medicate the tank, but have recently replaced it.

 

[gomezladdams]

Sounds like you overloaded the biofilter.
waterchanges and more waterchanges are needed

 

[Bleeding]

Sounds like you overloaded the biofilter.
waterchanges and more waterchanges are needed

What exactly does that mean, and how? How much water to change and how frequently before it begins to effect the community?

 

[kriztu]

dont worry, more frequent water changes and transfer some fishes to your other tanks. you are way over-populated in that 20g. you can use a better performing filter too, i doubt if the one youre using is doing a good job

 

[Casey Norris]

I personaly have an overfeeding problem, so i have to do a lot of mid week water changes. One thing you could try is putting less food in at a time and waiting a few minutes then putting a little more in until they are done. It helps keep the waste down, but does take more time. In a 20 gallon you could easily do a 5 gallon water change everyday until the smell cleared up. Just use a gravel vacume and make sure to move and get under any decs that might hide goo. With such a stressed out bio load you will have to do more frequent cleanings, and make sure that your HOB is cleaned out so it is running at its best (including rinsing the filter material between changes).

 

[catfish]

be careful if its fish tb cause it can spread to humans

 

[Bleeding]

be careful if its fish tb cause it can spread to humans

WHAT THE HELL CAN HAPPEN TO HUMANS??????

 

[Pitchar]

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the thing we are all afraid of. The "tuberculosis" you can get from fish is Mycobacterium marinum. It can cause skin ulcers and lymph node swelling and can be treated simply with doxycycline.

taken from Mandel's Infectious Diseases, 6th ed.

Although most pathogenic species of NTM have been incriminated in cutaneous NTM disease,[2] [3] M. marinum, M. ulcerans, and the RGM most often cause localized skin infections. M. marinum causes an infection historically recognized as “swimming pool” or “fish tank granuloma.”[1] [2] [3] [78] This common name is derived from the epidemiologic niche of the organism. Most infections occur 2 to 3 weeks after contact with contaminated water from one of these sources. The lesions are most often small violet papules on the hands and arms that may progress to shallow, crusty ulcerations and scar formation. Lesions are usually singular. However, multiple ascending lesions resembling sporotrichosis (“sporotrichoid disease”) can occasionally occur.[2] [78] Most patients are clinically healthy with a previous local hand injury that becomes infected while cleaning a fish tank, or patients may sustain scratches or puncture wounds from saltwater fish, shrimp, fins, and so forth contaminated with M. marinum. Swimming pools seem to be a risk only when nonchlorinated. Diagnosis is made from culture and histologic examination of biopsy material, along with a compatible history of exposure.[2] [78] No treatment of choice is recognized for M. marinum (see Table 251–3 ). Treatments have traditionally been a two-drug combination of rifampin plus ethambutol or monotherapy with doxycycline, minocycline, clarithromycin, or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole given for a minimum of 3 months.[37] [79] [80] Clarithromycin has been used increasingly because of good clinical efficacy and minimal side effects, although published experience is limited.[2]