My bichirs tank is stinky

[Infblue]

but these aren't fish that are fresh off the boat (so to speak) and then toyin sent them onward to you. he most likely has them for a little while, and how long have you had them now? not to mention the duration between when they were caught from the wild and when they actually reached toyin. i can't see this as coming from undigested food that they ate in the wild. if its coming from one of the fish, its gotta be a bit more complicated than that, i think.

were they all packed in the same bag? if not, do you remember which bag the smell came from when you opened them?

 

[balton777]

They were all in the same bag together.

Should I be treating them with something?

 

[DucatiDragster]

Pour a bottle of Febreeze into the tank.

 

[balton777]

Pour a bottle of Febreeze into the tank.

lol that's not funny this is serious.

 

[balton777]

but these aren't fish that are fresh off the boat (so to speak) and then toyin sent them onward to you. he most likely has them for a little while, and how long have you had them now? not to mention the duration between when they were caught from the wild and when they actually reached toyin. i can't see this as coming from undigested food that they ate in the wild. if its coming from one of the fish, its gotta be a bit more complicated than that, i think.

were they all packed in the same bag? if not, do you remember which bag the smell came from when you opened them?

I've had them since 10:00a.m. June 18th. I've never had a parasite problem that I know of. Do parasites make fish produce an awful smell?

What should I do? Just give it a some time? Should I treat with something? I'm really glad I quarantined them.

 

[moonchild1970]

Pour a bottle of Febreeze into the tank.

Yeah like that would really solve anything.

 

[Hapdude]

but these aren't fish that are fresh off the boat (so to speak) and then toyin sent them onward to you. he most likely has them for a little while, and how long have you had them now? not to mention the duration between when they were caught from the wild and when they actually reached toyin. i can't see this as coming from undigested food that they ate in the wild. if its coming from one of the fish, its gotta be a bit more complicated than that, i think.

were they all packed in the same bag? if not, do you remember which bag the smell came from when you opened them?

I'm sure the exporter quarantined them before sending them to Toyin, and then they were quarantined again before sending them to you! Any fish you get wild caught will probably be out of the wild three-to-four weeks before you see them! I would just go with the cleanest water you can get, with light feedings, keep them isolated, and monitor them regularly!

 

[Infblue]

I've had them since 10:00a.m. June 18th. I've never had a parasite problem that I know of. Do parasites make fish produce an awful smell?

What should I do? Just give it a some time? Should I treat with something? I'm really glad I quarantined them.

external parasites i've seen on bichirs (body flukes, anchor worms) don't make them produce awful smell. i know someone whose fish have had internal parasites (tapeworms), and there was no smell.

i don't know what you should do, and i'm not sure what you should treat it with. you could try adding a broad spectrum antibiotics to kill off the bacteria if its indeed what's causing it. and if it's bacteria, what's causing the bloom? bioload? other reasons? i don't know. it just seems out of the ordinary. i would monitor closely to make sure the fish are ok. again the antibiotics thing is just a thought...i'm not saying you should or shouldn't do it.

 

[FishGoneWild]

I think the smell of the water is from the chemicals Toyin used to ship his fish. I've heard from many fish vendors that there is a chemical that smell really bad which sedates the fish and keep them more calm during shipping. Take this as a lesson to live and learn. Next time don't pour the water from the bag into your tank. Do a 20% partial water change then add some new carbon in your power filter. The smell should go away in 24 hours.

Pour a bottle of Febreeze into the tank.

Funny guy, how about you pour a bottle of Febreeze on yourself because you stink.

 

[africanman]

Hello,
just thought i'd better jump in on this.....before we drive this thread in the wrong direction.

It's quite possible the smell from the bag may have come from the chemicals in the water. Or, it may have come from the ammonia from the fish waste. Many times fish release extra waste (due to stress during shipping). Probably explains the smell from the bag.
Same goes for the tank.
Was the tank already adequately cycled before the fish were introduced ???
If not, you will probably get some "funky" smell due to ammonia......especially if the fish were fed right away.
I would recommend 30% water change for the next 3-5 days to help your system take on and balance the new bio-load. Try to minimize feeding during this period.
If you have Amquel (not Amquel Plus), i would recommend 1 teaspoon for every 10 gallons after the first water change(only).
Smell should dissipate within a day or 2.
Hope this helps.