Stinky tank?!?

[elbereth]

I need advice on a very stinky 10 gallon QT tank (Fluval U1 filter) currently housing a baby polypterus. No gravel, no dead fish or dying plants. 20-50% water changes every 3-5 days. I first thought the smell was due to algae growing on the tank silicone so I removed the algae and rinsed the filter media to remove any trapped algae flakes. When that didn't help, I even moved the fish and filter to a new tank, making sure to rinse the filter media once more. The smell came back by the end of the day. I don't have any other colonized media so I can't just replace the filter medium. Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[TwoHedWlf]

You have a warm stew of fish and poop, it's probably going to be smelly no matter what you do. How old is it? It tends to fade in older tanksI think.

 

[JohnnyHyde]

Overfeeding?
If I were you, I would add substrate and fast growing live plants. In case of this - you could switch the filter media to new one with almost no impact on nh3/nh4 nor no2, because the substrate would have enough BB and live, fast growing, plants would even help with no3.

Moreover, I somehow doubt that the unpleasant smell would come from algae - in a bare tank, I would say, they are your friend.

Also have you looked into the all filter media? I can see in the internet that there're few layers of media, not just sponge in this filter. Is the smell more intense from the tank or the filter?

 

[elbereth]

You have a warm stew of fish and poop, it's probably going to be smelly no matter what you do. How old is it? It tends to fade in older tanksI think.

That's true but I don't think it's the fish poop in this case. Even my juvenile cichlids - boy, do they poop a lot! - don't produce such a stink.

 

[elbereth]

Overfeeding?
If I were you, I would add substrate and fast growing live plants. In case of this - you could switch the filter media to new one with almost no impact on nh3/nh4 nor no2, because the substrate would have enough BB and live, fast growing, plants would even help with no3.

Moreover, I somehow doubt that the unpleasant smell would come from algae - in a bare tank, I would say, they are your friend.

Also have you looked into the all filter media? I can see in the internet that there're few layers of media, not just sponge in this filter. Is the smell more intense from the tank or the filter?

I initially had a fine layer of gravel but because the poly makes quite a mess when he eats, I thought the smell might be due to food particles accumulating in the substrate. So I decided to try a bare bottom when I moved him to the other tank.

Funnily, the smell doesn't seem to be coming from the filter. But I just moved the fish and filter into a clean tank today. That's why I thought it was the filter media that was to blame. I guess I'll either have to wait it out or change it...

 

[JohnnyHyde]

Poop isn't the problem, food is. Poop isn't your input into the water, food is. If your fish won't have food, there will be almost no poop.

To tell the truth, fish even help reduce the main water polluter - food, because some of it goes for growth, energy, reproduction.

If you want to feed heavily - what about adding a small plate, when you add food, and after he eats - pull it out with remaining food?

 

[tlindsey]

How do you rinse the filter? Do you remove the media or do you rinse it as well? Also sometimes food will get on the rim of frame of the aquarium. Do you use Dechlorinator during wc's?

 

[monkeybike]

Too much filter rinsing is gonna effect the beneficial bacteria and lead to stink

 

[duanes]

Proteins tend to collect on the air water interface (surface of water) like oil on a puddle, but are mostly invisible, yet even a little can be noticeable to the nose.
It is such a tiny tank, so easy to foul, no matter what size filter you are running, and the smaller the tank, the faster water quality degrades.
I would suggest you do 30%-40% water changes every day, and take half water from the surface, and siphon the rest off the bottom. This will remove the proteins that collect on the air water interface, and vacuuming will remove and any rotting food, or feces.
If you are conscious about water overuse, use the 5 gallons of old water to flush a toilet, or water house plants, or part of the garden.

 

[elbereth]

Poop isn't the problem, food is. Poop isn't your input into the water, food is. If your fish won't have food, there will be almost no poop.

To tell the truth, fish even help reduce the main water polluter - food, because some of it goes for growth, energy, reproduction.

If you want to feed heavily - what about adding a small plate, when you add food, and after he eats - pull it out with remaining food?

Thanks, that's a great tip.