Tank Smell - Canopy

[nzafi]

I have been battling a tank smell and have made other posts about it. The smell comes and goes after I try different things. Usually it goes away when I do a water change or add carbon which is expected. The weird thing that happened the other day is I did my typical 25-30% weekly water change and the next day I woke up to the tank smelling foul and one thing I realized is that I had closed the canopy top. I was wondering if when you have a wood canopy on a tank it can cause such an issue? The canopy has a flip lid so I lifted before I went to work and when I came home the smell was gone 100% which is why it is making me think it is the canopy.

The tank is 180g and it has 1 10-11in rhom that gets fed 1-2 times a week. The tank is obviously very lightly stocked plus I don't feed a lot. I have not seen anything in the tank parameters cause concern either (i.e., ammonia - 0, nitrite - 0, nitrate - 5 to 10).

 

[predatorkeeper87]

its a wooden top? did you make it yourself? is the wood waterproof? Also, is there anything else that could cause the smell in the tank? uneaten food? possible issue with filters?

 

[welsher7]

When you canopy is closed is there any air movement through the canopy? If not I would add some kind of ventilation to keep the air moving.

Just another thought what are you feeding the rhom? Some fish are fatty/oily that can lead to foul water.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Have never used a wooden tank canopy so this is a guess. You seem to have located the general area of the smell.

It seems likely that the high humidity under the wooden top is a main factor. My suggestion is to remove the top and have a good look and maybe take a sniff here and there. It could be the dampness affecting the wood directly. I have found soaked wood around houses that had a distince odor. If you spot a suspect area try poking it with something. Damaged wood should not be hard to find.

I have found various things when breaking down a tank, so also look for insects, dead fish and such.

If it is the canopy that has the odor then how to fix it is the question. If the wood is damaged or saturated you may have to replace the canopy.

If the wood is sound but the smell is from the canopy, then my guess is that conrol of the dampness will be necessary. Two things come to mind.
One is to provide more ventilation. Maybe drill some holes or such.

Another is to put a barrier between the tank and the cover. I have at times had a glass pane betweetn a tank and lights.
Some of the earliest lights were open to the surface, meaning nothing between the water surface and the old incadesent bulbs at all. I had a few bulbs shatter when big fish would splash. I still have an old stainless hood of that type. I found that a sheet of glass under that light did the trick.

Goodluck

 

[xraycer]

Once in awhile I would get a foul odor and its always been because pellets somehow find its way between the glass covers and tank trims, and then rots and produces a rotting smell. A quick wipe down of the glass covers and trims, where the glass cover rests on, always resolved the issue.

 

[tlindsey]

Once in awhile I would get a foul odor and its always been because pellets somehow find its way between the glass covers and tank trims, and then rots and produces a rotting smell. A quick wipe down of the glass covers and trims, where the glass cover rests on, always resolved the issue.

+1

 

[nzafi]

The canopy is a 9in wood canopy by R&J. My understanding was that is protected already. I have glass canopies between the tank and wood canopy. All good suggestions and I will look into that.

I watch my piranha eat when I feed him so I know what he gets in his mouth and what he does not, so I am not sure it is the food. He gets a combination of NLS pellets and tilapia fillets.

Thank you for the quick replies.

 

[convict360]

To clarify, is it a normal fish tank smell; or a smell over and above?

It might sound like a daft question, but I'm sure as aquarists most tanks have mild smells to them, that we get quite used to

 

[nzafi]

It is like a very strong aquarium smell. Almost like you take the smell of an aquarium and amplify it so that you can smell the aquarium in other rooms. I have a 75g next to the 180g and you cant even smell it when you lift the glass canopy (there is no wood canopy on the 75g).

 

[convict360]

My guess is it's probably accumulated on the wooden canopy, I see broken down ones quite often; they just fall apart and go a bit bogging