How should an aquarium smell?

Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?

Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon betta aquariums.
And I sometimes get a foul smell from my 10-gallon aquarium (a dozen glo-light
and neon tetras, a pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).

I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably not as often as
I should. I've also started using distilled water, since our local tap water
is very hard and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the stuff.)

Thanks in advance,
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
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I hope you not just using straight
distilled water as that is VERY bad for fish.


The purest water has no life. How true that is.



Sean

Hi..

Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?

Yes, like wood earth or wood moss.

Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon
betta aquariums. And I sometimes get a foul smell from my
10-gallon aquarium (a dozen glo-light and neon tetras, a
pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).

Change water. That 10g tank might be a little over stocked..

I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably
not as often as I should. I've also started using
distilled water, since our local tap water is very hard
and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the
stuff.)

Are you possibly able to collect and use (prepared!) rain
water or snow water?

--
cu
Marco

"Suzie-Q" wrote in message
...
Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?

A clean healthy aquarium has a faint pleasant lake-like aroma.

Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon betta aquariums.

It sounds like it's time for a partial water change!

And I sometimes get a foul smell from my 10-gallon aquarium (a dozen
glo-light
and neon tetras, a pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).

This tank sounds a bit overcrowded and probably also needs some partial
water changes. Larger changes and more often. Vacuum the gravel as well.

I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably not as often as
I should.

How often are you doing them? A least once every 10 days?!?!?!

I've also started using distilled water, since our local tap water
is very hard and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the stuff.)

Fish will die at some point in distilled water. It's not a good idea and is
also expensive when water change time comes. You can mix it 50/50 with your
tap water if your tap water is hard and alkaline.

Thanks in advance,

--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Note: There are two Koi-Lo's on the Aquaria groups.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

In article ,
"Koi-Lo" wrote:

- "Suzie-Q" wrote:
-
- Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?
-
- A clean healthy aquarium has a faint pleasant lake-like aroma.
-
- Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon betta aquariums.
-
- It sounds like it's time for a partial water change!
-
- And I sometimes get a foul smell from my 10-gallon aquarium (a dozen
- glo-light
- and neon tetras, a pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).
-
- This tank sounds a bit overcrowded and probably also needs some partial
- water changes. Larger changes and more often. Vacuum the gravel as well.

Overcrowded with all those little tiny fish (and shrimp)? Another thing I never
would have imagined.

- I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably not as often as
- I should.
-
- How often are you doing them? A least once every 10 days?!?!?!

Maybe every two or three weeks. I'll start doing them more often.

- I've also started using distilled water, since our local tap water
- is very hard and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the stuff.)
-
- Fish will die at some point in distilled water. It's not a good idea and is
- also expensive when water change time comes. You can mix it 50/50 with your
- tap water if your tap water is hard and alkaline.

Man, I'm an idiot when it comes to fish. I had no idea about the distilled
water. I'll use the tap water from now on. How about filtered tap water? (I
have one of those Pur filters that attaches to the faucet.) Is that okay?

Thanks to all of you who responded.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
http://www.intergnat.com/pussygames/

Suzie-Q wrote:
Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?

Yes. It's a gentle smell - like a pond or damp earth. It should not
smell fishy and never "foul."

Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon betta aquariums.
And I sometimes get a foul smell from my 10-gallon aquarium (a dozen glo-light
and neon tetras, a pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).

Clean more and feed less. Leftover food or dead critters will foul a
tank. Add some hornwort or anacharis - plants always help and your
pleco won't do too much damage to floating plants. If he's a common
pleco, he's going to outgrow a 10 gallon tank.

I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably not as often as
I should. I've also started using distilled water, since our local tap water
is very hard and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the stuff.)

Mix in some tapwater with the distilled so your pH doesn't crash. 1/3
hard tapwater should do the trick.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to reply.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

A clean healthy aquarium has a faint pleasant lake-like aroma.

Hey that's it! "Lake-like". I was going to explain it as lightly-swampy
but that has negative connotations. Lake-like is much better.

Not an idiot, i've had fish for years and just started getting guppies in
the last year and there were so many things i "should" have known, but
didn't, dont worry about it, you know now, we all make mistakes, hay at
least you did not kill anything......
Nikki




"Suzie-Q" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Koi-Lo" wrote:

- "Suzie-Q" wrote:
-
- Should a freshwater aquarium have a smell?
-
- A clean healthy aquarium has a faint pleasant lake-like aroma.
-
- Sometimes I get a "stale" smell coming from my 2.5-gallon betta
aquariums.
-
- It sounds like it's time for a partial water change!
-
- And I sometimes get a foul smell from my 10-gallon aquarium (a dozen
- glo-light
- and neon tetras, a pleco, a SAE, and about four ghost shrimp).
-
- This tank sounds a bit overcrowded and probably also needs some partial
- water changes. Larger changes and more often. Vacuum the gravel as
well.

Overcrowded with all those little tiny fish (and shrimp)? Another thing I
never
would have imagined.

- I vacuum the tank and do water changes, although probably not as
often as
- I should.
-
- How often are you doing them? A least once every 10 days?!?!?!

Maybe every two or three weeks. I'll start doing them more often.

- I've also started using distilled water, since our local tap water
- is very hard and God only knows what's in it! (I won't drink the
stuff.)
-
- Fish will die at some point in distilled water. It's not a good idea
and is
- also expensive when water change time comes. You can mix it 50/50 with
your
- tap water if your tap water is hard and alkaline.

Man, I'm an idiot when it comes to fish. I had no idea about the distilled
water. I'll use the tap water from now on. How about filtered tap water?
(I
have one of those Pur filters that attaches to the faucet.) Is that okay?

Thanks to all of you who responded.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
http://www.intergnat.com/pussygames/

It should smell like youwouldn't mind drinking it. Tough to do in
a small tank where the population densty is orders of magnitude
higher than in nature.

--
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Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home page: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Altum" wrote in message
om...
Yes. It's a gentle smell - like a pond or damp earth. It should not
smell fishy and never "foul."
=================
If there's a foul or fishy smell that signifies (to me) stagnant water or
water loaded with bacteria. If one of my tanks started to smell "bad" I'd
really go wild with the vacuum. I'd make sure every inch of the gravel was
done. I'd clean the filter and add another filter for at least awhile. An
airstone would also help oxygenate the water and keep it moving. And lastly
I would use some good quality activated carbon for a week or so. A foul
smelling tank is not a healthy tank.......
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Note: There are two Koi-Lo's on the Aquaria groups.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o