I just bought 5 guppies, and installed a sponge filter, but my tank is now smelling like rotten eggs. It had smelled like this a long while ago, and it soon killed my fish. If somebody could tell me what the heck this disease is, it would really help. It's been haunting my fish tank for years, how the heck do I get rid of it? Thanks.
Horrible rotten egg smell...
- Thread starter Nabbig2
- Start date
it is NOT a disease, you have bad water quality, do alot of water changes (atleast 25% and about once a day). I cant remember exactly what this is called but its when your ph or nitrites are all screwed up and creates a gas that smells like rotten eggs.
A rotten egg smell usually means not enough aeration. It is caused by denitrifying bacteria in anaerobic conditions.
Oh, thanks. I guess I'll do water changes every day then.
I don't understand how the water would be bad quality, considering this has happened a number of times. If one of my tanks would have worse water quality, it would be my 29g.
So anyway, I should do daily water changes, and what else should I do to get rid of this menace? Once again, help is really appreciated.
EDIT: If I got a water stone or something, would that help?
I don't understand how the water would be bad quality, considering this has happened a number of times. If one of my tanks would have worse water quality, it would be my 29g.
So anyway, I should do daily water changes, and what else should I do to get rid of this menace? Once again, help is really appreciated.
EDIT: If I got a water stone or something, would that help?
Somewhere in your tank there is decaying matter and no O2.A decoration,substrate or filter.Try moving stuff around and see if you stir up some bubbles.Once you figure out where the h2s(hydrogen sulfide)gas is coming from we can figure out how to fix this.Good luck
gomezladdams;1373725; said:
Okay, that must be it. I don't think that it is decaying matter though. When this has happened in my aquarium before, I thoroughly cleaned the tank, and I even got new gravel. I guess it is the gravel then, I will see what I can do. I also removed the sponge filter and put a new one in, I think the sponge filter is a bit weaker.
Anyway, I will keep this thread posted, I hope my fish make it.
How deep is the gravel and how often do you gravel vac it? Your problem is as Tuner and Gomez have stated. The smell is from Hydrogen Sulfide, a toxic gas produce by anaerobic bacteria. They live in deep, undisturbed substrate, or other low O2 areas. It is not that uncommon for sponge filters, especially homemade or cheap ones to develope areas that do not get sufficient water flow passing through them, leading to colonies of the bacteria that produce the gas. Since you have already replaced the gravel I suspect that the filter is the culprit.
Would a power filter with activated carbon help remove the odors?? Or is it just a matter of getting rid of the anaerobic bacteria?
stndfsh
stndfsh
guppy;1374701; said:
Yes, but the first time there was an infection, I got rid of the filter and got a new one. I don't think it's the filter.
I admit I don't vacuum the gravel though, I do water changes. Should I remove some gravel to get the gravel level to be more shallow? I will also do more water changes, I hope that helps.
This is just a strange infection...I don't get why it has just happened to this tank. Anyway, I will try to rid of it and keep this posted, thanks.