How to Get Rid of Fishy Smell from Aquarium?
Aquariums look breathtaking and refreshing in every home until there is a stinky smell coming from them. The bad odor coming from aquariums can be due to different reasons, which should notice seriously.
The stinky smells of aquarium are a clear indication that there is something wrong that is demanding your attention. It is odd when someone comes near to your aquarium, and from there, a bad smell is coming.
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How to Get Rid of Fishy Smell from Aquarium?
It is a real issue that needs to get addressed to maintain a perfect living place for your fish with no bad odors.
Whypetfish.com will explain to you all about getting rid of the fishy smells from your fish aquarium. First of all, you should know the reason behind this issue.
Causes of Stinky Smells in Aquarium
Bad smells links with the biowastes that can be the;
Too Much Fish Waste
One of the most common reasons for bad smell is fish waste material. If you keep on changing water regularly, then fishy smell can be prevented.
If you have not changed the water for a very long time, then the nitrogenous waste gets accumulated in the tank.
The bacteria start growing there and break up the nitrogenous waste into its further compounds. It creates a terrible fishy smell.
It is also because of too much overcrowding in a tank which has less space in it. Ultimately, the waste will also be there in a large amount and produce foul smells.
Too many fish will eat and excrete more, and a mess will create inside the water. Besides this, the growth of bacteria also increases.
So you should take care that the aquarium is not overcrowding with a lot of pet fish. Because it will create less waste, and ultimately bacterial growth will also be less.
Besides this, you must keep on changing water slightly so that the fish smells can not develop
Waste food
Sometimes the aquarists give too much food to their pet fish. They might think that whenever the fish feel hungry, it will eat the extra food present there.
But let me tell you that most of the fish preferred fresh food. If the food that is present in water for a very long time, your fish will not eat it.
Instead, it will become the reason for bacterial growth. The bacteria will come, eat that extra and useless food, and flourish.
The food will decompose and become the cause of smell. The extra food lying in your aquarium can be worse to enhance the microbial colonies.
The food starts to decay-producing gases and foul odors. Ultimately, the whole aquarium starts stinking.
Decomposing plants
There are particular plants for aquariums that can submerge in the water for a more extended period. But you have to take care of them so that they may not get decomposed.
Dead plants are elementary to spot. You can throw them off from your aquarium if they are dead or getting decayed.
If the plant color is turning brown on black, it means that the plant is getting decomposed. If the plant leaves are getting yellow, then it means that there is something wrong in water, which may be its pH or some harmful compounds.
Decomposing plants are also capable of producing bad smells that should not develop. These decaying plants decrease the quality of water, along with creating the foul smell.
The other reasons for plants getting decayed are algae growing near plants as it can utilize all of their nutrients. The plants start decomposing if there is no nutrition available to them.
So, take care of your aquarium life and keep only those plants that can live inside water for months as not every plant is for use in a fish tank.
Diseased or Dead fish
An ailing fish body is more likely to produce foul smells; you should keep the sick fish separate in saltwater treatment.
Not only lousy odor comes from such a fish body, but also it can spread disease or infection to other fish as well.
If your fish has died due to some reason, then immediately take it out of the aquarium because it can promote the decomposing bacteria and nasty smell in the entire aquarium.
A dead body starts producing smell after some time. So it is good to take out the dead fish as soon as possible so that the germs may not spread everywhere and smell remain in control.
Dirty Filter
It can also be the reason for the stinky aquarium. The filter clears the fish poop, and when filtered is not getting cleaned for a very long time, the poop starts creating an awful smell.
Clearing your filter once a week can help control the smells. Otherwise, the fishy smell is irritating and unbearable. This smell is like a rotten egg and dead fish, which is utterly disgusting.
Methods to Get Rid of Fishy Smell from Aquarium
To make your aquarium free from all types of smells, you should do;
Proper maintenance
A proper maintenance of a fish aquarium is essential to keep it free from foul odors. You should clean the substrate whenever it gets dirty from the fish waste.
You must have a gravel cleaner for the proper cleaning of a tank from inside. The dirt should not be stick to the glass.
If there is algae or some dirt on the glass walls, then you should use the manual scrapers or the magnetic ones. The tank must have the filter equipped in it.
Clean the decorations and rocks that might have the bacterial colonies growing in it. Also, clean up the filters correctly. Clean its trapped dirt using some brush.
For maintaining your fish aquarium properly, you can use the test kit for checking the water quality levels.
Regular water changes
Now, this doesn’t mean that you should change the complete water daily. But you should change 10 to 15% of the water only.
Complete water change is not recommended at all as it is not beneficial, but the slight water changes can prove significant. This method adds freshwater in the aquarium and also keeps its temperature and pH at normal levels.
It will prevent water from becoming stagnant and making any fishy smell. You should have a filter system in your aquarium, which can keep the water moving.
Otherwise, a slimy layer forms over the surface of water, which prevents the oxygen from coming inside and also stinks badly.
Vinegar scrubbing
Some of the used fish aquariums are very stinky even if they have clean water in them. It is because the bacteria are present there, and when you put water in it, they begin to smell.
So the best solution to get rid of that fishy smell is to clean the entire aquarium with the vinegar. Put the vinegar solution inside the aquarium and rub all of the walls.
Rinse it thoroughly with the vinegar solution and then wash it three to four times so that no vinegar drop is left behind. It will kill all of the bacteria and remove the stinky smells.
Make sure that you have rinsed the tank with clean water properly before filling it. It is the perfect solution for getting rid of fishy smell.
Put some live plants and conditioner
Adding some plants will create oxygenation inside water, which can help a little bit for avoiding smell inside water.
A water conditioner is also through best to maintain the quality of water in preventing any non-bearable odors.
Activated Charcoal Solution
You can use the activity charcoal and keep the water fresh all the time. If you don’t have any time to maintain the tank, then you should use these quick and straightforward strategies.
But you have to replace it every three weeks so that you can obtain the maximum benefit. Your fish tank will remain no more stinky after using this.
Uncover the Lid
Do not give the lid covered over the fish aquarium all the time. Keeping the top uncovered can help reduce the smell issues.
Avoid Overfeeding
As you know, overfeeding is the most significant cause of inviting microorganisms and promoting stink. Avoid stuffing your fish to avoid the leftovers to get decomposed.
Then there will be no extra food left behind there will be no smell for sure. Give the proper required amount of food to your pet.
Final words
In the end, I will say that first, you should know the cause of the stinky smell in the water. Then apply the strategies given here to get rid of the issue.
Follow the guide entirely, and you are never going to bear the fishy smell anymore.
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