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my husband set up a 10 gallon fish tank two days ago2007-11-24 23:39:21

and the water stinks.is there something he was supposed to put in the water and didn't? is there something he can put in now? the water is clean and the tank has a filter. thanks for any help

Answers:

This is likely due to ammonia levels. In a tank doing a fish less cycle this is nothing to worry about. The bacteria that eat ammonia simply need to increase in number to handle the amount of ammonia in the tank. If there are fish in the tank this is a serious issue caused by not cycling your tank,stocking it too fast, over feeding, and over stocking. Ammonia is very toxic. You need to get a test kit for ammonia, and start doing 20-30% water changes every days with a cheap gravel vacuum ASAP.

PS- Once you get your ammonia levels under control you'll need to worry about nitrites. (See link)

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hi

you need a filtering system and an air supply to keep oxygen in the water

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Usually fish tanks smell, that's why I put them where there not close to family areas or close to where we sit a lot. Making sure you have a good filtration system is real important and making sure you keep the top/lid on it. I also use live plants and sucker fish (tank cleaners) to help keep the algae down.

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what kind of filter do you have? do small frequent water changes of 15-20% every few days you may need a different filter

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well, a new tank shouldn't stink. Did you rinse off all the gravel and ornaments well before putting them into your tank? Does your filter have carbon, as carbon removes odors and impurities. I can't think of any other reason a new tank would stink.

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are there fish in there?

do a 50% water change. then more little water changes till it doesn't stink anymore. a good tank shouldn't stink at all.

the stink is due to the bad bacteria in your tank. You need time ( a month) for the good bacteria to balance out the bad ones.