Why Does my Aquarium Smell? How To Remove it?

An ideally maintained aquarium has no odor at all. Usually, aquariums don’t have any smell. Although if you step into your room and get a stench that lets you know that you have an aquarium, it is not a good sign. If your aquarium is smelling, it will make the whole room smell like a dumpster.

But don’t feel discouraged if your aquarium has an odor, nobody’s perfect. The trouble is if you don’t do anything to get rid of the smell or get lazy about it. Then you might want to think again about keeping an aquarium. There are a lot of reasons by which your aquarium might be generating an odor and usually not a pleasant one.

In this article you will be made aware of the reasons why your aquarium is smelling and you will be guided on how to remove the smell.

First lets look upon the reasons why your aquarium is generating a bad smell.

Reason Why Your Aquarium Smells

1. Dead Fish

The number one and the most common reason contributing to the awful smell in your aquarium is a dead fish. Akin to every living being fishes give out a foul odor when they die and when its body starts to decompose. Having a largely populated tank or a tank with numerous decorations will make it difficult to notice if a fish is missing. They might be lying lifeless in a corner, and sometimes even the fishes in the tank can feed on the dead one so the body parts might be all around.

2. Unclean Water

The next one is if your water is not clean or if you are using too much of chemicals. Unclean and contaminated water is sure to give out a bad smell. It is a given that certain chemicals are required to maintain the suitability of the water for the fishes but using it too much will leave your water giving out an unnecessary smell.

3, Feeding profusely

If you are a beginner, you tend to give food to your fish a lot more than the required amount. It is alright because beginners tend to feel uncertainty regarding the amount of food to give, but the sooner you learn the better. Giving too much food will make the uneaten food particles remain at the bottom of the tank. As time passes, these food particles will release gases. These gases give out an unpleasant odor.

4, The waste product of the fish

Fish give out excretory products, as we know. Furthermore, you cannot clean every time they poop. The greater the number of fishes in your tank, the more waste is generated. It is a known fact that waste products give out a foul smell.

5. Plants going bad

Not only the decomposing fishes decomposing plants also contribute to a bad smell in an aquarium. Having a live plant in an aquarium is a good thing. Although, plants can start to rot as well and generate an awful odor. Although, spotting a rotting plant is not difficult.

6. Unclean Filter

If none of the above reasons are causing the awful smell in your aquarium, then it is your filter. You cannot blame the filter for the foul smell as they do the work of cleaning your tank by removing all the dirt. If your filter is giving out a bad smell, then the reason is that you haven’t cleaned it.

How To Remove Aquarium Smell?

For Dead Fishes

For dead fishes, what you can do is to be aware of the number of fishes in your tank. If one is missing, check under all the decorations and leave no stone unturned. If you don’t find it, it probably has been scavenged by the other fishes. You must resort to not keeping too much fish in one tank and probably stick to the limit of the tank. If you have too much fish, it will be hard for you to spot a missing fish. Upon spotting the dead fish, scoop it with a net and remove it.

Also make sure that the ecosystem stays intact and maintained. If not life of your fish will become miserable, and they will die.

For Unclean Water

If water is the cause of the foul smell, it is time to change the water. Performing a water change is the best thing you can do if your tank is the smelling cause of the water. Also, stay within the limits of the chemicals, don’t use excessive amounts of chemicals. One example is using too much water conditioner gives the water a foul smell.

For waste food and excessive feeding

In case of excessive feeding, the thing required to be done is simple, don’t give too much food. Follow the feeding method of feeding small amounts of food for five minutes. Or observe your fishes if they begin to neglect the food you are giving, stop feeding them. Besides, research the food habits of the species of the fish that you have.

If too much of the uneaten foods have accumulated in the substrate, you can use a vacuum to clean the substrate.

For Waste products

If waste products are what is causing the foul odor, then the best thing is to clean the substrate. You can use a vacuum to remove the waste products of your fish. If the waste products are accumulating quickly, consider decreasing the population of your tank. Don’t try to squeeze in too much fish in a single tank. It is never a good thing to do.

For decomposing plants

Plants also get decomposed sometimes and give out a foul smell. But one can easily see which plant is getting decomposed and get rid of it. Just remove it from the tank and the smell will be gone.

For unclean filters

Well for filters it is obvious, clean it. An unclean filter gives out a foul smell as it has accumulated all the dirt of your aquarium. Remember to clean your filter with the aquarium water to preserve the nitrifying bacteria.

Removing the smell

After the odor sources are taken care of, there are certain things to do to remove the smell from lurking around.

The first and foremost will be to clean your tank entirely. The tank must be cleaned along with the pieces of equipment. Clean them properly if you wish for the smell to go away. Don’t leave any part untouched, filters, substrates, decorations, etc clean everything properly. Also, remember to do a water change. You must be consistent with the cleaning and the water changes and do it at regular intervals. If you slack off on these things, you are bringing the smells back to your aquarium.

You can also use activated carbon to get rid of the smell. The activated carbon will do wonders in removing the foul odor from your tank. But your tank will remain odor-free if you manage to clean it regularly and remain alert for the signs of the sources.

You wouldn’t want your aquarium to give out an odor as it is never a pleasant one. It is best for you to work on it immediately as soon as you get a sniff of it. Look for the source and remove it. Then clean your tank. There is a myriad of things surrounding the hobby of an aquarium, and slacking off won’t do any good to you and your fish.