That Fish Tank Smell..

[Aquaman102]

I've got my fish tank in my finished basement It's a large basement, but kinda enclosed. No windows that I can open.

When I walk down the stairs to the basement, I can definitely smell that fish tank smell.

This is a new tank. Only a couple weeks post cycle and currently fighting diatoms / and a potential bacterial bloom.

I have a sump with a skimmer along with a filter sock catching the overflow water.

Will that salty fish tank smell go away once the tank stabilizes?

Anything I can do in the mean time? I do clean the skimmer cup frequently.

Would some carbon help with the smell? It's not an overpowering smell that makes you gag. Just dealing with the wife making comments about it.

 

[JacquieBeginnerReef]

I've got my fish tank in my finished basement It's a large basement, but kinda enclosed. No windows that I can open.

When I walk down the stairs to the basement, I can definitely smell that fish tank smell.

This is a new tank. Only a couple weeks post cycle and currently fighting diatoms / and a potential bacterial bloom.

I have a sump with a skimmer along with a filter sock catching the overflow water.

Will that salty fish tank smell go away once the tank stabilizes?

Anything I can do in the mean time? I do clean the skimmer cup frequently.

Would some carbon help with the smell? It's not an overpowering smell that makes you gag. Just dealing with the wife making comments about it.

I’m by no means an expert - and I only have a small biocube - but I thought they weren’t supposed to smell?

 

[Jeight]

smell is probably from your sump..you could always use a bathroom fan/vent to pull air through the sump to the outside through a floor joist pocket..it is a basement after all they stink enough on their own. Happy wife happy reefing

 

[mta_morrow]

A simple bag of carbon somewhere in a good flow are should take care of that.

I will typically suspend it in a filter sock (in a media bag), and the smell goes away quickly.

 

[Xandernfs]

A simple bag of carbon somewhere in a good flow are should take care of that.

I will typically suspend it in a filter sock (in a media bag), and the smell goes away quickly.

Carbon works wonders! Add some carbon. I just started using ROX .8 and I really like it.

 

[mta_morrow]

Carbon works wonders! Add some carbon. I just started using ROX .8 and I really like it.

ROX is great stuff and works well!

 

[Retro Reefer]

The smell should subside as tank matures and stabilizes, in my experience this is fairly common with new tanks.

 

[mta_morrow]

The smell should subside as tank matures and stabilizes, in my experience this is fairly common with new tanks.

Or when you spill the skimmer cup!

 

[shred5]

I've got my fish tank in my finished basement It's a large basement, but kinda enclosed. No windows that I can open.

When I walk down the stairs to the basement, I can definitely smell that fish tank smell.

This is a new tank. Only a couple weeks post cycle and currently fighting diatoms / and a potential bacterial bloom.

I have a sump with a skimmer along with a filter sock catching the overflow water.

Will that salty fish tank smell go away once the tank stabilizes?

Anything I can do in the mean time? I do clean the skimmer cup frequently.

Would some carbon help with the smell? It's not an overpowering smell that makes you gag. Just dealing with the wife making comments about it.

Absolutely running carbon will help with smell in the tank..

Also the skimmer produces a lot of the smell. I run a reef octopus waste collector and on the exhaust port you can run carbon and that stops the smell from the skimmer. It also has the added benefit to shut off the skimmer in case it over flows. If the power goes out it has a delay before allowing the skimmer to turn back on.. This is because during a power outage the water level in the sump raises and can cause a skimmer to over flow. So it delays turning it on so the water level has time to return to normal.

A skimmate locker by Avast works well too..

 

[MnFish1]

I've got my fish tank in my finished basement It's a large basement, but kinda enclosed. No windows that I can open.

When I walk down the stairs to the basement, I can definitely smell that fish tank smell.

This is a new tank. Only a couple weeks post cycle and currently fighting diatoms / and a potential bacterial bloom.

I have a sump with a skimmer along with a filter sock catching the overflow water.

Will that salty fish tank smell go away once the tank stabilizes?

Anything I can do in the mean time? I do clean the skimmer cup frequently.

Would some carbon help with the smell? It's not an overpowering smell that makes you gag. Just dealing with the wife making comments about it.

Carbon should get rid of the smell IME - especially if you can smell the smell at the top of the tank (as compared to just in the sump).

 

[actik]

I also find my tank gets slightly smelly if my water evaporates some and I don't stay on top of refills,

 

[Mjrenz]

Carbon should definitely help but you also mentioned that the tank is in your basement, what's the humidity level down there? High humidity can perpetuate the smell as well as being bad for your house and promote mold growth. If it's higher than 55% you should consider using a dehumidifier

 

[Arthurfarris]

I have a new aquarium in my room and to prevent the smell it will cause, I have come up with several options to get rid of the fish tank smell. I use a dehumidifier to maintain the air quality. Always check the filter system and replace the filter pads to make sure they don't create odors. And it is essential to schedule regular tank maintenance, so the chances of my aquarium smelling are very low.

 

[Arthurfarris]

I have a new aquarium in my room and to prevent the smell it will cause, I have come up with several options to get rid of the fish tank smell. I use a dehumidifier to maintain the air quality. Always check the filter system and replace the filter pads to make sure they don't create odors. And it is essential to schedule regular tank maintenance, so the chances of my aquarium smelling are very low.

Rejecting the odor of a fish tank becomes easier if you understand the cause of the odor. Usually, odors come from the decaying waste inside the aquarium, which must be removed or cleaned. Fish leftovers will rot in the water along with too much fish waste, causing the water to have a bad smell. There are also other materials that cause very unpleasant odors.

 

[Dreyoo]

every once in a while your wife is always going to complain. just make sure you clean the fish tank every 2 weeks. the proper way to clean it is change the water and vacuum the gravel and clean the sides meaning the algae or whatever buildup is on the glass of your tank. God bless

 

[MnFish1]

I've got my fish tank in my finished basement It's a large basement, but kinda enclosed. No windows that I can open.

When I walk down the stairs to the basement, I can definitely smell that fish tank smell.

This is a new tank. Only a couple weeks post cycle and currently fighting diatoms / and a potential bacterial bloom.

I have a sump with a skimmer along with a filter sock catching the overflow water.

Will that salty fish tank smell go away once the tank stabilizes?

Anything I can do in the mean time? I do clean the skimmer cup frequently.

Would some carbon help with the smell? It's not an overpowering smell that makes you gag. Just dealing with the wife making comments about it.

Carbon would be a big help. There really should be no smell from a properly functioning reef tank (I think yours is just new). I would suggest you could try a product like 'damp rid' - which can remove odors temporarily. Since it's a new tank - probably everyone wants to see a picture. If you are fighting a bacterial bloom - thats going to smell until it's resolved. I would empty your skimmer cup every day - and - in case you have one of those skimmers with holes in the top - you could try covering them with a mesh bag containing activated carbon.