30 Gallon Tank Bad smell and bubbles! Please help

When I saw bubbles, I thought it might be because of ammonia. So I tested, but it is 0. This is my first tank, so I do not know how to describe this smell. Seems funny, but my sister says it smells earthy and also like farts. (I agree.)

I don't know what it can be from, so I will mention everything I can think of . The tank is a 30 gallon. Low tech, nicrew RGB light. Corner mattenfilter driven by a powerhead.

It is still cycling (been more than a month). Fishless. I added fish food in it regularly (pretty much all of it is gravel vacuumed)

I have moss attached to driftwood, java ferns attached to rocks and a bunch of dwarf hairgrass planted. (With root tabs underneath). The tabs I used are root clay sticks made by easy-life. Some of the hairgrass started dying a few days ago btw. But the others seem healthy?

All of my driftwood has been boiled. Most of it is store bought. One big piece, however, I procured myself. I then sanded down, pressure washer and boiled it for more than 10 hours. I do not know what wood it is.

Upon taking all of the driftwood out (I wanted to see if the big piece I got is the reason for the smell), I noticed that the big piece does smell quite bad if I put my nose right up to it, but then so do the other pieces that I bought (but to a lesser extent) ?

My substrate is very high in the back (I use some quite fine sand) ( more than 5 inches ). Tbh it is a pain to take some out because of the way I scaped the tank and the hairgrass, but I think I will have to.

Hence the bubbles, the most likely reason for the smell would be pockets of sulfur in the sand, right? The smell fills up the entire room. It's not just if you are close to the aquarium. Is this the first thing I should do? How do I deal with the root tabs when taking the sand out?

What about the driftwood? Do you think I should remove that too?

What other reason could there be for the smell?

 

If the smell is farty, that would be methane from rotting plants getting trapped under the substrate.....which is very deep in your aquarium.

Go to the supermarket or hardware store, buy the biggest turkey baster that you can find. Stick the turkey baster into the substrate and puff it (do NOT sniff what comes out cos it can be 10 times worse than a stink bomb).

You need to release your methane and probably reduce the depth of substrate to prevent methane build up.....but keep that turkey baster handy cos you will need to puff the sand on a regular basis to prevent gas building and eventually doing harn to the fish once they are added.

 

If the smell is like rotten egg than you have anarobic activity in the substrate and sulfuric gas is building up. You either need to add more current over the substrate or add something (like trumpet snail) that will dig into the substrate. Still if it is 5 inches high i suspect nothing is going to work well... and long term you would be better off replacing the substrate with something that is a bit coarser and will allow some water flow.

 

If the smell is farty, that would be methane from rotting plants getting trapped under the substrate.....which is very deep in your aquarium.

Go to the supermarket or hardware store, buy the biggest turkey baster that you can find. Stick the turkey baster into the substrate and puff it (do NOT sniff what comes out cos it can be 10 times worse than a stink bomb).

You need to release your methane and probably reduce the depth of substrate to prevent methane build up.....but keep that turkey baster handy cos you will need to puff the sand on a regular basis to prevent gas building and eventually doing harn to the fish once they are added.

I see. Thank you. I don't see how plants would get underneath the substrate though, as it is a new tank and the only plants that died were a few hairgrass(they turned completely yellow, though I heard they might just be adjusting). I tried poking the substrate but no bubbles came out? I'll try the turkey blaster too though

If the smell is like rotten egg than you have anarobic activity in the substrate and sulfuric gas is building up. You either need to add more current over the substrate or add something (like trumpet snail) that will dig into the substrate. Still if it is 5 inches high i suspect nothing is going to work well... and long term you would be better off replacing the substrate with something that is a bit coarser and will allow some water flow.

I see.. well, I tried poking around in the substrate but no bubbles came out. I think I will take all of the hairgrass out and make my substrate less deep to avoid further problems. I'm still not sure if that's what it is. I wouldn't really describe the small like rotten eggs, though I guess it does also smell a bit like that too

 

How old is your tank ? Bubbles in the deep substrate take months to build. And only if not disturbed by vacuuming or other poking.

Also, they don’t smell unless you disturb them and they come in contact with the water.

Are you using Prime as a water conditioner ? This stuff smells bad.

 

How old is your tank ? Bubbles in the deep substrate take months to build. And only if not disturbed by vacuuming or other poking.

Also, they don’t smell unless you disturb them and they come in contact with the water.

Are you using Prime as a water conditioner ? This stuff smells bad.

It's a new tank. First time putting water in it was about 6 weeks ago. I am using water conditioner, but not Prime. I couldn't find anyone complaining about smell for the water conditioner I am using and I can't find how much sulfur it contains or if any at all. I don't think that's it

 

One other thing that could cause a bad smell and bubbles is blue green algae (cyanobacteria) but I suppose you would notice if there is any blue green slimy stuff growing anywhere in the tank?

 

When I saw bubbles... Seems funny


One big piece, however, I procured myself....

Upon taking all of the driftwood out (I wanted to see if the big piece I got is the reason for the smell), I noticed that the big piece does smell quite bad if I put my nose right up to it, but then so do the other pieces that I bought (but to a lesser extent) ?

I'm of the opinion, if you cannot identify it, toss it.

If the wood was wet, not dried out, it has sap.
Boiling just cooked it, but it still had live membranes inside if not hollowed out.

Some wood can have toxic agents.

Did the piece have any leaves on it to help identify it?

If it was me, I'd just toss it , call it a day, clean tank and start over. Saving $30.00 but creating extra work isn't a pay off for me.

granted, I use magnolia leaves from my yard in my fish tanks, but it's my tree and nothing chemical has been sprayed there in at least 20 years...I know the leaf it is , the tree and condition of the area.

wood needs to age about a year to dry out depending on depth of fibers.

I'm the only person you'll ever know that has 2 giant tree limbs aging to be whittled into walking sticks, lol.

I made one 3 years ago, cleared bark off , varnish and then sealed it. Anything under a year - it wet and sap is still present. It must age & dry out.

 

One other thing that could cause a bad smell and bubbles is blue green algae (cyanobacteria) but I suppose you would notice if there is any blue green slimy stuff growing anywhere in the tank?

Yea I have not noticed any blue green algae anywhere, though I heard you can smell it even a couple of weeks before it appears.