help with aquarium smell

HI
I have a 10 gallon with a 4 year old goldfish - I know it is too small - I have a 40 gallon cycling without fish for him to move into and I am waiting because I am attempting to slowly change him from bottled water to my well water - I did it too fast and he crashed so I am going slow and am half there. My question is why would the 10 gallon with the fish in it SUDDENLY start to smell like a swamp? I have asked and nobody can answer - nothing has changed - water parameters are 8.2 0.25 0 5 - apparently since this tank is too small for a goldfish it will never fully cycle - thus I have ammonia. I do 50% water change TWO times each day (for several months now) - never have missed even once. He is happy and healthy - just a new smell all of the sudden - so if I do HUGE water changes and use prime - last week I rinsed off the decos and cleaned the filter really good - had brown thick slime - (not the filter media - just lightly rinsed) and wiped the walls down - still smelled swampy so put a new carbon filter in (had been in there 10 months) still smells - I am out of tricks - HELP thank you so much
lea

 

HI Lea and welcome. Could be your cleaning got rid of some beneficial bacteria and now you are getting the smell from the dirty water. It is possible it was removing some of the nitrates but it is no longer being removed by said bacteria.
A tank that size with a 4 year old goldie is going to have lots of nitrates being produced. That is at least, my guess. I would definitely keep up the water changes and you may just have to live with the smell, until you get it switched over.
Glad you are upgrading its tank!

 

Welcome to Fishlore. You are so right. 10 G is too small for a Goldie, especially a 4 year old one. You are also right. A 40G will be much better. Unlike Bettas, Goldies like company, so now you may get a roommate or two depending on the kind you have. What kind do you have? How big is it? The measurements? The weight?

Carbon filter should be changed every 3-4 weeks, if you choose to use it.

I am no expert, but I am under impression that, a tank, like being pregnant, either it is cycled, or it is not cycled.

If you visit Goldfish forums frequented by professional goldfish keepers, you will learn that they advocate daily 100% water changes. Just make sure that the old and new water temperatures are identical.

Good luck!

 

claireputput & Jomolager -
thank you so much - I am lost - I got this fish from someone in a bowl (the fish not the someone haah) I am an animal freak and know how terrible the 10 gallon is - just got a pH of 8.2 from my well water and the bottled water he was getting is 6.5 so it has been a challenge - the KH of the bottled is 0 and my well is 19!!!!! (or GH I can't remember) it is so much easier to have a dog or child - I am gonna do right by this guy and I really appreciate your help
thank you
lea

 

"they advocate daily 100% water changes" - omg really? wow
I have a comet and he is - not sure how to measure but nose to tail, he almost is as big as the width of the 10 gallon so *8 inches??? I know, I feel terrible he is alone - he had a friend and she died a year ago and everybody yelled at me cuz when I got them they were in a bowl I did not know it was wrong - was "rescuing" them from a bad situation (mine not much better but I am trying)

 

Not a comet expert, they are out of my league until I figure out a way to get a pond. Is there any way you could have a pond?

40 G is not large enough for two comets. Good luck.

 

I fought that same battle for years with the comet my parents had. He was 8 or 9 when he died and it was heartbreaking because my only were we attached to him but my parents had gone on a vacation and I gifted them the bigger tank since they were never going to do so themselves. I busted my butt for weeks to get the tank cycled and ready for him, then less than 24 hours before the final test to ensure everything was still stable and transferring him over, he was belly up. I had battled illnesses and diseases one after another with him for months prior while I prepared everything for set up and cycling to start as soon as my parents were away so it would go smoothly without having to explain and justify every step along the way (and we all know how challenging a cycle can be on its own without the constant "is that really necessary? Why can't you just dump him in and be done with it already?") I am glad to hear you are upgrading your comet's living space because it will save you and him a lot of heartache in the future.

 

lea1, Welcome to FishLore! I have a few questions for you....

1. What filter are you using on the 10G?

2. Does your above post say you have 5ppm nitrates?

3. What do you use for testing, liquid or strips? The brand will help too.

4. Have you noticed green or blue-green slime?

 

I use pimafix to improve the smell of my tanks. It's derived from tea trees and is antibacterial. It's made for bacteria infections but tea tree oil has loads of other benefits. A fresh carbon filter will help too.

From the apI websiteb: "Will not adversely affect the biological filter, alter the pH, or discolor water."