How would you describe your fish tank smell?

[peachsonas]

I’m pretty used to it cause the tank is in my room, but every time my mom stops in, she describes it as “briney”. I notice it smells like that when it’s about time to change the water.

 

[Ghostly]

I’m pretty used to it cause the tank is in my room, but every time my mom stops in, she describes it as “briney”. I notice it smells like that when it’s about time to change the water.

same my mom always says my room stinks like fish although I do not notice it lol.

 

[Ouse]

Just had a quick sniff of the 70 gallon. It smells organic, lovely!

 

[Ouse]

Just sniffed the 30 gallon to be surprised it smells of ... nothing? The 15 gallon, which uses artificial decorations, has a more organic, natural smell; I just sniffed that too. My 30 gallon has tannins and mostly natural decor such as live plants, wood, rock and sand, but the 15 gallon smells much more like a natural waterway...

Fish tank smell is so nice.

 

[FishDin]

Like sitting next to a pond in the country. Pleasant earthy smell.

 

[Akeath]

Depends on the tank. I just sniffed my 40 gallon and sensed...humidity I guess? The air seems a bit thicker and more moist than the air further away from the tank, but it didn't actually have a scent. Aquariums I've had that are heavily planted with plant substrates or that have any type of floating plant usually have a faint earthy wet plant smell, like outside after it's rained. My frog tank has a slightly odd smell compared to my other aquariums, it's an earthy smell but thicker and maybe....richer? compared with the fish only tanks, and reminds me more of the scent of lakes or ponds.

When I do water changes and end up invariably getting at least some water on myself, I get a "fishy" smell, not that different from how fish like tuna or salmon smells, but not as strong. Except I also smell strongly of sulfur from the Prime dechlorinator I use doing water changes, which smells awful.

 

[Redshark1]

My first thought is that my aquarium water smells sweet - like I'd happily drink it (but I don't and wouldn't recommend anyone to).

I am very sensitive to scents so I trust my instinct on my aquarium. If I smell something wrong I smell it for the next six months. I have smelt other people's aquaria and have known instantly that something was wrong e.g. ammonia.

I'm also very sensitive to temperature and can judge the water to 1/4 of a degree (I have taken part in a scientific competition and won it).

 

[Cue]

similar to my bioactive vivariums, like you just stuck your head into a tropical rainforest.

 

[AquaticQueen]

Mine smell like a wet dog. And yeah, I know this thread isn't terribly relevant anymore but it was in the "Random Great Thread" box and I though I would contribute to it.

 

[Blacksheep1]

Long Covid tells me everything smells like nothing these days ! I now rely on nerites to tell me there’s an issue scent wise ( jokes , slightly )

 

[BVUBeavers]

My big cichlid tank (75G) doesnt really have a smell - if anything maybe mossy (slight algae smell). My smaller tank (29G) smells like urine water and I am constantly changing it out. It is an old tank I was gifted and only contains 8 fish so way understocked - but constantly fighting algae and cloudy water.

 

[Prevail]

5 Gallon: Slightly Earthy, the warmth is much more overpowering though, it smells like a forest in summer. My 29 gallon does not have a smell, even if you sniff the surface

 

[fishot]

Mine smells like soggy wood, but when I open the lid to smell it all of the fish zoom up to the top to get the food that I must be about to give them

 

[Carson123]

My heavily planted tanks usually smell very plant like lol. Lots of floating plants block out all of the other smells. I have a 55 gallon that I use as a coldwater biotope, and it smells like a bottle of water from the fridge smells

 

[Bwood22]

I think Beermann 's tank probably smells like tuna.

 

[FishRescueStory]

It smells like algae

 

[Beermann]

I think Beermann 's tank probably smells like tuna.

Appreciate the name drop, I have no idea if it smells bad. I can't detect much in the way of rot, garbage, dirty diaper.....Post covid superpower.

Long Covid tells me everything smells like nothing these days ! I now rely on nerites to tell me there’s an issue scent wise ( jokes , slightly )

Yes I'm one year out and still can't smell gnarly things. Other smells that are strong come across as just subtle sweet/flourly smells. Coffee is a hit and miss, most of the time is smells like fertilizer/poop......no one's mention my tank smell so I must be ok.

 

[Blacksheep1]

Appreciate the name drop, I have no idea if it smells bad. I can't detect much in the way of rot, garbage, dirty diaper.....Post covid superpower.

Yes I'm one year out and still can't smell gnarly things. Other smells that are strong come across as just subtle sweet/flourly smells. Coffee is a hit and miss, most of the time is smells like fertilizer/poop......no one's mention my tank smell so I must be ok.

I get a smoke smell alllll the time, almost like plastic burning. Where it hits the back of your throat kind of smell, almost a taste if that makes sense. I can smell coffee but not strong. August will be a year for me .

not going to lie , it helps a lot with certain people though

 

[SouthAmericanCichlids]

My post Covid smell makes everything smell like nature valley granola bar, but with a slight tweak that makes them smell, and sometimes taste, awful.

 

[Blacksheep1]

My post Covid smell makes everything smell like nature valley granola bar, but with a slight tweak that makes them smell, and sometimes taste, awful.

Urgh. Silly covid and it’s silly ways ! There’s a few of us then left with the strange smell/ taste .

I suppose I shouldn’t complain though if this is how it is for a bit, it’s not the worst symptom to be left with I guess !

 

[Chiasmodon]

How would you describe your fish tank smell? It smells good, bad, etc.

Mine smell like algae and salt water despite the fact its freshwater.

 

[SparkyJones]

My tanks all smell like rain, like the air right after a short heavy rain. In fact if I catch any other smell than that on my fry rearing tank I do a vacuum and water change because I know it's starting to head in a bad direction.

Of course I don't have plants or much of anything besides water, fish and food. So it's quite easy to detect the first sign of an off smell of rotting.

 

[RareFeeshCollector]

one thing i noticed is my tank smelled bad until it was cycled. once the ammonia was converted its smell went away. not sure if the nitrites made it smell or not. now that its cycled, it smells like what others have stated before, soil.

 

[ForceTen]

Neutral. There is no smell.

 

[Rodentt]

smells like water

 

[KeeperOFnano]

Well, mkxed with plant aromas...and depending on what tank we are talking about.... they can smell like fresh rain hitting asphalt kinda deal (tanks with rocks) and a bit of a mix of that and fresh rain hitting dirt and rocks for our mixed tanks. For whatever reason tanks with sand as the top layer smell like fresh rain hitting sand lol.

 

[magiofsnails]

mine smells like how it smells after it rains or when youre standing next to a well maintained pond. earthy, slightly musty, but clean and pleasant. hope it stays that way lol

 

[BlueRaccoon]

I think mine smells healthy, lol. It smells like fresh tilled soil (earthy). It's a very mild smell. I can only smell it if I open the lid.

 

[drat]

It smells Tropical! A slight odor of decay (earthy) with a little more than a hint of humidity!

 

[Neeno2022]

My planted 10 gal smells kinda sweet while my 3 gal (no plants) has absolutely little to no smell at all

 

[jaysurf7]

It has like a freshwater kind of earthy smell. Not a fishy smell, like that famous smell when you go to a LFS that reminds you of aquariums lol

 

[Fishfur]

Usually the tanks smell like the lakes I remember from when I was a kid at camp.

 

[gracecarpenter]

Mine has a very mild fishy smell. But right before I had a HUGE ammonia spike, it smelled very strongly like a public aquarium if you know what I mean. Take that for what it's worth I guess.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Depends on the tank and time. The pond might smell of water lilies, my 30 like plants or the crab tank like low tide but not Tacoma low tide.

 

[jaysurf7]

What meant was when you walk into LFS it has that familiar smell, not a bad smell but no matter what LFS i went it always seemed to have that same smell, and when i open the lid to my tank it has that same smell like a fresh earthy water smell if that makes sense. I call it the fish tank store smell lol.

 

[FishDin]

My usual answer is that they smell like a natural pond, but lately have noticed that my one african tank has no smell, whereas my planted tanks have the pond / stream smell.

 

[Otomatic]

Mine smells exactly like a rainforest.

 

[TheBettaKeeper]

There's something fishy about the smell of my tank...

 

[fishywoo]

Tanks smell like a lake. The bucket after I clean out the media and sponges smells like a pond or bog and that smell transfers onto my skin before I wash it out.
This thread is great. We're all a bunch of tank sniffers. Lol

 

[Fishfunn]

My tanks smell like dirt.

 

[Kwikfab]

Earthly

(Adding more characters because a post requires a minimum of 10 or more to be accepted)

 

[SchoolAccount]

How would you describe your fish tank smell? It smells good, bad, etc.

It smells like warm plant matter, you can smell the condensation on the plexiglass lid and the decomposition of the plants. A little bit of petrichor smell from the driftwood.