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Smelly Canister

Tomp91

Member
Joined
4 May 2020
Messages
56
Location
Leeds
Since switching to canister filter I have found my tank water is smelly and the filter its self stinks when its opened to clean it. Never had any noticeable smell issues with internal ones.

Is that a thing or is it a coincidence and I should be looking for the source elsewhere?
 
Hi @Tomp91

Has your external filter sucked in any tank inhabitants? If you have a lot of livestock, it would be relatively easy to not spot if a fish, shrimp, etc. had gone missing. Have you checked the impeller compartment on your filter?

JPC
 
Hi @Tomp91

Has your external filter sucked in any tank inhabitants? If you have a lot of livestock, it would be relatively easy to not spot if a fish, shrimp, etc. had gone missing. Have you checked the impeller compartment on your filter?

JPC

Before I stuck a pre filter on it. I did find a little baby guppie surviving in there! Am guessing a few of his friends weren't so lucky! I have cleaned it since though.


Or dead beneficial bacteria!:(
hoggie

What could of happened to cause that?

I ran it with my internal as well for a few days so bacteria could "move house" might not have been long enough. I thought because the tank was a couple of years old all that stuff would be well established.

So am thinking I'll give the filter a really good clean and a few days of water changes. What can I do to encourage new bacteria? I have always used the bottled stuff (stress zyme or similar) but read somewhere on here that's usually already dead when you get it? Are there any good ones?
 
Hi all,
tank water is smelly and the filter its self stinks when its opened to clean it. Never had any noticeable smell issues with internal ones.
Yes it shouldn't smell at all, either the water or the filter.
Or dead beneficial bacteria!
What could of happened to cause that?
It sounds like you aren't getting enough oxygen into the filter and the nitrifying micro-organisms can't cope with the ammonia load (if the smell is ammonia like?). If you get more of a rotten eggs smell? then things have gone a bit further and you have <"hydrogen sulphide (H2S) production">.

What media set-up do you have in the filter? <"It may be the filter media">.

cheers Darrel
 
Oxygenation! Because I wasn't able to use the spray bar I had already been concerned there wasn't a enough surface movement. I just stuck my old internal back in with no sponge for that mad surface agitation.

Any other things I can do to increase oxygen quickly, or is surface agitation my only weapon?

I have to find a way to rig the spray bar up! Ive got a sharp right angle to contend with.

I reckon that's it.
 
I have a Eheim Classic 250, setup as the instruction suggest with included media (ehiem mech and eheim substat pro) minus spray bar.

This was (supposed to be) an upgrade from a Fluval U2 which is a great filter just ugly as sin.
 
Hi all,
Any other things I can do to increase oxygen quickly, or is surface agitation my only weapon?
If you have plenty of plants in active growth they should help. Other than that the internal sounds a good idea. I'd probably give the filter media a good rinse, if you have livestock in the tank I'm not sure what is the best way forward.

cheers Darrel
 
The tank is overstocked with guppies I cant stop breeding and have no where to re home.

Full strip down and rebuild of everything today with focus on surface movement. Thanks for the advice!

I'll post if it clears up!
 
Just added some Limnobium Lavigatum yesterday kindly provided by Hypnogogia, other than that it has a big java fern and some random stem plants, not the beautiful growth you see round here but it does require the odd bit of trimming!
 
Hi all,
Just added some Limnobium Lavigatum
Perfect, I'd let them grow till they cover 3/4 of the waters surface. Because they have access to aerial CO2 they should be able to take up more of the ammonia, and hopefully keep your fish safe until the filter can take up more of the biological filtration.

Same applies to the stems, let them grow, if they reach the surface then they will have more filtration potential.

cheers Darrel
 
Add a sponge to the internal!
If you can source some mature media you could add some to the canister filter!
hoggie

Mature media from my gold fish's hang on back? Never been sure about mixing cold and tropical?

I'll be leaving the filters running side by side a lot longer next time!
 
I know its real old school but the best way to oxygenate the water column is with an airstone.
 
I know its real old school but the best way to oxygenate the water column is with an airstone.

I only have one pump and its powering a sponge filter on my shrimp tank. I did consider borrowing it for a bit!
 
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