# Water color and smell



## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

I have had my tank set up for 11 months. I have 3 large peacocks, 5 medium peacocks/haps, 1 Cory catfish and 9 peacocks/haps that range from a baby the size of a grain of rice to about 2 inches. Also have one small shell dweller I know he/she does not fit into the mix but it has been in there since I setup the tank and seems to enjoy pushing the others around. Question, lately my water seems to have sharp smell to it and appears to have a brown tint and I cannot get to totally clear up. I do have what seems to be a purple growth on the background (3D). No one seems sick, they get along as well as cichlids do and always have. My first batch of fry were released about 3 months ago and I have had two additional releases which one fry has survived each release. I do two water changes a week 20 gallons each time, every other water change I remove all caves and do a good cleaning of the sand. I just rub the caves with a wet rag and make sure all the waste is out of them and rearrange. I check the filter about every three weeks make sure nothing is getting clog, change carbon, etc according to maintenance chart. I have a Fluval 406 tank is a 75 gallon. Have not lost a fish other than the babies in 9 months have not added a fish in 8 months. Any help will be appreciated. Any questions just let me know and I will try to give you an answer. All water tests come back in normal range and I keep the temp at 79. Not near a window so no sun hitting tank. Lighting is LED, I have a air bubbler and a wave maker (?) up in the corner to provide water current. :?


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## atreis (Jan 15, 2013)

Normal odor for a healthy tank is a fresh, not really unpleasant but definitely fishy, smell. A rank fishy smell (waterfront wharf type odor) is generally a sign of a recent death or a filter that is badly in need of cleaning. (The smells here are hard to describe... If you smell the latter, you'll appreciate the pleasantness of the former.  ) I'd guess your tank is fine. It's hard to say without a photo or more detailed description what the stuff on the background is. My guess, but it's really just a shot in the dark, is cyano.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The water should be the same color as your tap water (mine is crystal clear) and I would not describe the smell as fishy...it smells like a clean lake. Maybe a little earth smell. Or like rain.

What are the actual test results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

What decor is in your tank?

If your tap water smells and has the color, I would suggest carbon but it seems you are already using it.


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## oyster dog (Jul 2, 2013)

Add 10 ml of plain white vinegar to your tank every day. It will eliminate the purple growth (most likely cyanobacteria, the cause of the odd smell) in 2-3 days.

I've been using vinegar in my tank for several months now, and reefkeepers have been using it for years. It works.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Black brush algae can also appear purple, mine has no smell. Cyanobacteria is commonly blue green (thus the name) but it could have different colors I am not familiar with.


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## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

I have mostly cichlids caves with a few fake plants just for some color. My ammonia and nitrite are always 0 and my nitrate normally runs around 20 PPM's. My KH is between 11-13 and the GH is 13-14. I have other tanks and the water does get crystal clear and this one use to be that way. I have done some small changes over the last several days and it is looking a bit better but still has a tint to it. Are any of the algae harmful to fish? The smell is not fishy it almost has an acidic smell. Very odd, will try the vinegar and see what happens. Thanks, any other info is always welcome.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Cyanobacteria can be harmful to the fish. I can't think what could cause an acidic smell but it's not normal. I'd do a 100% water change and see if the color/smell comes back.


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## Witblitz (Nov 7, 2013)

100% water change? Surely not?

What type of rocks do you have in your tank? When the odor/tint started did you introduce anything new to the tank? (like new rocks, etc)

I have a similar problem with brownish growth on the substrate, I'm thinking about adding a product called Sera Algovec to try and remedy the problem. But trying to rid all of the algae in my tank might adversely affect my Pleco? He'll just have to survive on wafers and cucumber I rate.


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## Michael_S (Aug 18, 2013)

The 100% percent water change is to see if it comes back. If it doesn't problem solved; if it stays check your water supply and rocks.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

There is nothing wrong with a 100% water change if you match parameters. I do 75% to 80% weekly in my tanks.


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## Witblitz (Nov 7, 2013)

100% water change means there's no water left in the tank, where do the fish go?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

In a bucket of old water while you refill the tank. Just like when you bring the fish home from the fish store and acclimate them to a newly filled tank.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Witblitz said:


> 100% water change? Surely not?
> 
> What type of rocks do you have in your tank? When the odor/tint started did you introduce anything new to the tank? (like new rocks, etc)
> 
> I have a similar problem with brownish growth on the substrate, I'm thinking about adding a product called Sera Algovec to try and remedy the problem. But trying to rid all of the algae in my tank might adversely affect my Pleco? He'll just have to survive on wafers and cucumber I rate.


Brownish growth sounds like diatoms..


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## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

Have not introduced anything new to the tank. The rocks are the Cichlid caves that you can buy in the store, and they have been in there since I started the tank. The only new thing in the tank are the baby fish. The fish seem well, they have grown so fast. I normally do a 20 gallon change twice a week. Should I increase to 50% for a few weeks? The thing that concerns me about a total water change is one the stress on the fish, and the good bacteria in the tank. As you all know we try to keep the good intact and get that perfect balance. We do have a lot of heavy metal in our water here when we filled our swimming pool we called the water company because at the bottom of the pool we had about a 2 foot grey area and they told us it was the metal in the water going to the bottom. We had to add special chemicals and clean the filter for days to get rid of it. I do use a water clarifier to get rid of the metal. Now that I think of it I opened a new bottle of that a while back. Wonder if maybe something is not right with the product. I use API. I thank you all for your help and I will continue to do some research on the weird color growth. Thanks everyone, keep ideas coming.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Good bacteria reside in the filter media and on surfaces, not in the water column so that is not an issue for water changes of any size. The question is are the fish being stressed more by the color/smell issue or a 100% water change. If the color/smell issue is not causing a problem, then continue as you have been.


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## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

True, you are right water doesn't hold bacteria. They seem fine, but what signs would I be looking for. They are swimming around no one is gasping at the top. They are eating, pooping, having babies. My big guy is moving sand all over the place as always. Seems normal, but what could I be missing that would lead me to think they are under stress? I don't want to miss I sign and have bigger problems. Sometimes I think I clean the tank to much, could I have done something to the good bacteria and now bad bacteria is ruling. I don't change all my filter media at one time, and when I wash it off I use the old tank water that I am getting rid of. It seems to have improved a bit the water has cleared up after two days of using the water clarifier. I am going to do some super changes and see what happens, thanks again for all the help.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

Could the rag you used to clean the caves have been used for something else non-fish related and perhaps contaminated?

I keep different colours of microfiber cloths and everyone knows not to touch the red ones they are for my fish :x


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If bad bacteria were ruling it would show up in your test results. I would not like a smell that is not in your other tanks and is not in your tap water, but I'm cautious. Having babies is not a sign of health...sometimes plants and animals reproduce specifically when conditions are bad as a way to guarantee survival the species.

Signs of health are eating, good color and normal movement...no injuries.


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## johnchor (Apr 2, 2011)

just add a small bag of carbon in your filter.
it will remove the smell


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Chloe Bell said:


> , change carbon, etc according to maintenance chart.


OP was already running with carbon when the smell began.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

There is cyno that is reddish/purplish. I had a few tanks with it for a while. It's gone now, but I have no idea where it came from or why it's gone. It smells a s bad as blue green cyno.


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## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

Ok, continued water changes. Did 30 gallons for a couple of days. Mixed the sand really well let settle and than repeated. Cleaned really well. The discoloration on the rocks has turned black/brown and the smell is almost gone. In fact I am the only one that can smell it. I have asked family if they smell anything and they say no, however I still think I can pick up on a hint of it. Really odd don't know what it was. They are all acting normal, they eat like they haven't eaten in years (of course they only get a certain amount each day) and it seems like it was a non event for them. I have gone over my log books and they only change that I can see is that our outside temp dropped a bit and I had to start using warmer water during my water changes. Don't know if that had anything to do with it.


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## Chloe Bell (Dec 26, 2012)

I also have all my fish supplies marked and they are only used in my tanks. I don't want soap getting into the tanks. Maybe like us we get a virus maybe that holds true for all things in nature.


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