amonia

J

Jazzman

Medium Fish
#1
Jul 14, 2003
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#1
I have had my tank for about 3 days now....why am i getting a rotten egg smell so dang soon. All i have is one betta in a 10 gallon tank with a whisper microfilter. The water is clear....he has a lil nest going.
also....is someone could tell me how to change the water etc....for his tank.

thanks

Jazzman
 

Iggy

Iggy

Superstar Fish
#2
Jun 25, 2003
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#2
Try a 25% (2.5 gal) water change. Make sure the water is treated (clorine/cloromide remover) or aged at least 24 hours. The new water should be within a few degrees of the tank water, so put the bucket in the sink filled with some warm or hot water until it gets close to the same temperature.

Repeat every 3-4 days untill the tank gets cycled (0ppm Ammonia and 0ppm Nitrite) - which can take a good month. The micro-filter also might be a little under-rated for a 10gal tank, so the water changes should help a lot with smell.
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
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#7
May 16, 2003
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#7
There are these things called "Gravel Vacuums" A long piece of tubing with a piece of fat tubing at the end. Almost any petstore/walmart has them I think. You use it to syphon water out (fat end in the tank, skinny end in a bucket...) You'll see how the gunk gets pulled into the tube but not the gravel.

with a 10 gallon tank and only 1 fish you ought to be fine leaving him in the tank while you're doing water changes. Would cause him more stress to have to net him and move him once a week.

Asking questions is good...the only annoying people around here are the ones that dont care about their fish and don't ask questions. Welcome to the board :)
 

P

PreciousGems

Large Fish
#8
Mar 11, 2003
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#8
If you can't get the gravel vacuum (syphon) to work, you might have to suck on the bottom to start the suction. Try not to get a mouth full of water (its nasty, believe me) when you do this. The micro filter is also too small for a 10 gallon. Try getting one that is for 10-15 gallons. A good filter will help reduce that smell.

Alexa

P.S. The dirty water can be poured on flowers. It makes a great fertilizer and the plants grow REALLY quick.
 

mike the zealot

mike the zealot

Large Fish
#13
Oct 22, 2002
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#13
a good trick w/ siphoning:

submerge the entire hose in the tank, so that it completely fills w/ water. Put your thumb over the skinny end, drop the skinny end in a bucket, remove thumb. Walla! Physics!

can u believe I sucked on hoses/drank aquarium water for a year before figuring this out? =P
 

J

Jazzman

Medium Fish
#14
Jul 14, 2003
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#14
OK folks.....i went and got me a whisper powerfilter. i have the power on one end and the micro on the other end. is this overkill?
Also, the betta is just swimming around the power filter with his gills flared and swims around the part were the water comes out. he has been doing this for the past hour....should i be concerned?

ps.....thanks for the welcome!
 

Iggy

Iggy

Superstar Fish
#17
Jun 25, 2003
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#17
Jazz, does not sound too serious. Is he doing anything else?

I don't think you need 2 filters, but they say you can never have too much filtration.

If his behavior changes dramatically, or shows visible signs of stress, shut one off and see if he calms down.
 

Iggy

Iggy

Superstar Fish
#19
Jun 25, 2003
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#19
Is he flaring? Bettas spread-out their gills (called flaring) as a sign of aggression.

Bettas flare when the see another male or female betta, or anything that resembles them, including their own reflection.

Is the room dark and his tank light on, which will cause the side of the tank to reflect (mirror) his image or shadow?

My Finchy does that, when the tank light is on and the room is dark, he will flare at his reflection in the tank till I turn the light off!
 

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