yukky fish tank

[liquidspace]

My coldwater fish tank is very smelly. I empy half the water every weekend but it discolours very quickly. Its kind of orangey brown cloudyness and seems to be getting worse. Its about 2 foot long I think but the smelly water is starting to make me feel sick. The tank isnt in direct sunlight and I put the light on in the evening. Any ideas why this is?

[Psychick]

Firts of all, do you have a filter of any type?

[liquidspace]

Yes, it has the number 2 foam white pads in it, they tend to go pink!

[Psychick]

As you clean out the tank every weekend, I cant understand the smell. Im assuming you clean the filter and pads every weekend too? Its possible the filter you have isnt enough for the size tank. Its also possible that the motor part on the filter has become clogged and thats why the water is becoming discoloured again so quick. If you have a look, you may be able to see where you can take the filter apart a little to clean it inside too....be careful though, dont force anything apart or it may break.
Another thing to check is the stones at the bottom.......do they need changing/cleaning? If old food and bits have become trapped in the stones and rotted, this may be why it is smelling?
Make sure the stones/bottom of the tank is clean, make sure the whole filter is clear, not just the filter pad, try replacing 2/3 of the water, each time you clean it out, with treated water.
What type of fish do you have?

[liquidspace]

I do all of this , the only thing I havent done is literally take apart the filter, I will try that. I literally took out everything including the stones a couple of months ago and started afresh but this problem has come back.

I empty half the water at the weekend and clean the pads and clean as much of the filter as I can but after a week it is back to orangey brown and smelling foul. The filter came with the tank so it must be the correct size. The problem never used to exist, it is getting worse.

Not sure if it is the size of the fish. I have two goldfish that have got fairly big now and a few other coldwater fish. I just think they are weeing a lot more! lol

Reading your answer again, I have not treated the new water the past few times, just used tap water, what is the best treatment for tap water?

[iheartruby]

hi liquid, you must add some kind of dechlorinator each time you put tap water in. also i'd say only remove about 20-25% of the water and i'd only do that every 1 or 2 weeks. i have a fish tank here on my desk with a fluval 2 filter and it's crystal clear (although i do get the occasional smell coming out of it). you can clean a fish tank too much and in doing so you can remove the good bacteria that the tank needs. also, don't ever clean your filter pads under the tap - only clean in the bucket of dirty water you have removed - not pleasant to get your hands in there but again, the tap water will damage the healthy bacteria. just give them a good squeeze out in the bucket.
also, over feeding can cause problems - mine get fed once a day only and i've had them for years with no diseases or problems.
summary:
feed only once a day - no matter how hungry they look - making you feel guilty!
clean out 20-25% water with a syphon ( so that you get any uneaten/decaying food from the gravel) every 2 weeks.
always decholrinate your water.
only ever clean filter pads in the dirty water

Give it a go and hopefully it should settle down in a few weeks. This is what I do and they're happy, ageing fish in clean water. Good luck.

[Psychick]

I use aqua safe to treat tap water before putting in my tank. If I was you, I would possibly try buying a new filter altogether.......before you do though......do you ever replace the filter pad or just clean them each time? The pads are only good for so long no matter how much you clean them. I put in a new one on average, every couple of months.
Sorry to disagree with you iheartruby, but I have always replaced 3/4 of the water, and I've always rinsed my filter pads out under running tap water, making sure I squeeze out any excess water when I've done. I do agree though with only feeding them once a day, thats what I do.
My advice to you liquidspace, is to take in as much advice as you get and try what you think is best, if it doesn't work, try something else. It's just going to be a case of finding out what's best for your tank and fish.....good luck!

[liquidspace]

Well I replace half the water, there is no dirt in the stones because I cleaned everything out a couple of months ago. I rinse the pads under tap water and replace them every couple of months, the water now is totally disgusting, the only thing left I havent done is take apart the filter properly, will try that.

I dont feed them because other people do and I am ALWAYS telling them not to feed so much so I doubt if that is the problem. Thanks for all your suggestions.

[iheartruby]

hi psychick - no worries about disagreeing with me - but i urge you to speak to any expert in an aquatic shop and they will tell you never to clean a filter under a running tap.