# Help ! Fishes hanging around filter and tank is noticeably smelling fishy...



## mkg_aquarium

Of late, I have noticed two things 

1 - Fishes are hanging around the filter. They appear quite lethargic and stay there endlessly.
2 - Water is noticeably fishy in smell 

i first noticed the behavior with 1 widow tetra. 

http://www.aquariumforum.com/f5/black-skirt-tetra-unusual-behaviour-76297.html

Now I'm seeing the same behavior with black mollies, one or two guppies and the white spotted molly as well. Black mollies are highly active other wise. Especially the male. But now I see him hanging mostly on top of the filter/pump or inside a hollow cylinder toy at the bottom.




Behavior has started after the following 2 changes in tank

1-Addition of 10 serpae tetra which are quite small as of now
2 - Addition of a 3 small needle grass plants

As a precaution I've removed all serpae tetra since I suspect that i've overcrowded the tank. 

Help !!!

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I do 40% water change and clean tank glass off algae on a weekly basis without fail. I also add small amount of sea salt after every water change - less than half handful. The air filter is ON 24 x 7 and so is heater. It switches on as per need. I have a 21 gallon tank and the following fishes

1 betta 
4 Widow Tetra
2 Neon Tetras
10 Serpae Tetra (they are still quite small)
2 Black Mollies 
1 White Spotted Molly
2 Golden Rosy Barbs
3 Guppies
2 Red Zebra Danios


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## nh murph

Have you been testing your water? I'm not an expert by any stretch of imagination, but the ones that will chime in here will want to know your water parameters. It does seem pretty heavily stocked. How long has the tank been running?


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## MriGuy85

It sounds like you may be over stocked. You should check here: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor

It would be helpful to know:
Your water quality parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
How long the tank has been running
What kind of filter you have
What are you using to condition your water during changes.

I'm sure others will want to know more, but let's get the ball rolling for you.


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## coralbandit

That powerhead with a "quick change" cartridge really doesn't count as a filter to most.
You're across the pond huh?
Look into a HOB or canister filter ,test your water(you need to no matter what filter you use) and go to the AQ site .For the filter you are using now you are almost definately overstocked,maybe even with one of the others.


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## Gizmo

I mentioned the same thing in your intro thread - your filter looks too small for a 21 gallon tank with so many fish in it. You should get a filter that is (minimum) rated for twice the size of the tank you have. So, for example, I'd get a filter rated for a 40 gallon tank for use with your 21 gallon tank.


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## jrman83

Yeah just a powerhead. Not bad to have but there really isn't much of an area for beneficial bacteria to grow. An Aquaclear 50 would be perfect for your tank:
http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-50-...8&qid=1397253541&sr=8-1&keywords=aquaclear+50

They are also sold at your local fish store...only reason I recommend getting one. You need something now. If you tank was loaded with plants you might be able to get away with this, but...


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## mkg_aquarium

Update:

I removed all serpae tetra from the tank. 
I put a bag of activated charcoal and zeolite 
I did 50% water change, filter cleaning
I changed the location of the filter to the other side in a bid to change environment

Result : Fishy smell is reduced considerably. And only the widow tetra is now in one corner whereas the other fishes are more or less peacefully swimming around. But I am suspecting the widow tetra is diseased. Look at it's tail. It is turning red !!! 

Pic taken 2-3 3 days ago



Pic taken today:



What is happening to my fish ? His behavior is odd. He keeps to himself in one corner of the tank. Please help me understand if this is a disease and how to treat.

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Other topics discussed 

The filter I am using is Sobo WP1150F. It has a sponge filter and filtration capacity of 132 gallons / hour (500 L/H). Is it not enough for the 21 gallon tank ?

With regards to the other queries people have raised

*I am having the tank since mid-november
*I have not yet tested the water.  As far as I know, the kits are very expensive and people here don't use them by default. I will have to inquire with the local pet shop and see how much it costs. 
*I don't condition the water with anything except small amounts of sea salt with every water change.
*I feed frozen blood worms only
*For weekly maintenance I: 

- Remove the sponge from filter, take a pailful of the tank water and rinse it thoroughly
-Clean the tank glass off algae
- Do 40% water change (plain tap water - it is not hard water) 
- Add some sea salt 

Would there still be issue of ammonia or nitrate poisoning?


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## mkg_aquarium

mkg_aquarium said:


> What is happening to my fish ? His behavior is odd. He keeps to himself in one corner of the tank. Please help me understand if this is a disease and how to treat.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6sq93FmLNk


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## jrman83

Yes, there still could be ammonia poisoning. The thing you call a filter doesn't have the necessary area for the beneficial bacteria to grow. This is the bacteria that processes the ammonia that your fish generate. There is too little space for them to live and populate. It doesn't happen in the water very much. They need things to cling to.

You say you don't treat the water...are you on a well by chance? This is about the only way you can get away with that safely, unless you are letting your water age a few days before you put in your tank. If you are on city-supplied water it usually is treated with chlorine or chloramines. This will kill the beneficial bacteria that your tank appears to be struggling to produce. So every time you do a water change you are causing cycle issues and taking steps backward.

What you are calling a filter is a powerhead that has a sponge filter attached to "polish" the water. It will not sustain a population of fish unless it were maybe 1 or 2. As it is, even the filter that I linked for you is not enough for what you are trying to put in such a small tank. Your size tank is good for about 7-8 of the type of fish you are putting in there. You are about 3x over that.

So you don't think what you could be seeing is ammonia/cycling problems? The pic looks like ammonia burn to me. You need to be changing about 50% every other day until you get an actual filter, not a powerhead with a prefilter attached.

Please google "general fishkeeping" and read.

It wouldn't hurt to start here:
The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle


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## mkg_aquarium

^^ I really appreciate your post !! Thanks for taking the time and elaborating in detail regarding ammonia poisoning. 

I noticed the red area around the fin had reduced significantly after I did one water change. Also, no other tetra or any fish for that matter had that redness around the fins or any part of the body...Not saying I still don't need to look at the filter or over capacity..but just making an observation. 

Anyways I was away for about 2 days over the weekend, and when I came back I saw that the same widow tetra had one eye missing  The transparent outer covering over the eye was missing and the fish had no eye..maybe someone had attacked it ? Anyways, I could not bear the sight of a fish like that. It was struggling..and I suspected disease so I removed it from the water 

Was it a disease ? Or was this something else ?


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## Manafel

typically when a fish is in poor water conditions, it's immune system becomes weakened and they are less capable of fending off sickness they otherwise would have been able to fight off. It looks like ammonia poisoning, or Septecemia for the red streaked fins. As far as the eye falling out, it could have been an injury from the weaker fish being attacked, or pop eye(which is also cause by bad water conditions).


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