# HELP!!!! my tank STINKS. What do i do???



## Nazz4232

I began cycling a tank about a week ago, I had 3 snails in there. I think one died it smelled worse then anything I have ever smelled before in fact I almos threw up. My friend came over and he did the same. I have no Idea what it was. at least the snail couldve been dead maybe 12 hours to a day. I was waiting to see if it was dead. Now my whole entire tank smells. It did not smell earlier today. I came home put in an algae wafer my two snails came right alive and began to snack the third one didnt move again. So I took it out. What is causing this horrible smell? and what should I do? IS it the ammonia, nitrates, nitrites? the algae wafer. BUt nonetheless my tank and filter smell. I took out the cartridge changed the water and kicked up alot of sand.


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## emc7

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate have and odor, but its not the strong smell of decay/decomp Those are sulfur compounds. You can try fresh carbon or a large water change or lots of aeration with an open window. Like a fart, the odor will fade when all of the sulfur containing gas is exhausted. If you have decay bad enough to stink, you likely also have ammonia, nitrite or nitrate high enough to harm or kill fish. So you probably want to do the water change and something else


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## Nazz4232

I am cycling the tank so the levels are high and I did a large water change and tomorrow I'm going to buy a new filter cartridge. So the smell was probably from the snail and not anything else? Because everything smeled and thank youq


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## emc7

IMO the only that smells worse than dead snail is dead shrimp


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## ZebraDanio12

Snail is most likeyly dead. I've smeled that before. its groos. WATER CHANGES!


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## Nazz4232

Yeah I changed the water.. today I'm going to buy a ne cartridge it smell alot better then yesterday already thanks guys


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## TheOldSalt

Do you have live rock in this tank, more specifically, new rock that you just got very recently? new live rock often has some die-off when you first get it, and that can stink.


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