water stinks

[davidstacy]

what would make my water smell like a pond, i change my carbon every three weeks and do water changes lately ever week because of the build up of algae, and i always have a film on the top. I have a prism protein skimmer and a power head and a air bar 18 inches long in the back of my tank. My tank is 55 gallons also.

 

[mlm]

For now try changing the carbon every 3 or 4 days and do a 10% to 20% water change every day until the smell is gone.

 

[dathem]

Hello,
To get the film to go away you need more to increase the water movement on the surface. To do that make sure either a power head shoots water at the surface or add an outside power filter or possibly both. I have 4 powerheads on my 55 plus a Prism and an outside power filter, the film went away once I used all of the above. You mention an airbar, you really don't want all those bubbles unless you like the salt creep on everything, the bubbles really don't help as you have found out in your tank.
The algae is a natural process but it can be controled by having only a few animals, by giving less food, by adding more snails or different types of snails and by adding more hermit crabs or other types of crabs or shrimp, or adding an algae eating fish like a lawnmower blenny. You didn't give much info so I can't give you anything more than general help.

 

[davidstacy]

what is an outside power filter....

 

[striker]

Maybe dathem means a hang on trickle or a cannister. I have 2 trickle filters and 3 small powerheads in my 29 gallon which make circulation great. No algae problems yet(knock on wood).

 

[thewolfman777]

...also, how is your ammonia? high ammo. reading can make the water smell too...

 

[peasly1]

has anything died in the tank and was not removed ?

 

[carbo]

water movment and a clean up crew. If you have a clean up crew has a snail died? some snails can really smell when the die.
You can leave the 18 inch air wand. The air wand does help with water movment, especially if you have a powerful air pump. The air coming to the surface moves the water in the same direction which cause the water to break the surface helping with O2 exchange (not a great deal, but it helps). If you have a good hood and no holes in the top of the tank the salt creep is very little. Personally I like the bubbles.