can i add herbal rosewater or boiled lemon grass to my fish tank

[FiShrewd]

has anyone done something similar

[Fish Folk]

What are you trying to accomplish??

I sometimes float several Rooibos tea bags in my tanks for 24 hrs to tint, and add tannins.

 

[FiShrewd]

On 4/2/2022 at 6:29 PM, Fish Folk said:

What are you trying to accomplish??

I sometimes float several Rooibos tea bags in my tanks for 24 hrs to tint, and add tannins.

 

well 

i am trying to get a nice scent from my aquascape

by no means my tank stinks but it is in my studio so i would like to introduce a nice smell which will also get people to think that " i have never smelled a fish tank this good, i could drink its water "

[AndreaW]

On 4/2/2022 at 7:56 AM, FiShrewd said:

" i have never smelled a fish tank this good, i could drink its water "

I was talking to my uncle about fishtanks the other day and he asked how often I do water changes. I was thinking it was an odd question, but answered it and then he said, "How often do you drink the tank water when you try starting the syphon? I did that once and got rid of the tank because the taste of fish water was the nastiest thing I've ever tasted!"

What makes it even funnier is that my uncle is a mechanic and has had to syphon all sorts of fluids from cars and has had mouthfuls of gas, brake fluid, etc. and he didn't have as much to complain about with them!

I'll drink my tank water ANY day compared to car fluids! 

[Odd Duck]

On 4/2/2022 at 9:06 AM, AndreaW said:

I was talking to my uncle about fishtanks the other day and he asked how often I do water changes. I was thinking it was an odd question, but answered it and then he said, "How often do you drink the tank water when you try starting the syphon? I did that once and got rid of the tank because the taste of fish water was the nastiest thing I've ever tasted!"

What makes it even funnier is that my uncle is a mechanic and has had to syphon all sorts of fluids from cars and has had mouthfuls of gas, brake fluid, etc. and he didn't have as much to complain about with them!

I'll drink my tank water ANY day compared to car fluids! 

I suspect the difference is in the expectation.  Car fluids you expect to taste nasty.  Water you expect to taste like water.

Have you ever taken a drink of water and gotten lemonade instead?  I like lemonade, but that feeling of it being different than you expected is so very jarring that you think someone has, ahem, done something (number 1) in your cup!  It’s awful!  Then you reset your brain to, “Oh, it’s lemonade”, then it tastes perfectly normal!  😆 😂 🤣 

@FiShrewdi don’t think you would be doing your fishy friends any favors by trying to add perfume or any scent to the tank.  It does nothing for your fish but make them deal with other compounds in the water that could potentially be harmful.

Edited April 2, 2022 by Odd Duck

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/2/2022 at 7:06 AM, AndreaW said:

What makes it even funnier is that my uncle is a mechanic and has had to syphon all sorts of fluids from cars and has had mouthfuls of gas, brake fluid, etc. and he didn't have as much to complain about with them!

Gift him one of those python or whatever brand siphon pumps!  I am sure he would appreciate not having to do that.  If he hasn't, I highly recommend checking out Edd China on youtube and particularly his story about why he wears the gloves he does.  He went in for a routine med check and they found some hydrocarbons and stuff in his blood from all his mechanic duties.

 

 

On 4/2/2022 at 8:22 AM, Odd Duck said:

i don’t think you would be doing your fishy friends any favors by trying to add perfume or any scent to the tank.  It does nothing for your fish but make them deal with other compounds in the water that could potentially be harmful.

Me neither. For whatever reason I recall someone trying to grow lemongrass or use lemongrass in a tank but it's been years and I don't remember the use case. I would recommend this if you really want something for the studio to help out. Just keep in mind it's going to be something where you are adding those particles to the air and be careful what is and isn't fish safe (none of mine have had any issues as a result of my use).

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Organic+Aromas/page/61B115B7-9B5C-4A3A-9165-79895A1689C6?ref_=ast_bln

[R Budds]

My betta got ich and the LFS recommended Pimafix and Melafix, made by API, when I went to look for IckX. They are West Indian Bay leaves and Tea tree oil, respectively. The ich was gone in less than a day with no further occurrence so she was right. 

Anyway I like the combination of the 2 scents, tea tree can be a bit harsh imo, of course it's not what you are going for, but a path you might consider.

I still use it once in a while and the water tastes great.

[FiShrewd]

On 4/3/2022 at 12:41 AM, R Budds said:

My betta got ich and the LFS recommended Pimafix and Melafix, made by API, when I went to look for IckX. They are West Indian Bay leaves and Tea tree oil, respectively. The ich was gone in less than a day with no further occurrence so she was right. 

Anyway I like the combination of the 2 scents, tea tree can be a bit harsh imo, of course it's not what you are going for, but a path you might consider.

I still use it once in a while and the water tastes great.

 well i did take those things into consideration but i have a lot of caridina Gracilirostris and caridina multidentata,

amano's should be fine but the red nose are really sensitive [more sensitive than sensitive caridina's]

[Jawjagrrl]

On 4/2/2022 at 9:56 AM, FiShrewd said:

well 

i am trying to get a nice scent from my aquascape

by no means my tank stinks but it is in my studio so i would like to introduce a nice smell which will also get people to think that " i have never smelled a fish tank this good, i could drink its water "

A well maintained tank shouldn't have a bad smell, but it will smell "alive", kind of like that earthy smell when you walk in the woods after a gentle rain. Nothing wrong with that. I've certainly tasted my tank water when starting a siphon many times and it was fine.

I think the amount of either rose or lemongrass you would need to make your whole tank smell like rose or lemongrass would likely not be healthy for the fish. But like @Odd Duck suggested, something like the herbal tea he uses might be interesting to try.

[H.K.Luterman]

I personally love the earthy/pond smell of my tanks. I'll often take a big snort while doing maintenance. 😉

Also, getting tank water in your mouth is a right of passage for the blossoming aquarist. XD 

[Odd Duck]

On 4/3/2022 at 10:21 AM, Jawjagrrl said:

A well maintained tank shouldn't have a bad smell, but it will smell "alive", kind of like that earthy smell when you walk in the woods after a gentle rain. Nothing wrong with that. I've certainly tasted my tank water when starting a siphon many times and it was fine.

I think the amount of either rose or lemongrass you would need to make your whole tank smell like rose or lemongrass would likely not be healthy for the fish. But like @Odd Duck suggested, something like the herbal tea he uses might be interesting to try.

Wasn’t me, but @Fish Folk that suggested the rooibos tea, although I have used it for species that come from blackwater areas and could benefit from it, especially if they were stressed or sick at all.  It’s a fast, easy way to get tannins in the tank.  It does have a nice smell, but it’s a very transient scent for me since I don’t go super dark with it.  I have not tasted my water after adding it.  😝 

[Jawjagrrl]

On 4/4/2022 at 7:59 AM, Odd Duck said:

Wasn’t me, but @Fish Folk that suggested the rooibos tea, although I have used it for species that come from blackwater areas and could benefit from it, especially if they were stressed or sick at all.  It’s a fast, easy way to get tannins in the tank.  It does have a nice smell, but it’s a very transient scent for me since I don’t go super dark with it.  I have not tasted my water after adding it.  😝 

MD fish tanks on YT used it also for his Blackwater setups. I first saw during the winter when I drink a lot of tea in the evenings and it felt like a waste of good tea 😜 I'm considering a tint also (not full black) for the 75s but will probably go the foraged botanicals route. We have so much oak and sycamore on hand I could open an etsy store just for organic botanicals.

[Flumpweesel]

I've seen people grow aromatics out of the fish tank that might serve your purpose safely. I would be weary of adding anything to change the waters smell. You are introducing something that will be broken down by the tank so more nitrates and potentially irritating by products for the fish. 

[ange]

Seconding the aromatics! I use most of my smaller tanks for aquaponics and edibles include mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, and strawberries. That would be far safer than adding fragrance directly to a tank, especially since fragrance oils are usually irritants.

[ndfi78]

On 4/10/2022 at 4:34 AM, ange said:

Seconding the aromatics! I use most of my smaller tanks for aquaponics and edibles include mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, and strawberries. That would be far safer than adding fragrance directly to a tank, especially since fragrance oils are usually irritants.

I would love to see that setup. My wife and I were talking about doing that the other day.

[ange]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:32 AM, ndfi78 said:

I would love to see that setup. My wife and I were talking about doing that the other day.

Here you go. This is my desktop setup. It's a mix of trailing houseplants with mint and sage. They're all in the little baskets that aquarium plants come in and have leca beads in the container. The plant that dislikes wet feet (the string of turtles) is propped up on a sponge. The other setup is still WIP and basically a bunch of stems tucked into tanks while they grow roots. I was planning to create a DIY thread about it when the project is complete and would rather not hijack the OP's thread.

[Flumpweesel]

@ange I look forward to seeing you DIY post. 

[Guppysnail]

Lemon bacopa ( Bacopa Caroliniana) has a lemon smell and can be safely grown inside the tank. I had a 10g a few years ago stuffed with it. Though it did not create aromatic affects it did seem to minimize the natural earth smell.  (Could have been my imagination) When trimming it always created the aromatic affect. 

[Brandon p]

I would just research what you decide to make tea with just because many pants an seeds boiled have Sedative or deadly effect.
 

I read this but don’t have any other material to back it a Up

”

Boiling the water makes dissolved gases to escape from water. This includes dissolved oxygen.

Fishes derive oxygen for respiration from dissolved oxygen of water. Since ‘cooled-after-boiled’ water contain very little dissolved oxygen, fishes won't do well.”

[Widgets]

"Cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water."

https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/dissolved-oxygen-and-water#overview

When you heat water, it will release the dissolved oxygen that is in excess of what it can hold. When it cools, the oxygen must be replenished. You would need to aerate the cooled water to speed up the restoration of the lost oxygen.

I would think that a cold water seep of the tea would be more desirable. It will leach out the tannins slower and be easier to stop where you want.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Widgets

[SandSea]

I agree about the melafix and pima fix. I used to add a tiny amount (not a regular dose) just to " fragrance" the tank.  But i dont know the answer to the original question.

[Brandon p]

Use a little peat and you are most likely going to get the Conditions the for. Dark weather tank properly stocked. It’s times test in true. You should want you tank to to smell natural so you count smell Potential issues

[Torrey]

On 4/2/2022 at 1:11 PM, R Budds said:

My betta got ich and the LFS recommended Pimafix and Melafix,

For anyone reading along, please be aware that melaleuca is the ingredient in "Fix" medications, and is a known lung irritant (I tried to bring over the peer-reviewed literature, but the link won't work due to paywall). It damages the labyrinth organ in bettas, gouramis, and other labyrinth organ fish.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend allowing any essential oil compounds around surface breathing (labyrinth organ) fish, where they can't avoid the essential oil if it irritates them. I follow this article from a reputable veterinary school in my decision making process.

 

On 4/2/2022 at 7:56 AM, FiShrewd said:

i am trying to get a nice scent from my aquascape

I have grown various kitchen herbs out of the tops of my tanks to help my office (when I had a separate office for doula clients) and now my home smell better. Plus, having fresh herbs was how I slowly won my Patient Spouse™ over to the multiple tank concept.

Some folx will freak out over strongly aromatic plants around tanks, with legitimate concerns about those plant oils getting into the tank when trimming the plants (see my link from the vet school article above) and we do have a responsibility to not contaminate the living environment of our pets with potentially unsafe compounds. I have never had any problems growing jasmine, mint, lemon bacopa, yellow trout lily, marsh marigolds, pothos, dracaena, blue flag iris or swamp hibiscus (some need more space than others). With a little work, philodendron, wandering jew, and a host of other plants will also grow well as riparian plants out of the aquarium, as long as lighting needs are met.

Additional benefits of using plants to bring better smells, is the roots lower nitrate levels in the tank.

I recently rooted a rose cutting in my tank, and I am currently experimenting to identify the best fertilizer for the rose to do well. Paperwhite flowers also do well with their roots (not their bulbs) in the aquarium water....however the smell of paperwhites is way too strong for me.😅

[R Budds]

On 4/29/2022 at 6:42 PM, Torrey said:

For anyone reading along, please be aware that melaleuca is the ingredient in "Fix" medications, and is a known lung irritant (I tried to bring over the peer-reviewed literature, but the link won't work due to paywall). It damages the labyrinth organ in bettas, gouramis, and other labyrinth organ fish.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend allowing any essential oil compounds around surface breathing (labyrinth organ) fish, where they can't avoid the essential oil if it irritates them. I follow this article from a reputable veterinary school in my decision making process. 

I love internet conspiracy theories especially ones with tangential, but seemingly irrelevant, sources. I'm not recommending pouring undiluted tea tree oil onto a cat's head, lol.

Of course appropriate caution should be used, which should go without saying, but people often can't understand or follow directions and that makes life harder for everyone unfortunately. 

[Torrey]

For more information on Bettas, here's the link to the Member's Talk with Gianne Souza