Java Moss Smell
 

I recently got some java moss and it smells terrible. It smells sort of like manure. Does anyone know if this is natural or how I should make it smell better? Thanks.

Sorry for the short post. > <
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It tends to have a bit of an "Earthy smell" but you shouldn't be able to really smell it that bad when it's in the tank.
Sometimes when I put new plants in my tank they smell quite earthy at first, but then quickly go away.
You might want to try to rinse the plant off.

I was doing some research and everyone seems to use the term "earthy" could you elaborate on it for me? Also, does this smell affect anything in the tank? I'm scared it might be like ammonia as my fish were acting a bit weird for a bit.

Earthy.. as in, Have you every been to the river, full of fish, rocks, mud and plants, and just taken a deep breath? It doesn't exactly smell horrible, but at the same time it doesn't smell like a bakery. I'm sorry, that's the best I know how to put it.

It shouldn't affect your fish. Did you rinse the plant off first?
If your fish act really strange, you may want to do a slight water change. 25-30%. Thats what I do anyways.

Honestly, it smells like a mix between manure and seaweed. I didn't rinse it off at first because it was in a jar and it was compacted together really tightly, if I rinsed it, it would make a huge mess. Anyways, I will change the water maybe tomorrow as the fish are acting more normal now. Thanks.

I wouldn't worry, but rinse it as a clump in a bowl or jar of warmish water, use your fingers to swirl the strands a bit. Might have been some detritus in the clump.