Water changes.....

jread · 01-09-2004, 04:10 AM

Did a 20% water change on my currently cycling 10-gallon today, and noticed something alarming:

On my reef tanks, I always had a jug of pre-mixed water as well as a jug of R/O water for water changes/top off. These jugs were at room temp. because they just sat there until I needed them. Whenever I did water changes, I never had to worry about the temp dropping too much.

Today I did a water change on my freshwater tank and used tap water. I didn't think about this, but the temp of the tap water is MUCH colder than the tank temp (especially with it being winter). After the water change, my tank temperature instantly dropped about 5 degrees!! Thankfully there are no fish in the tank right now!! That could have been bad!

My question is this: since I only have one jug for siphoning/filling my tank, should I turn on a little of the warm water when doing water changes? I know I shouldn't make it *warm* but at least not freezing cold like it is right now. It seemed like this would be the logical solution, but I wanted to make sure that using water that has been heated would not harm them in any way.

Will this work? What do you do on your tanks to keep from shocking the fish with a drastic temp. change?

mario · 01-09-2004, 04:23 AM

Just get yourself a thermometer and add warm water to your jug until it has about the same temperature as your tank. After a while you won't even need the thermometer anymore, and you can judge the water temperature with your hand. On top of that, most fish can easily deal with a temperature change of a few degrees every now and then.

2la · 01-09-2004, 04:25 AM

Hmm, it seems to me that the most logical thing to do is get the temperature of the tap water roughly the same as the tank temperature. Does your faucet not have a hot water handle that allows you to adjust the temperature?

hypsophrys · 01-09-2004, 04:32 AM

I just get the water warm (80ish) out of the tap... I err on the high side because I think it's less of a shock. I used to worry about gunk/minerals from the water heater, but haven't had any problems...

jread · 01-09-2004, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2la

Hmm, it seems to me that the most logical thing to do is get the temperature of the tap water roughly the same as the tank temperature. Does your faucet not have a hot water handle that allows you to adjust the temperature?

Yes, I do have hot water.. lol. I know, it seems like a dumb question. I just wanted to make sure that the heated water is ok for them, meaning that the way it's heated in the hot water tank doesn't change the composition of it in a negative way. Chemistry is not my strong point, obviously

jread · 01-09-2004, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypsophrys

I used to worry about gunk/minerals from the water heater, but haven't had any problems...

That's what I was asking about. I guess I should have worded it better.

hypsophrys · 01-09-2004, 04:33 AM

Looks like we were typing at the same time. :-)

Overfloater · 01-17-2004, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Hmm, it seems to me that the most logical thing to do is get the temperature of the tap water roughly the same as the tank temperature. Does your faucet not have a hot water handle that allows you to adjust the temperature?

This is what I do and I've never had a problem.

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01-09-2004, 04:10 AM	#1
jread Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 331	Did a 20% water change on my currently cycling 10-gallon today, and noticed something alarming: On my reef tanks, I always had a jug of pre-mixed water as well as a jug of R/O water for water changes/top off. These jugs were at room temp. because they just sat there until I needed them. Whenever I did water changes, I never had to worry about the temp dropping too much. Today I did a water change on my freshwater tank and used tap water. I didn't think about this, but the temp of the tap water is MUCH colder than the tank temp (especially with it being winter). After the water change, my tank temperature instantly dropped about 5 degrees!! Thankfully there are no fish in the tank right now!! That could have been bad! My question is this: since I only have one jug for siphoning/filling my tank, should I turn on a little of the warm water when doing water changes? I know I shouldn't make it warm but at least not freezing cold like it is right now. It seemed like this would be the logical solution, but I wanted to make sure that using water that has been heated would not harm them in any way. Will this work? What do you do on your tanks to keep from shocking the fish with a drastic temp. change?

01-09-2004, 04:23 AM	#2
mario Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 287	Just get yourself a thermometer and add warm water to your jug until it has about the same temperature as your tank. After a while you won't even need the thermometer anymore, and you can judge the water temperature with your hand. On top of that, most fish can easily deal with a temperature change of a few degrees every now and then.

01-09-2004, 04:25 AM	#3
2la Planted Tank Enthusiast (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 993	Hmm, it seems to me that the most logical thing to do is get the temperature of the tap water roughly the same as the tank temperature. Does your faucet not have a hot water handle that allows you to adjust the temperature?

01-09-2004, 04:32 AM	#4
hypsophrys Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 225	I just get the water warm (80ish) out of the tap... I err on the high side because I think it's less of a shock. I used to worry about gunk/minerals from the water heater, but haven't had any problems...

01-09-2004, 04:33 AM	#7
hypsophrys Planted Member (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 225	Looks like we were typing at the same time. :-)