A note for northern newcomers

[GaryE]

I was just checking the weather, and we have a balmy -36 due tonight. The intense cold is usually only a couple of weeks, but it has a huge effect on fishkeeping in one specific way new aquarists should be aware of. It's a problem that can develop by about -10, depending on what your water setup is.

If I were to do a water change in the next 48 hours. I could seriously harm or even kill some of my fish. If your water comes out of the tap (or a water changing hose) greyish, super-saturated with oxygen bubbles, then too much of a good thing is at play. Cooler water holds more oxygen, and really cold water holds too much. It can do cellular damage to gills.

It's a north of the equator northern issue, and I'm sure northern Australian aquarists getting plus 35 tapwater can't commiserate. But if you are in that great band of population that stretches across the hard winter zones of North America, Europe and Asia, it's a short term issue to be aware of. It's the only thing that knocks me off my regular weekly water change routine.

I learned the hard way.... and I'll be waiting for a window of slightly warmer winter early next week. This is a tough town to be a tropical fish in.

 

[Oblio]

Will the excess O2 outgas if left to sit in a container for a day?

 

[AquaBarb]

I was just checking the weather, and we have a balmy -36 due tonight. The intense cold is usually only a couple of weeks, but it has a huge effect on fishkeeping in one specific way new aquarists should be aware of. It's a problem that can develop by about -10, depending on what your water setup is.

If I were to do a water change in the next 48 hours. I could seriously harm or even kill some of my fish. If your water comes out of the tap (or a water changing hose) greyish, super-saturated with oxygen bubbles, then too much of a good thing is at play. Cooler water holds more oxygen, and really cold water holds too much. It can do cellular damage to gills.

It's a north of the equator northern issue, and I'm sure northern Australian aquarists getting plus 35 tapwater can't commiserate. But if you are in that great band of population that stretches across the hard winter zones of North America, Europe and Asia, it's a short term issue to be aware of. It's the only thing that knocks me off my regular weekly water change routine.

I learned the hard way.... and I'll be waiting for a window of slightly warmer winter early next week. This is a tough town to be a tropical fish in.

-36!!! Wow thats insanely cold. I thought -1 this morning was freezing. Hope it warms up for you soon.

 

[Colin_T]

Will the excess O2 outgas if left to sit in a container for a day?

If you aerate tap water for 30 minutes or more, then the dissolved gasses in the water will get back to their normal levels. The dissolved gasses include carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2) and nitrogen (N).

 

[AbbeysDad]

I think we might point out that practically NO water change should be done with cold water only as it could shock fish! If you're refilling straight from the tap, regardless of where you live, or the time of year, you simply adjust the hot and cold taps to provide the same temperature as the aquarium water. Alternatively you might otherwise preheat the water (I preheat water for partial water changes in my unheated basement in a 45g Brute Trash can using a couple of 300w heaters. An air stone and time eliminates any gases.).

With water from my well at least, I have never found O2 or CO2 to be a problem with doing 50% partial water changes (temp adjusted) from the tap. ■

 

[MonsieurLaGrenuoille]

I was just checking the weather, and we have a balmy -36 due tonight. The intense cold is usually only a couple of weeks, but it has a huge effect on fishkeeping in one specific way new aquarists should be aware of. It's a problem that can develop by about -10, depending on what your water setup is.

If I were to do a water change in the next 48 hours. I could seriously harm or even kill some of my fish. If your water comes out of the tap (or a water changing hose) greyish, super-saturated with oxygen bubbles, then too much of a good thing is at play. Cooler water holds more oxygen, and really cold water holds too much. It can do cellular damage to gills.

It's a north of the equator northern issue, and I'm sure northern Australian aquarists getting plus 35 tapwater can't commiserate. But if you are in that great band of population that stretches across the hard winter zones of North America, Europe and Asia, it's a short term issue to be aware of. It's the only thing that knocks me off my regular weekly water change routine.

I learned the hard way.... and I'll be waiting for a window of slightly warmer winter early next week. This is a tough town to be a tropical fish in.

But you sure don't mind such a place like Berlin? I can good remember a few winters here having -20 °C for a couple of weeks but no problems as you have, where I live in Berlin the water has 16 dGH and 7 dKH and PH 7, if I remember right, but NO3 is cero, as I have heard elsewhere in Germany, in the countryside, do have 30-50 ppm so I m lucky after all, as an aquarist. Do you live near the North Pol? Well, I can imagine in Siberia it could be almost the same (patientia...).

 

[GaryE]

It gases off quickly - with aeration. The glass gets a lot of bubbles clinging to it for a couple of hours if you pour directly. I run a several tank set up, so I go directly from the tap via a hose. If I left the water standing, it would be no problem.
No North Pole here - I have had Inuit acquaintances ask me how I can stand living so far south. I'm not that far from the US border.

If where you are, you don't get saturation, good for you! If you do (I suspect the municipal water tower system may contribute) err on the side of caution and wait a few days. The water changes need to be done, but they can wait a couple of days until things settle. It's only a couple of weeks where I see this discussed, but those weeks have arrived for some here.

 

[MonsieurLaGrenuoille]

Bon courage!

 

[ClownLurch]

Man alive! and here’s me whinging about the possibility of moving 250 miles back up to the cold north east of England after retirement instead of northern Portugal/northern Spain or south west France. Damn you brexit, damn you to hell.

 

[Colin_T]

come to Australia, it's gonna be 35C on Monday, 40 on Tuesday, 41 on Wednesday,

 

[Oblio]

The glass gets a lot of bubbles clinging to it for a couple of hours if you pour directly. I run a several tank set up, so I go directly from the tap via a hose.

So this is a symptom of high dissolved gases? I guess that makes sense, gases precipitate on nucleation sites. I think I had bubbles on my glass last time I did a cold water change, have not seen them since running 'warm' water in during a WC.

 

[vanalisa]

I had bubbles in my glass the last time I had champagne!

(And root beer for that matter).

 

[GaryE]

come to Australia, it's gonna be 35C on Monday, 40 on Tuesday, 41 on Wednesday,

Likewise, if you want to cool down, I have just the place. It's supposed to shoot up to close to freezing Monday, and the meteorologists are tracking a snowstorm with high winds. The worst case scenario is 40cm...or half that if we dodge the bullet.

I had bubbles in my glass the last time I had champagne!

(And root beer for that matter).

Root beer and champagne - you know how to live. I've never quite had that mix.

 

[vanalisa]

@GaryE
Well not at the same time!

 

[Colin_T]

I had bubbles in my glass the last time I had champagne!

(And root beer for that matter).

those bubbles are carbon dioxide