Can I Use Water Out Of The Hot Tap?

[Gazpug]

Hello all,

I was wondering if i could use water out of the hot tap to bring my water changes up to temperature. I cange just shy of 70 lites a week and it can take a while to boil up the water necesarry to heat up the water to 24 deg. I live in north scotland at the moment?

Any ideas.

Regards

Gaz

 

[Colin_T]

you can but many hot water systems have higher levels of copper in them. The hot water causes the copper piping to corrode faster than cold water. Also if the hot water system isn't kept really hot, you can get a lot of bacteria living in it that can be an issue to the fish.

I use a plastic rubbish bin and put a spare aquarium heater in it. Add your dechlorinator and an airstone and leave it overnight. The next day it is the correct temperature and the chlorine has come out and it is safe to use.

 

[backtotropical]

Hi,

You can use water from the hot tap, but the water has much lower oxygen saturation than cold water. That said, water boiled in the kettle carries the same problems. This is fine if the water is oxygenated before added to the aquarium, but that would defeat the purpose of using hot water in the first place as it takes time, and you could have just used water from the cold tap and let it warm up.

What % of the water do you change each time? Water changes of up to around 50% from the cold tap shouldn't have any great effect on the fish, even if changed immediately without being left to acclimate to room temp. Many fish actually like the flow of cool water and will play in it, and it even encourages some species to spawn.

Temperature acclimitisation, although important, is over-stressed amongst aquarists, as the temperature difference would have to be quite large to have any negative effect. Thats not to say the dangers aren't real. With a large enough temperature fluctuation, fish can die, but in my experience a fluctuation that big is rarely achieved in the aquarium so long as you are sensible about it. Many people are scared to change, say 10%, straight from the cold tap without acclimation, and i believe this fear to be unfounded.

It is good practice to match the temperature so far as is practical, but the dangers certainly seem to be exaggerated in the aquarium hobby.

I personally do 50% changes every week straight from the cold tap (i use a python) and have never had any ill effects.

Cheers

BTT

 

[Gazpug]

Hi,

You can use water from the hot tap, but the water has much lower oxygen saturation than cold water. That said, water boiled in the kettle carries the same problems. This is fine if the water is oxygenated before added to the aquarium, but that would defeat the purpose of using hot water in the first place as it takes time, and you could have just used water from the cold tap and let it warm up.

What % of the water do you change each time? Water changes of up to around 50% from the cold tap shouldn't have any great effect on the fish, even if changed immediately without being left to acclimate to room temp. Many fish actually like the flow of cool water and will play in it, and it even encourages some species to spawn.

Temperature acclimitisation, although important, is over-stressed amongst aquarists, as the temperature difference would have to be quite large to have any negative effect. Thats not to say the dangers aren't real. With a large enough temperature fluctuation, fish can die, but in my experience a fluctuation that big is rarely achieved in the aquarium so long as you are sensible about it. Many people are scared to change, say 10%, straight from the cold tap without acclimation, and i believe this fear to be unfounded.

It is good practice to match the temperature so far as is practical, but the dangers certainly seem to be exaggerated in the aquarium hobby.

I personally do 50% changes every week straight from the cold tap (i use a python) and have never had any ill effects.

Cheers

BTT

That is very interesting. I usually change around 70 litres of water a week. I have a 295 litre tank. So let me get this right. I couldput water in the bin he night before let the tmp cpme up to room temp and then the next day gravel vac the water out and without heating the water just put it straight in without any major problems with my fish?

I have another question. Where did you get your python from?

Regards

GAZ

 

[backtotropical]

I usually change around 70 litres of water a week. I have a 295 litre tank. So let me get this right. I couldput water in the bin he night before let the tmp cpme up to room temp and then the next day gravel vac the water out and without heating the water just put it straight in without any major problems with my fish?

Yes, that would be absolutely fine. Your water changes are just shy of 25% so if you let the temp of the fresh water acclimate to room temp over night, you would probably see virtually no movement in the temp of the tank at all. I would advise that you should still dechlorinate the fresh water when you put it in the bin, but other than that, yeah spot on.

I have another question. Where did you get your python from?

I made my own from parts readily available from your local B&Q. I can give you more info if you're interested.

Cheers Gaz

BTT

 

[chr15_8]

i use my hot water tap and have had no problems. my hot water comes from the main though though the boiler as and when needed. if your water is warmed by a cylinder and an immersion heater im sure it wont be as clean or nice to use.

 

[tigermoth2]

There should be no more copper problem with the hot water sytem than the cold water sytem, provided that the piping is not brand new. The inside surface of the copper pipes will oxidise very slightly sealing the copper off with a layer of copper oxide or copper carbonate. Both of these are so insoluble as to make no difference unless your water is very acidic. This is possible in some private/well supplies.
Bob W

 

[srem]

surely this depends on how your hot water is heated? i'm not sure what effect it would have, but you may want to consider whether your house uses a hot water tank or a boiler that heats water on demand. thanks.

 

[CageUK]

I do a 10% - 20% change most weeks using a mixture of hot and cold water hosed straight from the mixer tap in our kitchen then treated with API Stress Coat as it goes in the tank.

My main tank is a 260ltr so I therefore change between 26ltrs and 50+ ltrs a time. I also do changes on the smaller tanks I have.

I have never had a problem with this and the water comes from a copper cylinder in the loft which is a good few years old now. I know the water temp in the cylinder is fairly hot though but can't remember what temp it is.

I have also found that when changing water in my big tank I can make it quite a painless task by using the hose to drain water from the tank.

I put one end in the tank, and the other on the kitchen tap.

Then I fill the hose with cold water until it starts coming out into the tank, then unplug the kitchen tap end and Voila! I have a syphon. I put a weight on the lid of the tank which holds the end of the hose in the position that I want the tank to drain down to and it will obviously stop when it reaches that point.

I then just put the hose back on the tap and turn on once I have approximated the correct temp. Once the tank is full, unplug the kitchen tap again and race to the tank to break the syphon.

DON'T FORGET THAT YOU ARE FILLING THE TANK!

Things could get a little damp otherwise...I've not done it yet but...

This is my poor man's python!

Cheers

 

[raptorrex]

i am unsure as to why the way the water is heated is of any consequence. one lot is heated in a coil of copper pipes over an burner. the other is heated in a copper tank by an immersion heater. both will have low O2 because of the temperature. how are the two types different?

 

[Saedcantas]

i am unsure as to why the way the water is heated is of any consequence. one lot is heated in a coil of copper pipes over an burner. the other is heated in a copper tank by an immersion heater. both will have low O2 because of the temperature. how are the two types different?

Due to the potential for bacterial growth

I personally keep my jerry can of RO in the kitchen essentially at room temp until I need it and pour it straight in when I'm ready

I've never brought temps up to exactly that of in the tank and I've never had a fish even shocked by the temps when the water is changed let alone die of it

I wouldnt worry but it's your call
Lotte***

 

[raptorrex]

i am unsure as to why the way the water is heated is of any consequence. one lot is heated in a coil of copper pipes over an burner. the other is heated in a copper tank by an immersion heater. both will have low O2 because of the temperature. how are the two types different?

Due to the potential for bacterial growth

I personally keep my jerry can of RO in the kitchen essentially at room temp until I need it and pour it straight in when I'm ready

I've never brought temps up to exactly that of in the tank and I've never had a fish even shocked by the temps when the water is changed let alone die of it

I wouldnt worry but it's your call
Lotte***

you are joking of course there are very few bacteria that can survive the water temperatures in a hot water system? excepting those that live round the oceans thermal vents.

you can do as you wish, but there is on case to be made for using RO in a freshwater system, aside from a few fussy fish, especially in the UK. even that bit really close to France. i do however hope you have done the decent thing and have a water meter fitted, its a bit unfair to make others pay for your waste. (1 in 5 recovery rate).

i use untreated tap water, mixed from both hot and cold taps. i add it at slightly less than tank temperature, and pour it in fast, adding O2. never had water problems nor any form of illness. must be doing something right.

 

[geo7x]

Unless you are changing more than 50% (which also seems pointless unless in an emergency) then I think heating up water before putting it in is a waste of time and totally unnecessary.

Normal water changes with cold water don't make the temperature drop much at all, only by a couple of degrees, and water fluctuates a suprising amount in the rivers that these fish live in. Besides, most fish enjoy a cold water change and is even a spawning trigger for many fish, so it's obviously not that bad! Some people need to learn that fish don't need to be wrapped in cotton wool, and I find the concept of heating water up in a bucket with a heater in before adding almost laughable. (On that note, Colin_T, I am sorry to say you are wasting your time on two fronts, firstly you don't need to wait for the water to heat up, and secondly, honestly, dechlorinator works instantly )
For very sensitive fish it may be a different story however even then I'm sure it would be fine as long as the hose isn't blasting cold water directly on to the fish.

As a side note, although unnecessary, when I was less aware I used a mixture of hot and cold water from the taps and had no ill effects. However it is unnecessary and therefore not worth the risk.

 

[Colin_T]

I think many people underestimate the power of chlorine and cold water on causing fish to get sick. I too did water changes and filled the tank with cold water from the hose. I added dechlorinater during and after the top up. I even double dosed the tanks. All went well for many years and then one day I lost a tank of fish straight after the water change. They all went to the surface gasping and within minutes were dead.
Turns out the water corp had significantly increased the chlorine levels to compensate for a hot spell of weather we were due to have. From that moment on, I have left my water to aerate for at least 24hours with a dechlorinator before using it.
I also heat the water up in winter and since I have been doing this, I have not had a single case of whitespot. I have been using this procedure for over 15years now and no spots or dead fish from chlorine.
It's a bit more work but is a small price to pay to prevent unnecessary losses.

 

[Saedcantas]

you are joking of course there are very few bacteria that can survive the water temperatures in a hot water system? excepting those that live round the oceans thermal vents.

you can do as you wish, but there is on case to be made for using RO in a freshwater system, aside from a few fussy fish, especially in the UK. even that bit really close to France. i do however hope you have done the decent thing and have a water meter fitted, its a bit unfair to make others pay for your waste. (1 in 5 recovery rate).

No need to be quite so rude was there dear...

If you think extremophile bacteria are only found around mid ocean ridges, you're sorely mistaken
But that's not what's being suggested here, depending on your system, it's age and if it contains areas that might never get as hot as 60 degrees or only as hot as 50 degrees for a limited time, there is potential for bacterial growth. People are usually most concerned about Legionella, but who knows what else that would be more of a problem for our fish could be lurking there.
Maybe it's just an old wives tale, as I said you make your own choices or mistakes

What was really the necessity of the derogatory tone of the second paragraph there?
I'm not Jerseyborn so I couldnt give a monkeys if it's a "little bit near france" I wont be taken on some bizarre guilt trip about using RO.
I use it because Jersey has stunningly poor water quality and I buy it from a shop that already has a unit running for their Marine section.
Does that satisfy your attitude?

Lotte***