Changing Water For Dummies

[ian]

i can't see the 'no hot water' thing causing trouble when you have a combi boiler, it all comes from the same system.

 

[waterdrop]

I meant basically what boboboy is saying, ie. that CO2 going more sharply up and down can help certain kinds of algae. The comment was not about fish -- unless a tank has old tank syndrome from never having had water changes, water change are GOOD for fish, and as long as reasonable care is taken to deal with chlorine/chloramine (if needed) and temperature (if needed) then quick changes are fine for fish.

The issue of where the hot water comes from is individual for each home. Its hard to generalize but we all tend to do it. In the usa its extremely common for homes to be build with a fiberglass lined hot water storage tank. They don't tend to raise the copper levels in the water but its no guarantee. The UK, having more history than us, has a wider variety of possibilities for excess copper but if we could know, it might not really be any more prevalent than in the US. I'll let UK people talk about it as they know better. Also, there are tons of old threads on this in TFF.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[AdAndrews]

so, if i wanted to avoid the hassle of preparing water the night before etc. do i use water from the kettle, or would it be easier/quicker to get an extra heater to heat the water?

thanks

 

[waterdrop]

I'm not familiar with your specific situation AA. If this is a tank where you are using pressurized CO2 then I would think the concern about CO2 fluctuation from the addition of fresh tap water that comes immediately from the pipes would not be a concern because you are already regulating the CO2 in a more powerful way.

There are multiple reasons its difficult to advise about the heat/copper problem I believe. The first is that I don't know the makeup of your system. There are some members here who know what to ask better than me: Are the pipes plastic, lead, copper, new, old? What's the method of heating and what are the coils like and made of? What about any holding of water in the system? Secondly, I've heard that copper test kits may not be reliable enough to help diagnose the situation - anyone remember any info on that?

Of course we should all keep this discussion in context. Its a bit of a tempest in a teapot I guess, as the vast majority, including myself currently, are putting tap water straight in, either via hoses or buckets and of course there are plenty of experienced members who size their changes small enough to use no heating and pretty many don't even use dechlor, although again, I don't recommend that to beginners. By the way, for any of you hardcore hobbyists, there's a fresh article that touches on this subject slightly in the latest AGA issue.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[raptorrex]

so, if i wanted to avoid the hassle of preparing water the night before etc. do i use water from the kettle, or would it be easier/quicker to get an extra heater to heat the water?

thanks

I would use hot water from the tap, or as now, cold water for my changes (up to 30%).

we all, in this hobby, tend to try to be too specific. its leads to, unnecessary, complication of what we do. in essence we, over analyse, and over complicate or systems. many things, like "no hot water" "let water stand" are based on not much more than urban legends. i am not saying there is no scientific basis, for the worries. its just in practice (real world) the effect is ,most often, negligible.

 

[AdAndrews]

great, thanks mate...

is it possible to kill a small fish (less than 1 inch) by pouring cold water, straight from the tap, right into the area of the tank where he is?

 

[raptorrex]

great, thanks mate...

is it possible to kill a small fish (less than 1 inch) by pouring cold water, straight from the tap, right into the area of the tank where he is?

well, not in my, and the experience of may others. that's why i say, no more then 30% in cold. there is good, empiric, evedence that cold water is, either good for, or enjoyed by fish. lets face it, in nature. fish would be experiencing, large changes in both temp and the other water stats. on a daily, if not hourly basis. drastic changes in temp cause some fish to breed. so variance is part of nature.

its getting back to my previous post. none of the tricks suggested cause problems for your fish. but, not using the suggestions, has little or no ill effect.

 

[AdAndrews]

i understand, thanks alot mate

and sorry to the OP for invading

Adam