Silly Question?

[Gen]

Hi,

So... My tank has been cycled. No problems on my stats, etc. A couple of minnows have been in the tank for nearly a week with no issue. Time for a water change. It's just accrued to me that when I do a large water change the temp of the tanks is going to fluctuate. I can probably try to match the water by boiling a kettle and mixing that into the cold water in a buket before I poor it in the tank, but it's still likely to be slightly out. Is there an easy way of doing this? Am i worrying about nothing?

 

[raptorrex]

Hi,

So... My tank has been cycled. No problems on my stats, etc. A couple of minnows have been in the tank for nearly a week with no issue. Time for a water change. It's just accrued to me that when I do a large water change the temp of the tanks is going to fluctuate. I can probably try to match the water by boiling a kettle and mixing that into the cold water in a buket before I poor it in the tank, but it's still likely to be slightly out. Is there an easy way of doing this? Am i worrying about nothing?

you can use, hot tap, or heat the water yourself, in a kettle. but at volumes below, 30%, there is little point in heating the water, at all. but thats personal choice. (just know it's not harmful.) don't worry too much. fish are tougher than, most, of us think.

 

[jacko32]

i just use the hot tap and just make the water luke warm its normaly only 0.5c out either way i wouldnt worry too much

 

[waterdrop]

Me too, I just use a mixing tap to mix hot and cold tap water until it feels the same to my hand as a cup of the current tank water.

But I know for sure that my hot water heater is fiberglass lined (which just means the water sits inside an inert surface and no metals are oxidizing off into the water.) That's the case with the vast majority of domestic water supplies. The concern you sometimes hear is for older houses and since europe has a wealth of older houses as compared to america, we hear a bit more attention paid to this by our UK members. Do you live in an older place with possibly an older type of water heating system?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[raptorrex]

Me too, I just use a mixing tap to mix hot and cold tap water until it feels the same to my hand as a cup of the current tank water.

But I know for sure that my hot water heater is fiberglass lined (which just means the water sits inside an inert surface and no metals are oxidizing off into the water.) That's the case with the vast majority of domestic water supplies. The concern you sometimes hear is for older houses and since europe has a wealth of older houses as compared to america, we hear a bit more attention paid to this by our UK members. Do you live in an older place with possibly an older type of water heating system?

~~waterdrop~~

I've heard this about UK properties. but never come across someone who has had a, provable, copper/lead problem. i think it all comes from the time when all fish were kept is such, bad (compared to today) conditions. so, even the smallest problem, could be a danger. or, more probablly, just one more, "wives Tail", to deal with.

 

[Gen]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[famous]

i try not to use the hot tap as it comes from a tank and you dont know what might be in there. i just use cold water from you tap and have never had any problems.

 

[waterdrop]

Indeed, members who report losing a tank of fish to cold water shock usually express surprise as its never happened to them before!

Seriously though, it's true that water chances at about 15% and below would not be expected to make near enough temp change to matter and even in the 15 to 30% range it would probably be rare. And problems with it vary greatly by species too.

In fact, if you search, you can find big threads where experienced members discuss not only using straight cold water but also not using any conditioner. This is quite controversial though, with other very experienced members not at all wanting to take the risk. In the discussions it sometimes came down to those who felt they had put too much effort into their longer lived fish or too much investment money. There were also those who cited experiences where sudden high chlorine/chloramine levels from the water authority had wiped out their biofilters.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

In fact, if you search, you can find big threads where experienced members discuss not only using straight cold water but also not using any conditioner. This is quite controversial though, with other very experienced members not at all wanting to take the risk. In the discussions it sometimes came down to those who felt they had put too much effort into their longer lived fish or too much investment money. There were also those who cited experiences where sudden high chlorine/chloramine levels from the water authority had wiped out their biofilters.

I have never used conditioner; but I think the trick is to always use it or never use it; don't chop and change. A friend in school had fish and her mam cleaned them out and all the fish died as she didn't put their conditioner in (as they always did). I don't think I'd recommend not using it; but I've not used it and I've got a old fish; I also have shrimp and newts in normal tap water; but then we have good quality tap water so I think it depends on your water quality to begin with.

 

[raptorrex]

There were also those who cited experiences where sudden high chlorine/chloramine levels from the water authority had wiped out their biofilters.

~~waterdrop~~

I lost 3 fish and, virtually, killed a filter that way. despite a few years of using no De-Chlorinator! i use it again now. no surprise there .

 

[fishyfeet]

I was told not to use hot water from the tap because of the copper tank its kept in, is this wrong???

Out of interest, how much chlorine would be in a 50 gal tank with a 20% water change, would it be enough to be harmful to bacteria in the filter???

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I was told not to use hot water from the tap because of the copper tank its kept in, is this wrong???

It depends what water tank you have; my old house had a plastic one; my new house doesn't have a water tank - I've argued and argued with my boyfriend about this and I don't have a water tank.

 

[fishyfeet]

I was told not to use hot water from the tap because of the copper tank its kept in, is this wrong???

It depends what water tank you have; my old house had a plastic one; my new house doesn't have a water tank - I've argued and argued with my boyfriend about this and I don't have a water tank.

well its a large copper one, from the outside, its extra big, because we have economy 7 water heating in the summer, im not sure if its copper inside its about 25 years old.
So i wouldnt risk it, or telling anyone they can add hot water from the tap unless they know (like you obviously do) that its fine to do so.

 

[nork]

It depends what water tank you have; my old house had a plastic one; my new house doesn't have a water tank - I've argued and argued with my boyfriend about this and I don't have a water tank.

It sounds like you may have a tankless hot water system. These were common in certain areas of the US (not sure about anywhere else in the world) several years ago, but seem to be spreading across the states. Their initial purchase and installation costs are typically more than a tanked hot water system, or maybe just replacing a tank, but their month-to-month energy consumption levels are lower as the hot water is heated as it's needed rather than having a tank storing XX gallons of hot water at any given time, eventually (and rather quickly) the month-to-month $$ savings pay for the system, usually within a couple to a few years.

http/www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12820

 

[raptorrex]

on the copper problem. if you use de-chlorinator, most have an element to bind heavy metals. this includes copper does it not? so why worry about something that's sorted, anyway? as such, hot and cold taps, at home, are perfectly safe to use.