Water Temp

[Pidgecbr600rr]

I am new to all this so excuse my lack of knowledge

Ok i understand 24 deg is about the right temperature, i've had my tank nearly 2 weeks now, the weekend just gone i purchased a thermometer to make sure the temp in my tank was ok, to my surprise it measure 30deg even though the heater was set to 24, now i have gradually turned down the heater, but its almost on bottom temp setting and the water temp is 27 deg, and feels cold to the touch, i am just a little bit worried about this

Should i trust the thermometer and continue reducing the heater till its bottom, and does the water really feel cold to touch at 24deg?

Please help its another 4 days till i get to go to the aquarium again

Thanks

Paul

 

[emma12321]

I set my tanks between 24 and 26 but they frequently go up to 29 and even over this summer. Aim to level the tank at around 25. The temp won't bother the fish if it goes up slightly so long as it doesn't fluctuate too wildly. What size tank do you have and what do you plan on putting in it as some fish, discus for example prefer much warmer water.

Welcome to the forum

Emma

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Thankyou for the welcome

I currently have 3x Tuxedo Platy's and 3x Rainbow Platys (i think)

The tank size is 70ltr but has approx 60ltr of water i added my first 3 fish 3 days after setting up and another 3 on the weekend just gone, everything seems really good except for one getting stuck in the rock, luckily i was able to break the rock away to free the fish, and it seems fine and doing well

My only concern is how far out the heater thermometer seems to be, so now i am doubting the temperature on the seperate thermometer i purchased

So does the water feel cool to touch at 24 deg? i am expecting it to be kinda warm, but being new i just dont know

Thanks again

Paul

 

[emma12321]

It does feel quite cool, the first tank i set up i was expecting it to be warmer. The wolf posted recently about the differences in thermometers all placed in the same tank. He found the glass ones which float inside to be a lot more accurate than the stick on the glass ones. What make is your heater? the juwel ones i have are terrible to set up.

Emma

 

[dwarfgourami]

How warm 24 degrees feels to the touch is going to depend on how warm your fingers happen to be at the time. Makes a big difference if you've just come in from the cold compared to if you've been doing the washing up. But is is quite a bit cooler than your body temperature; think the Mediterranean sea.

The most important thing for you to worry about now is probably not the temperature but the water stats. have you read up on cycling? Have you got a test kit for ammonia, nitrites and nitrites? If not, you need to get one straightaway. Read up the pinned topics on cycling as they will help you understand what is going on in your tank. You will probably need to do quite a few water changes (with dechlorinated water) during the next few weeks to keep ammonia and nitrites under control. Post us back your readings so we can see how the tank is doing.

Thankyou for the welcome

I currently have 3x Tuxedo Platy's and 3x Rainbow Platys (i think)

The tank size is 70ltr but has approx 60ltr of water i added my first 3 fish 3 days after setting up and another 3 on the weekend just gone, everything seems really good except for one getting stuck in the rock, luckily i was able to break the rock away to free the fish, and it seems fine and doing well

My only concern is how far out the heater thermometer seems to be, so now i am doubting the temperature on the seperate thermometer i purchased

So does the water feel cool to touch at 24 deg? i am expecting it to be kinda warm, but being new i just dont know

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Its a 200w Elite submersible one cost me £9.99 so perhaps i'm expecting alot, i've just dropped it from 20deg to 18 deg my tank is currently reading 27deg.

The thermometer is one of those stick on the side ones, i wish i had compared it to the others in the shop now to check it was readng the same before purchasing, oh well

I'm glad the water shouldnt feel warm to touch though, guess the words tropical are a bit mis leading

Thanks for advice, Emma, what setup do u have? have u posted pics on here?

Paul


Yeh the shop warned me over the next week or 2 it will change alot and to have the water checked

I dont plan to get any more fish now for a couple of weeks till it settles down, sunday i will be replacing 25% water and doing that each week for a few weeks then do it every fortnight after that, also i will take samples down to the shop for testing each week

How much are test kits btw? and how long do they last approx or how many test can u take?

Thanks

Paul

 

[emma12321]

Hi Paul,

If you click my profile it lists my fish, my tanks are in my sig. I haven't got round to posting pics yet as i am rubbish at taking them. I basically started with a 15 gallon tank which is the size of yours (or 18 US gallons) and then developed MTS (multiple tank syndrome). I have seperated the male and female platies now but as they store sperm for 6 months i still expect loads more babied. Once i have rehomed all the babies i hope to get different sorts of fish for the 2 x 15 gallon tanks.

If you put your location in your profile it will help us with questions about things like costs. I bought a master test kit, which does 6 different tests and i cost £20. The ones you need to get are Ph, ammonia, nitrAte and NitrIte the others you could always get later but you don't really need them. The tests last for ages as you just add a few drops at a time to a test tube of water. Avoid the strip tests as they aren't very accurate.

Hope this helps

Emma

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

Cool, i might get me a test kit this weekend then.. yet more cost

One of my Rainbow Platy had babies, they hide away in the rocks, already seen one get eaten, so i'm guessing they wont survive

Paul

 

[emma12321]

Some might make it, especially since you only have the platies at the minute mine don't stand a chance if i don't take them out of the main tank. What other fish are you thinking of adding to your tank? A group of corydoras would be nice for the bottom and maybe a group of otocinclus for algae control. What ever you get make sure you research and don't impulse buy. And make sure you keep checking your water stats and get the tank fully cycled.

Emma

 

[Pidgecbr600rr]

You know i really dont know hehe, the fish shop near by seems to have a good stocked variety, so i will prob ask their advice and buy what fits in and what i like

I would like a catfish for the bottom, but i know some grow quite big, also i would like a friendly shark type fish (excuse the descriptions) or some other nice solitary fish

Also will prob get a few neons, as i would like to get a nice group of small fish

Oh and i like the look of crabs, but unsure how much space they require

I need to get a good book i think, or do you have some good links with useful descriptions of fish, with pics?

Thanks

Paul

 

[emma12321]

Hi,

Theres a lot of info in the fish index on the first page. If you see something you like do a google search on it as there's a lot of conflicting information on the internet. aquahobby has some fish galleries where people put their comments on different fish. See what you like then ask on here for peoples views. A shark will probably be too big for your tank, bala shark can get 14 inches long and should live in groups. You could have some khuli loach for bottom fish, do plenty of research.

edit: ask about crabs in the inverts section.

Emma