Water changes in the winter

[spankey]

I was just curious how everyone does thier routines for water changes in the winter time? Seeing how its winter time here in PA the pipes are cold.

In the summer I could just do direct water changes from the tap and the temp was fine. But now the water is ice cold how should I be doing this.

I have a 55 gallon and do 50% water changes! I only really notice by adding the water it changes the tank by about 2 degree's. Is 2 degrees bad? I just can't store 25 gallons at room temp.

I just don't want to shock the fish nor the plants?


I was told you shouldn't add warm water either from the tap, is that false?

How do any of you do this when your weather change hits......

Thanks for the help..

Spankey

[Cichlid Woman]

I know, I've heard that too, that you must always use cold water from the tap, and I did it for years, using small, microwave-heated beakers of water, one at a time, to warm up the water in the buckets. Arggghhh!

Now, I use warm water--I get the tap water coming out at the same temperature as what's in the tank. I dechlorinate it with a chemical that also removes heavy metals, which most of them do. Seems to work. (I can't believe I used to fuss with the beaker thing.)

-- Pat

[Matak]

I use my fingers too and it is within two degrees F. Used to do the boiling water & thermometer thing. Wow, what a waste of time.

[gcvt]

How often are you doing the 50% water changes?

[Slappy*McFish]

I store my water a week ahead of time...and since I dont use heaters, the rooms are kept around 75-76F usually, my stored water is the same temp as my tanks...but I have used hot water from the tap in the past with no problems.

[Bremer]

Although pipe temperature is very rarely a problem for me, I have used hot water as needed for 2+ years with no problem. Basically, I turn the hot water on very slightly, then use cold water to balance to the temperature I want. So I am mostly using cold water anyway.

But like I said, it isn't required very often here.

[BV77]

I have a 30 gal. tub that I got at Wal-Mart for like $8. I have a small 50w heater in it and a small air pump and airstone. The small heater takes quite a few days to get the water up to tank temp, but it sits there all week. That way it is the right temp and dechlorinated without chemicals. BTW 50% water changes are not good IMO. I do 25% per week in all tanks. Some folks do 2 week intervals. If you change 50% of the water, the change in water quality can shock the fish.

[keely]

Winter? ... our cold water is never the same as tank temperature in any season :confused: I change 50% once a week, using enough hot tap water to get the temperature right.

[Sumpin'fishy]

I have heard that hot water is only a problem when it hasn't been running recently. I use the python vac system, and a few minutes before I fully drain 50% of the water, I turn on the hot water too, enough to feel the same as tank water (feel with fingers). Anyways, when the tank is half empty, I plug the drain on the python and the warm water goes into the tank. I just add dechlorinator/conditioner as I fill it, adding the appropriate amounts as it fills. I have almost never seen any temp change in my tank and the few times have been very small (few degrees). Fish haven't gotten sick yet from this.

I must say, that I wouldn't do this for sensitive fish like rams, tetras, or other fish suseptible to water change stress. I would do smaller changes at a time, more frequently. BTW I have a couple 5" - 6" large cichlids and do 50% weekly water changes on my 55 gal, and 1 small cichlid in a 10 gal, and do about 25% water change on that tank weekly. All my fish look happy, healthy, and my water has less than 20 ppm nitrates at any given time.

[Matak]

I have a flow restrictor/sprayer on the end of my kitchen sink tap where I do my water changes. The water flows about 10X faster with if off. The first time I let the water run freely at full force, all this brown crud came out for about 10 - 20 seconds, with both the hot and cold taps. This tap gets used frequently so it's not a matter of lack of use. If you have a flow restrictor on your tap, unscrew it and let the water run out full force. See for yourself.

[appaloosatb]

I always use a mixture of hot/cold tapwater to fill my tanks. I've never had any problems with this at all... just remember to use a water conditioner that also takes out heavy metals!

[Darkangel]

I have 50 tanks and do all my changes from the tap. I do 70 to 80% changes with no ill effects on the fish. All my fish are healthy and spawn all the time. The only fish I have not been able to get to spawn that I have tried has been S. angelicus and since no one else does I do not feel bad. People in general think that fish are more delicate then they are. While I am not advocating this for the begineer once you have some knowledge and experience you will see what I mean. I have a 110 gallon planted tank in my living room on which I always change about 80% of the water. It never fails that after each of these changes (done bi-weekly) the angels, cories, and kribs will spawn. The rainbows spawn daily but much more intensly in the few days following the water change. Suffice it too say that so long as your tap water is not terribly wonky you will have no trouble doing changes straight from the tap. This obviously does not apply if you are altering your water parameters for some of the more difficult fish like discus or apistos. Just my two cents, what works for me may not work for you. If what you are doing works, as the saying goes, if it works don't fix it. You do have to be careful if you are changing a lot of water at once as the temperature will fluctuate a bit. If you are lucky enough to be able to use a laundry tub with a long spout on it you can stick a sticky digital thermometer to it and it will tell you the temp of the water coming out. I always make the water coming in a few degrees warmer as I think fish are more easily able to deal with a rise then a fall in temperature. Nothing to back that up except for personal observations. I do put cooler water in however when I want cories to spawn but that is a whole different topic.

[carpguy]

Somewhere or other (I think it was Barron's Gourami book, but I can't find it just now) I was reading something about water being overly rich in dissolved gasses in winter. The colder water holds more O2, etc. that remain dissolved in the pipes (under pressure) that then bubble out in the warmer tank enviroment. The point of whatever I was reading was that this is bad for the fish (something like a fishy version of the bends, where the gasses can bubble up in their gills). I think this maybe the chemistry behind not using warm tapwater. I have noticed lots of little air bubbles on the glass after a big water change. If I remember right, they recommended letting the water sit for a little while to let it outgas.

Is this correct? Does anyone know anything about this?

[Mr.Jingles]

I dont think you guys have ever seen a tap with a single faucet...very convenient. maybe you should buy yourself one and spare the trouble of using two seperate temps...

[redwing]

I agree with Darkangel. About every 3-4 days I change 30-40% water in my tanks. My rainbows etc. are much happier now. It would depend on your fish. IMHO if you don't disturb the bacteria in filter you could change 75% if you wanted to. Someone suggested in another thread to stick a thermometer on the hose to monitor temp of refill water. Thought that sounded like a good idea.
I'm glad you asked this question since I hope to get a gift certificate for christmas in order to buy a python. Good-bye buckets!!

[sparky7]

They make little digital thermoniters for cooking that work really well for testing the water out of the tap....Can get them anywhere.......Sure helps me alot!

[krowland]

I'll echo Sparky's comment. I use a digital thermometer as well and usually am able to adjust my tap water within a degree or so of the tank temp.

[redwing]

Digital therm is great idea. I like to save a few dollars and buy multi tasking items. Thanks

[AikidoGuy]

i attach a garden hose to my sink and use hot and cold to make the preferered temp.

since were on the topic of water changes in the winter does anyonme know why my tap waters ph would go from 7.0 in the summer to 7.2 in the winter? ny neighbor told me they put stuf fint he pipes to de scale them over the winter? could that be it?