I have 150 gallon tank. Does the new water need to be warm? If I pour it in from the hose its going to be really cold. Will the cold water hurt the bacteria colonies at all? Also, if I pour the water in and THEN treat it for chlorine, will that damage the colonies?
massive water change after fishless cycle
- Thread starter mclife
- Start date
I've had my 90 set up for about 4 yrs and whenever I do water changes I start adding the water and then add the dechloronater(sorry I'm a horrible speller) right in front where the filters pour back into the tank, so it mixes right away, my fish have never seemed like were affected by this. I've always had fish in the tank though so I've never added cold water, so I'm not sure if it would have any affect on the bacteria colonies.
The temperature should be the same or as close as possible to tank temp. For a large change, the dechlorinating agent should be added with the water to protect the bacteria.
mclife said:
Yes, the new water needs to be warm. I do not know how much it will affect bacterial colonies, but I do know your fish can go into shock from the cold water. I always have my filters turned off when I do water changes. I treat thw water as I pour it in. I use a Python for water changes, that way i can adjust temp right from the tap and drain and fill just by turning a knob. I highly recommend a Python, especially or large tanks like yours. Here's a link to the product on Big Al's: Pyhton Clean and Fill
Not sure about the cold water affecting the bacteria, though I'd try to get it close to the tank temp if at all possible.
As for pouring in the dechlorinator after filling, why not just do it before re-filling the tank? I use a Python and simply dose the remaining tank water before filling it again. This would reduce the chances that the bacteria would be killed off by the chlorine/chloramine.
Mike
As for pouring in the dechlorinator after filling, why not just do it before re-filling the tank? I use a Python and simply dose the remaining tank water before filling it again. This would reduce the chances that the bacteria would be killed off by the chlorine/chloramine.
Mike