Temping water?

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Bozak

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Feb 3, 2004
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First off Thanks for all this amazing information it has helped me out in every way. Im new to keeping fish but it has always been something that has interested me. Of all that I have read nothing was mentioned really about water changes. Like, I know under what circumstances to change the water, however nothign was mentioned about its temperature. I get reverse osmosis water from my work and its fairly cold. Ive done two water changes over the past few days as my nirtrites are a lil high. ide say about 15-20% at a time. Is this to much?
I have to get a differant thermometer as my tank is acrylic and says its much warmer than the water temp actually is. Well, anyways, is there something I should do to this fresh water to "temper" it so to speak? or is it no concern? My only thermometer says its like 77-80 but it feels more like 70-73 to my touch. Is there a differant thermometer I can purchase that would be more accurate? maybe something that goes inside the tank?
Thanks for your patenice and help
I appreciate it
 
If you're usiing R/O water, I think you should probably be adding some minerals to it as straight R/O water is pretty pure. I'm not 100% on that since I don't use it.

Fish can handle mild temperature swings. If you're adding 73 degree water to a 79 degree tank and you're only changing 15% of the water, I don't think its going to make a huge difference. I routinely change my water with water that sits in a bucket in my room. Its usually about 67 degrees and my tank is 79. I haven't notcied any odd behavior. The water heats up relatively quickly as well.

Obviously the closer the match the better and I'm sure there are delicate species out there that don't appreciate any temp changes but for the most part you should be okay.

I don't really think you can do too many water changes. You can change too much if the water you're adding has a different ph than what's in the tank or if the temp is really diffent. For instance, changing 80% of the water at once when there's a 12 degree temp difference or a big ph differnec would be bad. Too much of a shock.

Tom
 
There are minerals present in any well or tap water that are also present in any bodies of water you'd find fish in. R/O water or distilled water contains none or very little minerals. (The whole point after all is for it to be as pure as possible.) This fish need those minerals for their health

I don't use the stuff and all I know about is from reading about it on this forum so please seek out more info (maybe in the general forum if you don't get any more advice here). Most people that use R/O or distilled water add some regular tap water to it to replenish those minerals.

Tom
 
It's good for your fish to keep your water changes close to the same temperature. If there's too much difference in temps you will stress your fish. This preventable stress can cause your fish to become weakened and may be much more susceptable to diseases.
 
Ok. So Ill do a water change with some tap water next time to introduce some of these minerals. I will also be introducing all kinds of other crap seeing as it is Minneapolis city water :sick:
Will I have to treat the water? If so i do this before its added to the tank correct?
 
You'll want to treat for chorine/chloramines, whichever your water utility uses. Otherwise, try mixing the tap water with the RO. This will result in a silution of the tap water, and hopefully provide some buffering for a stable pH.

125GJoe and I disagree on the water temp--for many, many fish, a temperature fluctuations is not a problem and can spur spawning activity in many species. So--what fish do you have?
 
I agree with Oriongirl that you definatley want to make a mix of the tap and R/O. Most aquarium users that use R/O are saltwater tank owners, since they add salt back into the water anyway. Add say 50/50 tap/distilled will probably help keep enough essential minerals in your aquarium. And yes, add the dechlorinator.

I also don't worry about matching temps. When I do a water change with water that is a little on the cool side my cories get all frisky and start laying eggs. Kind of fun to watch.
 
Here's the link: Dr. Foster Smith

Here's the quote:

"Take the temperature reading in the tank, then go to the sink and adjust the water temperature to match. This is a very important (but often overlooked) step. Adding water of a different temperature can unnecessarily stress the fish, making them more susceptible to diseases such as Ich."

I'll stay on the safe side and keep my water changes the same, so I will not stress my fish.... I wonder how many diseases could be prevented by taking time to adjust water change temperatures. Breeding is natural and happens with good water and conditions - not just by changing temps of the water. It might be a slight part of it, but IMO it's good practice not to stress your fish.

(edit)...
Especially on "Newbie Forum" I think it's bad advice to disregard proper water change temps...

But what the heck, ingoring temps might help keep the shelves at LFS stocked with all those medications..
 
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As noted, we disagree. The stress from a slight difference in water temp is minute, especially compared to the stress from poor water conditions. And, there are many species that do respond to cooler water by breeding--cories are one species that will seldom if ever breed without a slight dip, simulating rainy conditions.

The use of a quarantine tank is much better disease prevention than using the same temp water.
 
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