I'm a real newbie here, so take my advice for what it's worth.
This is what I do: run a large pail (used for nothing else but aquarium water) the night before, put in water conditioner as directed, and sit it by my furnace register in the kitchen. This is just to get it to close to room temp.
The next day when I do my water change, I heat about 4-6 cups of water on the stove until almost boiling and pour it in the pail. This brings the temp to almost exactly the tank temp. Then I do my water change.
You don't have to do any of this the night before, it's only because it's winter and our cold water tap is REALLY cold right now.
The water conditioner also has stress coat in it so it's good for the fish. Make sure you get one that removes chlorine and chloramines.
I don't use a python, just the gravel siphon. When the amount of water is siphoned into another pail, I stick the siphon into my conditioned water and fill the tank up that way. You could also pour it really slowly into the tank if you want, I suppose.
This is what I do: run a large pail (used for nothing else but aquarium water) the night before, put in water conditioner as directed, and sit it by my furnace register in the kitchen. This is just to get it to close to room temp.
The next day when I do my water change, I heat about 4-6 cups of water on the stove until almost boiling and pour it in the pail. This brings the temp to almost exactly the tank temp. Then I do my water change.
You don't have to do any of this the night before, it's only because it's winter and our cold water tap is REALLY cold right now.
The water conditioner also has stress coat in it so it's good for the fish. Make sure you get one that removes chlorine and chloramines.
I don't use a python, just the gravel siphon. When the amount of water is siphoned into another pail, I stick the siphon into my conditioned water and fill the tank up that way. You could also pour it really slowly into the tank if you want, I suppose.
