Concerned, What Do I Believe?

[Bugsvile]

I am now in week 2 and am seeing gradual drops in my first dose of ammonia but i would of thought that it might be going down quicker than this.

The main reason for my concern is my water heater, it came with the tank and i believe its an interpet model unknown.

The temperature on the thermometer shows 30c and on some days when testing water it feels nice enough for me to get in, ( i would have to shrink a bit) and tonight after work i tested again, temperature still shows 30c but it feels considerably cooler than the other day when i tested.

Do i trust the thermometer and the thermostat on the heater, or do i trust my instincts which tells me that this does not feel like warm tropical water should?

Ok so this is my forst tank but even here in the uk it has been known to get up to 30c before now, oh yes it has!! and i can tell you the water does not fell like a warm summer day, more like an autumn evening in a paddling pool that you would not even let your kids in.

i mean does the water fluctuate this much that i should be able to tell from one day to the next that there is deffinatley a change in temerature, and if so surely the fish will mind when they eventually have a tank that is fit for them.

 

[mickspark81]

Hi

If your that unsure maybe get another thermometer however, Water temp and air temp are completely different and are no way comparable.

The water at 30C should be a little bit warm but far far from bath temp

I honestly think the temp will be right but double checking wont hurt.

I doubt very much your thermostat has gone because the odds of that being broken and your thermometer (recording 30c) at the same time is very unlikely.

Alot of new fishkeepers also believe the water should be really warm but actually i think 28c (my tank) feels not cold but not quite warm (if that makes any sense)

Sometimes when I put my arm in my tank the temp feels different to me. I believe this is largely to do with the temp of my arm before it goes into the tank.

If you really do believe there is a very noticable change in temp you still would be better checking.

Good luck and hope all goes well

 

[betta fish]

Yes, I find this with my tanks also and I believe it is due to the temperature we are rather than a fault of the heater/thermometer, at the moment my hands feel hot if I put them in my tank the water will feel cold, bearing in mind the normal body temp in humans is around 37 degrees c where a tropical tank is around 27 degrees c, other days my hands feel cold and if I put them in the tank or feel the glass it feels nice and warm run your hand under the cold water tap till it cools and then put it in the tank and you'll see what I mean

 

[Bugsvile]

Do you know what that makes me feel a whole lot better.

I was under the assumption the water should and would be warmer, but being as this is my first go at tropical fish i guess i can be forgiven.

from what you have said now that does kind of make sense, i guess i will just leave it all alone and let nature take its course and hope my bacteria start to wake up cause they sure aint munching as fast as i thought they would.

 

[yasinullah]

i find that it fluctuates a lot, sometimes it will feel cool but sometimes warm but thats all due our own perception mainly. Its probably because of how the temp is regulated by the heater. I read that you can get fluctuations if you have an underpowered heater for your tank size, I previously had a 50W heater, now have a 100W heater and temp does fluctuate the same when I set it to 29*C (am currently in a fishless cycle), but I set it to 30*C and water stays slightly warm to the touch pretty much all the time. But the thermometers, both the glass thermometer and the heater's LCD thermometer always stay contsant at 29/30*C depending what I set it at.

 

[Tolak]

Go by the thermometer, not the setting on the heater. If you want to have some fun with temperature perception try this; Get a bowl of really warm water, and one of really cold water. Place one hand in each for several minutes, then put both hands in the tank. Is the tank water warm or cold?

 

[Bugsvile]

My brain hurts already from work today, i think it has had enough of a workout for one day. Maybe on the weekend i will try.

 

[mickspark81]

Just one question though.

Do you know the PH of your water? Bacteria stops growing at 6.0 or lower. I think the ideal ph for fishless cycling is 8.4 ish but i may be a little out

 

[MHunt]

I agree with Tolak, go by the thermometer and adjust the heater accordingly. heaters are never that accurate (although a few of the new ones are pretty clever) the thermometer is a more accurate gauge of the tank temp (which reminds me I must have a quick look at mine.!)

 

[jonp]

Is your heater even kicking in? I live across the way in Oxfordshire and unplugged my heater in May - the tank has not dropped below 25 on the thermometer.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Thought I would share an interesting (depending on your viewpoint) aside.

I have a water bed which has an internal heater and thermostat. This is set at 36 degrees all year round.

When I get into bed on a summers night, even if I feel relatively cool i.e having had shorts on, the bed feels cooler than my body, BUT, when I get onto bed on a winters night even if I feel nice and warm i.e having sat in front of a log fire, the bed still feels nice and warm when I get in, its like having an electric blanket on a low setting.

I know its all to do with skin temperature and the bed is at human core temperature but its still a bit odd when you experience it.

Obviously as already concluded these skin temp fluctuations make a human being a very poor thermometer.

 

[three-fingers]

Just one question though.

Do you know the PH of your water? Bacteria stops growing at 6.0 or lower. I think the ideal ph for fishless cycling is 8.4 ish but i may be a little out

Emm, I don't know where you got that from, but it's by no means true. Different types of bacteria can live over a very wide pH range, even the very extremes.

 

[mickspark81]

Just one question though.

Do you know the PH of your water? Bacteria stops growing at 6.0 or lower. I think the ideal ph for fishless cycling is 8.4 ish but i may be a little out

Emm, I don't know where you got that from, but it's by no means true. Different types of bacteria can live over a very wide pH range, even the very extremes.

I was reading on this forum that when cycling a tank if the ph drops below 6.0 then it can stall the bacteria and slow down the cycle. I was only refering to the nitrifying bacteria for cycling

If this is wrong then please let me know

ty

 

[arobinson1984]

As far as I'm aware, bacteria can and will grow at a PH level lower than 6 albeit a bit slower.

I believe the only thing that will actually stall the cycle is a large sudden and rapid fall in PH levels

Andy

 

[ellena]

They can live and grow at pH lower than 6, but when fishless cycling, it will stall if they fall that low. I know, it happened so many times with mine!
If it happens regularly, add some bicarb