Hose Water

[petertr]

I use a hose for my 300L tank.

 

[williamc]

yeah i will have to also

 

[raptorrex]

well it will be from outside but there will be no fish because I have to cycle

lol yeh, you will still need to change water after the cycle is done though. as Andywg says, up to 40%, possibly more, cold water seems fine.

 

[saz326]

now this always has me confused.

I KNOW that chlorine etc is very harmfull to fish, and I BELIEVE that dechlorinator takes a few minutes to even begin to work.... so howcome we all do water changes in this way and our fish dont die and our filter bacteria dont die.

Always thought that even a whiff of chlorine on the filter and the bacteria would disappear like a puff of smoke.

 

[raptorrex]

now this always has me confused.

I KNOW that chlorine etc is very harmfull to fish, and I BELIEVE that dechlorinator takes a few minutes to even begin to work.... so howcome we all do water changes in this way and our fish dont die and our filter bacteria dont die.

Always thought that even a whiff of chlorine on the filter and the bacteria would disappear like a puff of smoke.

no it seems it work, virtually instantaneously, so dont worry. lol i dont even dechlorinate and my filters are fine! however the decision to or not to dechlorinate, can only be arrived at with time and experience.

 

[erk628]

When you say hose are hooking it up to the kitchen sink? Or are you hooking it to an out side faucet. Inside would be fine as long as you got hot and cold water. Outside though you only have cold which would be way to cold for fish.

Wrong.

Provided the wter is mains water it will never be too cold for 20-30% water changes. I do up to 40% straight from the mains cold tap without any issues refilling 30 to 40 gallons in about 5 minutes. Everyone I know IRL that has large tanks uses a hose and the cold tap to fill up and that includes keepers of sensitive fish like rays.

What does mains mean? You say that it wouldn't be to cold. So lets say I decide to use the hose after a water change in the dead of winter. Now my hose is were it should be hooked up out side. So I turn it own and put ice cold water into the tank. Does this have an effect on the fish???

 

[rabbut]

Yes, IME it makes them spawn

In a 20% waterchange, with a tank running at 26c, the maximum temperature drop possible is just over 5c. This assumes the water comes in at 0c (actual is more like 4c) and hits the tank all at once (more likely over a few mins on a larger tank) with no ambient heating during the time (so your room is pitch black and at 0c also). In practical terms it is unusual to see a drop of more than 2c, even when it snows outside

I do by-weekly 50% waterchanges on my Discus tank with a hose connected to the cold tap all year round, without issues. Just fill slowly to avoid tempeature shock on larger changes and you are going to be fine. On 20% or less, bang it in, on 20%+ it is advisable to take it slow.

Dechlor works instantly uppon contact with chlorien, so double dose if you want to play safe and you are fine. Many members on here don't use dechlorinator (I'm experimenting without ATM) but it is still advisable to use it

All the best
Rabbut