temp changed when I did water change

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Torrean

The Hairy Potter
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I did a 15-20% water change over the past two days and now my temp is at 73. Is this really dangerous for my fish? I let the water sit in the same room as the tank for a day or so before I added it but the temp in the tank still dropped quite dramatically. Is there any simple (or even not so simple) way to bring the water to the same temp as the water in my tank, or will my fish just have to deal with drastic changes in temp whenever I do a water change. hmm what else. Oh yeah I guess I should tell you guys the temp before the water change. I try to keep the temp in the tank at 78. Is it a good idea to do water changes over a couple of days? this seems like it would decrease the effects on the fish. thanks
 
If you add it slowly, it should be fine. Doing a cooler water change is a trick used to get some fish to spawn.

I use water right from the tap, using dechlor as it fills. Just adjust the tap temp to the same as the tank & fill'er up.

You could spread it out over a few days if you want. Unless you have delacate fish like discus, the temp change should be fine.

I've had the temp drop by 10F during water changes, when someone in the house decided to take a shower, not knowing I was doing water changes. Fish did fine.

Tolak
 
thanks for the insight. It's good to know that water temp changes of less than ten degree's own't have a deadly effect on my fishes. BTW what is the plural of fish i think it's just fish
 
I think the plural of different kinds of fish is fishes and just one kind but many is fish...well that's how i've seen it written. :)
btw, since your only doing small water changes it shouldn't have much of an effect on the tank's temp itself just becareful the temp of the tank doesn't change more than a degree or two. I had a heater break once and the temp went from 79F to 73F in a couple of hours and pretty much all my guys got either ick or fungus. (was a total pain)
 
I simply run a thermometer under the water until I get the temp matching the tank ... tank temp changes less then .5 degrees. I add my water to the back of the filter to help even things out. It's takes about a minute or two so why not be percise ?? It can't hurt ...

According to the "Handbook Of Fish Diseases" .. a change no greater of 1 C per hour is what you should aim for ... exceeding this limit does not mean your fish are going to drop dead but it is undo stress that could be easily avoided ... dropping the temp in breeding I would think is a special case for given species.

At room temperature ( 70 F ) the microwave brings the temp 1 gallon / 3.8 liters up to 80 F in 1 minute 30 seconds ... thats my microwave test yours ... the only problem the fish glow in the dark for a few nights :( :fun: :fun: :fun: ....

Good Day .... B)
 
:lol: Self moonlighting fish! I think that ideas should go in the do it yourself section.

The temp drop thing is used for S.A cichlids, as well as corys & plecs. Just did a w.c. on my 65, the last 5 gallons were 73F, compaired to a tank temp of 80F. Keeps the angels spawning, I'm hoping a couple of albino bristlenose will get to spawning for me.

Tolak
 
This might seem like an obvious question, but since you don't have nay information listed here on what size tank you have or any equipment, what size tank do you have and do you have a heater in it? If you have a heater, what size is it?

As for the changes, while it is always better to get the water as close to the temperature as possible, slowly poring it in will spread the temperature change out a bit more. Don't use ice cold water, let it stand at room temperature for a bit before hand.
 
NP
29gal
heater came with it i think it's 100W

BTW temp is at 80 now because of suspected ick infestation
 
That heater should be enough to take care of the tank. It should bring the temp back up in a few hours. You could upgrade to a bigger heater to shorten that time if you wish, it is not a big investment.
 
We've been using distillied water up until now which is why it was hard to get the temp right. I'm doing a water change tommorrow with tap water, that will be treated(I know what your thinking). So it might be easier to get the temp right. I'll just have to invest in another thermometer.
 
The general rule that has always been quoted to me about heaters, is 3 to 5 watts per gallon. If that sounds familiar, that is about the same thing people say about lighting too.

You have 100 watts for 29 gallons, a little more than 3 watts per gallon. If you go up to 150 watts, you will have just over 5 watts per gallon. And in reality, it does not matter if you go over, all it means is that the heater will heat the water quicker. I suppose that the chance of a fish getting burnt is higher of a higher wattage heater, but other than that, I can't see any problem with getting a bigger heater than you need.
 
On a related note, a good thermometer is a good investment too. If you have one of those stick on the outside of the tank strips, replace it. Make sure you have something that actually has some type of probe that goes in the water.
 
really. so the strips aren't any good? I never heard that before. we had an in tank thermometer but we returned it because a strip thing came with our tank. Thanks for the insight. The strip allways seemed acurate to me. I think I will test this out. I'll get an in tank thermometer and compare the readings
 
That is what has been told to me by the people with higher post counts than I.
 
I'm not doubting you. I think I read something about how one kind of thermometer is better than another but it was a preview of a book so it didn't go into any more detail than that. You know one of those selling points. I just wanted to test out the theory myself since it seems i'll be getting the opportunity
 

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