Using 'Old' Water

[ravekiss]

If I set aside a bucket of water straight from the tap and leave it in the room overnight to be used to change water in the tank the next day, the water temperatures would be different right? My tank is about 80 degrees, the water in the bucket will be room temp. wouldnt that difference affect the tank/ fish?

 

[gadazobe]

The idea of standing water for 24 hours is to get rid of the chlorine. It won't get rid of any other additives (chloramine, some base metals) so if you live in an area that uses these additives, you will still have to use a conditioner that will get rid of them.

A difference of 1-2 degrees in the temperature won't make any difference. It depends on how much water you change. A 10% change with a different temperature won't make any difference, but a 30% change will. What percentage of the whole tank water is one bucket?

 

[ravekiss]

Thats actually about 20% but I can change less if required. I will add AquaSafe like I always do. Would that be ok?

 

[yvez9]

I usually try to get the water temp as close as possible to the one in the tank, within 1 or 2 degrees

I just take some water from the bucket and boil it. Usually about 4-5 cups of water brought to boil is enough to get it the same temp as the tank
then just add the conditionner. Or add it before, doesn't matter

 

[ravekiss]

You see thats what I've been doing. Running water from the tap and warming it on the stove to the same temperature as the tank, adding the conditioner and throwing it in the tank. I'm trying it difference because the tank's cloudiness wouldnt go away even though its been 1 month. (The tank has been running for 3 months)

 

[Ricey]

it is safe to use water boiled in a plastic kettle?
i remember reading somewhere that boiled water contains next to zero oxygen?

 

[ravekiss]

0 oxygen??!! Geez! I was boiling in a regular pot actually. )

 

[gadazobe]

It's hot water that doesn't have much oxygen, the hotter the water, the less oxygen, thats what the bubbles are in boiling water - the heat is pushing the oxygen out. It doesn't matter if it's boiled in a plastic kettle or boiled in a pan. The cold water carries the oxygen, not the hot.

 

[Ricey]

just done some more reading, and from what i can gather, the hotter the water the less dissolved oxygen it contains.
so i guess its ok to heat up some water (dont let it boil) and mix it in with cold conditioned tap water.

 

[Ricey]

haha you beat me to it gadazobe

 

[andywg]

I wouldn't worry overly about putting a few cups of boiled water in a bucket to heat it up. The pouring of the water into the tank will create a massive surface area for gas exchange and should allow the oxygen levels to return to normal (or at least the same as the tank).

 

[rich]

I has a similar worry a couple of months ago, however my 20% change only drops the temperature by 1C and that is quickly got back when the heater is switched on.

 

[CFC]

Aging water also allows excess CO2 found in tapwater to disapate giving a truer accurate reading of pH. When water is tested straight from the tap it may appear to be quite acidic due to the ammount of carbon dioxide present but once this has dispersed the pH can raise back to its true level. With delicate fish this pH imbalance between new tapwater and the old water in the tank could cause the fish to go into pH shock.

 

[dirtydogg]

could you just buy an extra tank heater to throw in the bucket? never hurts to have an extra one around just in case anyway.

 

[Paul_MTS]

Depending on what tank i'm water changing I just use water straight from the hose.

on the bigger tank I'll add a couple of kettle loads to keep the temp high but on smaller tanks where i'm doing smaller water changes it isn't nesasary.

I need to add about 6-7 kettle loads on my 200g to keep the temp high doing about a 30-40% change. Kettle-1.5l