Water Change Temperature Control

[jramer87]

Hey Guys,

I wanted to pick your brains on your different methods of matching the temperature from your tap to that of your tank when doing a water change. I know that lots of you are ageing your water and preheating so this is really focused more on the guys who are going straight from the tap. My tap water parameters are acceptable so the only variable is the temperature. I prefer to do it from the tap assuming that I can confidently do so with success. My only concern is the temperature and I'm not sure how much a variation of a few degrees one way of the other will affect the fish during the change. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

How important is it that the temperature be spot on when you do a water change?

Is there an acceptable variance that will not have an affect on the fish?

[Braydon00]

When I did straight from the tap I would put my hand in the water going in the tank then in the tank itself and try to match it manually. If you are a couple degrees off its ok, it shouldnt effect them. As long as you arent going 10 degrees difference youll be ok.

[jramer87]

Thanks Braydon, that's what I've been doing so far pre-fish, but was wondering if that was an acceptable method. I'm assuming you did that with some success?

[Braydon00]

Yes, doing it that way I was always close. Just keep an eye on your thermometer as you fill. I had to start aging because of pH swings.

[Akili]

I prefer a few degrees higher than colder Plus 5 to minus 3 works for my tanks.

[jramer87]

Ok cool that's good to know. Thanks for the feedback!

[jramer87]

I prefer a few degrees higher than colder Plus 5 to minus 3 works for my tanks.

Thanks for the feedback. Where do you keep your temperature prior to the WC just out of curiosity?

[Braydon00]

I prefer a few degrees higher than colder Plus 5 to minus 3 works for my tanks.
+1 this is good advice

[Braydon00]

I keep mine at 82-83F

[jramer87]

I keep mine at 82-83F

Ok cool, that's the range I'm looking to be in as well.

[Akili]

Thanks for the feedback. Where do you keep your temperature prior to the WC just out of curiosity?Aged water is at 87 degrees most of the time,two of my tanks are at 84 and the other 3 are 82

[jramer87]

[QUOTE=Akili;1206270]Aged water is at 87 degrees most of the time,two of my tanks are at 84 and the other 3 are 82[/QUOTE

Ok cool. That is helpful. I appreciate the feedback guys.

[Filip]

Its acctually better to go 1-2 Celsius(up to 4 Fahrenheits) lower temperature if you are going straight tap WC, because colder water contains less dissolved gasses in it , and they really bother discus during WC , maybe even more than ph or other parameter changes .

[Larry Bugg]

My stored water is either close to the same or a lot cooler. Two 330 gallon totes for storage and one is usually around 82 and the other is usually in the mid to low 70's. My fry usually get water from the one at 82 and adults get water from the cooler one. I see no real affect from the difference except that it tends to get the pairs in the mood.

[LizStreithorst]

Its acctually better to go 1-2 Celsius(up to 4 Fahrenheits) lower temperature if you are going straight tap WC, because colder water contains less dissolved gasses in it , and they really bother discus during WC , maybe even more than ph or other parameter changes .

I agree with this. Cooler water simulates good rain often brings on spawning.

I have to age but if I could go straight from the tap I would keep my infrared thermometer in my hand to check the temp as my tanks filled.

[Cosmo]

I agree with this. Cooler water simulates good rain often brings on spawning.

I have to age but if I could go straight from the tap I would keep my infrared thermometer in my hand to check the temp as my tanks filled.

DUH.. I have a IR themometer and never thought to use it like that back when I did tap water changes.. DOH! good one Liz :) Now my aged water tanks have a heater controller that heats the water right about what the tank water is

[John_Nicholson]

While I store my water I have done 50%+ water changes with water that was 60 degrees more than once. You really don't have to match it that close. That is an old wives tale told by people that really do not know.

-john

[jramer87]

Its acctually better to go 1-2 Celsius(up to 4 Fahrenheits) lower temperature if you are going straight tap WC, because colder water contains less dissolved gasses in it , and they really bother discus during WC , maybe even more than ph or other parameter changes .

Ok that's interesting. I didn't realize that the cooler water contained fewer gasses. Thanks for the pro-tip.

[jramer87]

My stored water is either close to the same or a lot cooler. Two 330 gallon totes for storage and one is usually around 82 and the other is usually in the mid to low 70's. My fry usually get water from the one at 82 and adults get water from the cooler one. I see no real affect from the difference except that it tends to get the pairs in the mood.

Thanks for the info Larry. That's good to know. I'd like to see some breeding in my tank as well.

[jramer87]

While I store my water I have done 50%+ water changes with water that was 60 degrees more than once. You really don't have to match it that close. That is an old wives tale told by people that really do not know.

-john

I'm starting to lean that way as well. It seems like there is some good strategy to consider, but that the variance in and of itself may not be that big of a deal to the fish minus the additional gasses etc if you go warmer.

[jramer87]

DUH.. I have a IR themometer and never thought to use it like that back when I did tap water changes.. DOH! good one Liz :) Now my aged water tanks have a heater controller that heats the water right about what the tank water is

In your experience how accurate are those IR thermometers on the water temp? That might be a good tool to have in my arsenal.

[jramer87]

My stored water is either close to the same or a lot cooler. Two 330 gallon totes for storage and one is usually around 82 and the other is usually in the mid to low 70's. My fry usually get water from the one at 82 and adults get water from the cooler one. I see no real affect from the difference except that it tends to get the pairs in the mood.

Larry, are you doing large water changes with the cooler water as well? I'm curious how much the temperature is actually swinging during your changes.

[Larry Bugg]

Larry, are you doing large water changes with the cooler water as well? I'm curious how much the temperature is actually swinging during your changes.

Up to 100%

[jramer87]

Up to 100%

Wow, that's good to know. I wasn't sure they could handle a swing like that. Thanks for the advice!

[DJW]

In your experience how accurate are those IR thermometers on the water temp? That might be a good tool to have in my arsenal.

Mine is made by VWR. Its always within 1 degree +/- Fahrenheit of what the other thermometers say.

[jramer87]

Mine is made by VWR. Its always within 1 degree +/- Fahrenheit of what the other thermometers say.

Ok that's awesome, I'm definitely picking one of these up. Thanks man!

[rickztahone]

My WC temp is typically around 80F when I keep my tank at 82F. I figured the heater has to work less to get to 80 and 82

[Filip]

Ok that's interesting. I didn't realize that the cooler water contained fewer gasses. Thanks for the pro-tip.

I didn't meant to be misleading here , although I did sounded like that :) . Cooler water always contains more dissolved O2 , Co2 and other gasses than warmer water.

But the microbubbles (gasses) from tap water that bothers discus gills and can peal their slime coat as well will be minimized if you go with 1-2 C degree cooler tapwater WC, rather than 1-2 C degree warmer.
They (microbubbles) are also much more present in tap water during winter ,cause of temp.difference water goes through once it leave the pressurized pipes.

[SomeFin's Fishy]

When doing water changes on a large number of tanks, we use a 100' Python hose attached to the bathroom fawcett. At the end that goes into the tank, we made a "U" shape piece of PVC and incorporated an in-line thermometer, like this one: http://www.homebrewing.org/product.asp?itemid=2736&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&gclid=CLe2uf6M3MsCFQcMaQodwv8EhQ . It's actually made for brewing beer, but it works great for this purpose. The quick-disconnect fittings on each end can be removed and threaded PVC fittings can be installed. The temps in our tanks is about 84 degrees. As you already heard, it's not necessary to match the temps exactly, but by having the in-line thermometer hanging on the side of the tank, you can easily see when the temp starts dropping, and can make periodic adjustments to keep the parameters somewhat constant, and when doing a large number of tanks, you can see when the warm water is about to give out. Generally, we try to use water that's 80 degrees as it makes the hot water last a bit longer, but we have frequently finished filling tanks with 60 degree water without any adverse reactions!

[Woodduck]

I use a themostatic mixing valve to match the temperature precisely.

[Dudley Eirich]

I have a 50 gallon reservoir that I fill with a certain ratio of cold to hot water. I have a mark on the reservoir and fill to that mark first with cold water and then fill up the rest with hot. I then pump it into the aquarium. I determined the ratio experimentally. This method helps to eliminate micro-bubble formation and I generally hit my target temperature reasonably well within a few degrees and usually on the low side. I am glad that Filip made a clarification to point out that cold water actually holds more dissolve gases than warm water. That is why micro-bubble formation is more problematic in winter than in summer. If I don't need to make a full batch of water in the reservoir, I do use the IR gun to get the temperature in the right range. I find that it is pretty accurate, i.e. at least as accurate as any of the other aquarium thermometers out there currently.

[Woodduck]

When you do a big drop in temperature during a large (50% or more) wc, just because your Discus don't die doesn't mean that it's a good thing to do. Try to get it close on the cool side, but not 25° cooler. A fresh rain into even a small pool of natural water won't change it that much. Just the fact that it is fresh is what makes it stimulating for them. Just my opinion, of course.

[LizStreithorst]

I use a themostatic mixing valve to match the temperature precisely.

That's the best way to do it.

[Mrs. J]

I use a digital thermometer ...which I keep in my tank all the time. One from pet smart about eleven dollars. I also have controller on my heater so the digital is just a back up. When I change from the tap I just adjust the water temp to the same reading. I usually go about two degrees lower as my heater gets the tank back to 83 very quickly. Changed the water like this for a year with no problems.

[Jayy]

I actually am setting up a water change system now that will flow direct into the tank with no ageing. I am going to use an adjustable thermostatic mixing valve. Here's a link to the one I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/Thermostatic-Mixing-Connections-Stepless-Adjustment/dp/B00SYC1IV6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

You set the dial on top to the temp that you want, and the valve automatically adjusts the flow of hot and cold to output at the set temp. In my testing I found the valve to be very consistent. The dial on top was off on the cold side by about 6 degrees, but I just adjusted it until the output is 82 f and then marked it with a sharpie. I filled up several gallon jugs and tested the temp on all of them and they were all right at 82 degrees, there was not even one degree of variation.

Since my hot water is coming out of a tank water heater, the more I flow the colder the water gets. This valve automatically adjusts for that by allowing in less cold water and more hot.

[Larry Bugg]

When you do a big drop in temperature during a large (50% or more) wc, just because your Discus don't die doesn't mean that it's a good thing to do. Try to get it close on the cool side, but not 25° cooler. A fresh rain into even a small pool of natural water won't change it that much. Just the fact that it is fresh is what makes it stimulating for them. Just my opinion, of course.

Here is my reasoning for disagreeing with this. I can do daily large water changes on a pair (fresh water) and then do a couple of large water changes with fresh water but much cooler and spawning is stimulated. It is the cooler water that stimulates the spawning rather than the fresh water. Fresh water is important with spawning but it is the cooler water that turns on the instincts to breed.