# Anyone else heat their water for water changes?



## Tobias (Apr 8, 2007)

My wife was watching me change out about 5 gallons of water in my 20L last night and noticed a cord running to one of the plastic jugs I keep RO water in. She was curious and when I told her I was heating up the water to the same temp as the tank water she thought I had lost my mind. I run an inline on most of my tanks and I have a regular tank heater to heat up water for water changes. Anyone else do this or am I just incredibly anal like my wife claims.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I don't use RO but when I do water changes I try to keep the water from the tap at the same temp as in the tank. Just makes sense to me.


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## Freshwater (Oct 22, 2007)

Tobias - 


Good News - 
No your not crazy, I currently use tap water for my water changes. I go so far as to place a digital thermometer in to assure my water is within a degree of my tanks temp. It makes sense to me as well, plus I had some fish/shrimp losses awhile back. My tap water is pretty dang cold this time of year.

Bad News - 
I have been described as being A.R.


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## Valthenya (Feb 11, 2009)

No your not crazy i learned this the hard way and had to nurse a cuople rummys who tried to go belly up. I keep my buckets of RO water outside and when i bring them in i warm them up. In the summer i'll just sit them in the sun for a little while (phoenix arizona gets hot fast)


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Tobias,

I don't worry about matching the tank temperature so much as being close. Since I usually change about 20% of the water at a time if I am a few degrees off the effect on the overall tank temperature is minimal. In fact, I try to fill with water a few degrees cooler than the tank temperature. A lot of times a temperature change stimulates breeding activity, especially in my Corys and Angels. In a way, cooler water simulates what typically happens in nature when it rains. That said, I certainly wouldn't add ice cold tap water to a 77 degree tank for fear of triggering an outbreak of ich.


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I try getting my tap water within a few degrees of the tank water. I've placed a stick on thermometer on the faucett, so I can see the temp of the water coming out.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

I do 25% WC's on my 46g angelfish tank straight from the well. The well water is usually between 55 and 60 F. I keep my tank at about 78F. By the end of the WC it drops to 70 or so. The fish actually seem to like it. They play around in the incoming stream of cold water and the WC frequently induces spawning. It might not work for you, but for me I really don't see the reason to get too obsessed about it. If I do a 50% WC, I'll refill in two parts to allow the temp to come back up first. I try to keep the tank from getting down into the 60's.


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## mtoler820 (Jan 10, 2008)

I recently moved from the desert area of S. California to N. Ohio, I use RO water myself and with multiple tanks it doesn't get to far in my 44 gal holding tank, I also fill 4 of my 5 gallon jugs and let them sit in a warmer room to bring there temps up, the water here this time of year is MUCH colder then the desert, I think I am going to just get another 200 watt heater for the 44 gal holding tank. It is difficult to keep my water temps consistent otherwise. Although my wife is convinced I to am "anal" about my tanks, I think your making perfect sense.


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## DonaldmBoyer (Aug 18, 2005)

I agree with Bryce. I refill my tank after a water change with cool water. It is probably in the high 60'sF, and the fish seem to love it. Once, I tried to add warm water with cold water via buckets (remember those days?); the water was too warm and I had some issues with fish being stressed for a day or two. Adding all cold water has never posed much of a problem, but if the tank temp. drops too much, I feel a bit uncomfy personally. So, cool water via Python is the way to go.


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## nfrank (Jan 29, 2005)

I add water directly from the tap. I temper the cold water with a little warm mixed in. I try to keep the incoming water around 65-70, but dont use a thermometer. The hand is pretty accurate for me.

I do 50% water changes, and i dont want to mix my 55 deg cold tap water directly with the 75 deg tank. Mixing 65-70 with 75 drops my tank temp by 2-5 deg. As others have said, this is good for the fish and will often stimulate some to spawn. (similar to the effect of a rain storm in the tropics).

Have never tried dropping the temp 10 deg. That sounds like way too much for a quick change. I would be curious to hear if others do that much and with what fishes.

BTW, I dont pre-condition my tap water either. As the water comes in, i add PRIME. That seems to be sufficient to neutralize my chloramine. I also simply calculate the PRIME dosage to match the replacement water (replace 60 gallons, use 6 ml of PRIME). That has always worked for me... mostly cichlids, tetras, SAEs, corys, so YMMV. The synodontis always react funny for a few minutes, but that regime has not fazed my pair of _S.angelicus _after 20 years of that treatment.

Fish are pretty resistant to reasonable temp fluctuations. Accordingly, i set my tank heaters to 68 degrees. They hardly ever come on. I learned this when i visited the "Mizukusa Club" in 94. This was a fantastic pre-amano aquatic plant shop between Tokyo and Yokohama. See page 9 of Planted Aquaria Magzine, issue 1 (Spring 2000). I will have to post those pictures on-line some time. Mr. Watanabe didnt use heaters at all. This allows the water temp to fluctuate between day and night. This made sense to me as it does get cooler at night even in the tropics.


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## nfrank (Jan 29, 2005)

On the point about setting my heater at 68 --- my daytime water temps stay around 75 from the lights, equipment , morning sun and enclosed space of the 12x12 room that houses my 3 tanks.


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## kimcadmus (Nov 23, 2008)

I heat my RO water to same temp as the tank for my 30% water changes. I don't worry about the temp when I top off a gallon or so in my 75gallons. I think it is a safe practice. Reducing fish stress is a top priority for my when I maintain my tanks because it is a primary instigator for many diseases IMHO- especially given our limited ability to medicate in a planted tank when a problem does occur.


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## cbwmn (Dec 18, 2007)

Tobias
I guess I'm old fashioned. I store my water for WC's in heavy duty one gallon plastic jugs. 
When I fill the jugs, I use 8 drops of prime
per gallon and store the jugs in the computer room.
I have 28 total. I run hot water into the bathtub and put in the amount of jugs required and match the temp.
Then I gravel vac the tanks.
My largest tank is 46 gallons with 6 DD black super veil tail angels and they are happy. I keep they water quality up.
I know some folks don't like to lug the water around.
I've always been skeptical about using
water from the tap after treating the tank with dechlorinator. The temp is hard to match that way and I wouldn't feel safe that the chlorinator worked on all the water.
BTW - The exercize is good for me.
Charles


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

cbwmn said:


> I run hot water into the bathtub and put in the amount of jugs required and match the temp.


Might want to not use the bathtub for water changes. Soap/bath chemicals can easily kill fish.

I try match my water to tank water temperatures. Sometimes I lower the temperature a little to simulate the temperature drop after rain. I'm lucky to have well water so I don't need to dechlorinate.


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## cbwmn (Dec 18, 2007)

Zapins said:


> Might want to not use the bathtub for water changes. Soap/bath chemicals can easily kill fish.
> 
> I try match my water to tank water temperatures. Sometimes I lower the temperature a little to simulate the temperature drop after rain. I'm lucky to have well water so I don't need to dechlorinate.


Zap
The water is in plastic jugs and the hot water surounds them to warm the water meant for the aquarium.
Charles


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## kkaso783 (Sep 25, 2008)

Since the water in my house is "softened" I can only use the cold water so the salt is not present. I do not heat the water before I do the water change, I just fill a 10 gallon bucket with some water from the hose, add some conditioner and pump it directly into my tank using a pond pump and a PVC pipe setup I made. It works really well and my temperature in my tank does not change too drastically. I rely on my heater in my tank to do the work.


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## Dan Knowlton (Jan 2, 2009)

I use a trash can (32 gallon) on a furniture dolly that is topped by plywood. To calculate the amount of water to take out I just siphoned it into the trash can the first time I filled the tank and put a black PERMANENT marker tick mark at the level I drain the tank to. 

Now, I fill the trash can with a combination of tap and RO water (30% tap, 70% RO - we have liquid rock here in San Diego) and use a heater to bring it up to the same temp as the tank. When it is the right temp I simply siphon off the correct amount of old water and use a powerhead to pump the water from the trash can to the tank. 

Works great! When I did marine tanks it was the easiest system as I had 6 125 gallon tanks at one point.

Dan K.


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