when cleaning a tropical fish tank is it possible to use a mix of hot and cold water to keep the temperature?
I am new to this and the water has become a little dirty and smelly already. Also I am not sure how often I am suppose to feed them (6 Mollies – Sailfin ad minis) The Internet is a minefield Help!!!
Also, what if I boil cold water to hot is this a problem?
July 20th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I use cold and hot water to make it the right temperature for my tanks and have never had any problems.Just be sure to not totally empty your tank get a gravel vacuum if you don’t already have one and do 20 % water changes weekly also if your tank is newly set up you may need to do water changes more often to keep it safe for your fish.
A fish tank should never smell bad or look really dirty or something is wrong,either to much food( feed no more than they will eat in a minute or 2 ,twice a day) or not enough water changes or to many fish for a small tank.
Just in case you don’t know about cycling your tank here is an explanation.-http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php
July 20th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
do not put boiling water into your tank you may find you crack the glass or seals on the tank. I use water out my cold tap when refilling my tropical tank and have never lost a fish yet. I just make sure that i turn my heater and filters on as soon as the water level is high enough and cause my fish are always put into bags i just float them on top so they get used to the water temp again before putting them back into their home.
July 20th, 2010 at 3:57 pm
its not good to do altough you can it is easy to break your tank in the process if pouring hot water in do it slowly so that you dont break the tank or shock your fish
July 20th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Depending on your plumbing, hot water may tend to have more stuff, such as copper, dissolved in it (which is why you shouldn’t cook with it). Take a sample to the store first to have it tested.
July 20th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Hey,
I would say yes. As long as you use water conditioner or tap safe, the water SHOULD be fine. However, i would say tap water from the hot tap would work best. Dont add one jug of hot then one jug of cold as you will be adjusting the water quickly which will stress the fish. Do a mix into a jug. aslong as you don’t change the water more than 5 degrees celcius, they should be ok.
July 20th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
NEVER use water out of the hot tap. Always use boiled water which is then cooled to the right temperature either by leaving it or adding cold water to it and mixing it up.
July 20th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I can see two sides to the coin here. I live in the UK and other posters live in the US and as somebody else quite rightly points out we have different heating systems and different water quality.
But, if you boil your tap water, you are driving the oxygen content from it and you are concentrating any chemicals it may contain?
I take my tap water the day before and bottle it in plastic containers. When I come to use it, it is at the room temperature the tank is in and any gases in the water have risen, (hopefully), to the surface..
Each to there own and this works for me.
July 20th, 2010 at 9:05 pm
In reply to your question i wonder have you got a filter installed? How big is your aquarium? If as you say you haven’t been running your tank long it should not be dirty and smelly yet,you should allow 1 gallon of water per inch of fish so for your set up a tank of at least 18 gallons minimum is required. As for the water i use our electric shower adjusted to the temperature of the water in the tank ( around 24-26c ) and fill a 4 gallon container with a few drops of de-chlorinator and then siphon it into the tank i do a water change every two weeks,i have been keeping fish for 14 years and have always used this method with no problems,also don’t overfeed as this will contaminate the water.
July 20th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
I do it all the time, have for years. Much of this depends on your water heating setup, no fish store is going to be able to test bacterial levels, heavy metal levels, or differences in the type of dissolved solids. I sell more fish to shops in a weekend than most people have bought in their life.
I’ve answered this already on another forum, as well as having a link to how I do water changes;
I think part of this depends on your hot water heating setup, which can tie into your heating setup in some instances. This varies by location, as codes vary from country to country, and even different locations within a country.
What I have is a free standing hot water heater, gas fired, seperate from my heating unit, with the hot water stored under pressure from the main line. My house is 50+ years old, with the original galvanized iron piping. A water heater like this is good for 10-12 years, and everyone I know with this setup mixes hot & cold tap water to fill tanks. You do need to drain 5-10 gallons out of the bottom of this sort of heater every 6 months, it removes sediment which prolongs the life of the heater.
From what I understand, and this is mainly in the UK, some systems heat the water, and keep it in an open storage vessel in the loft above the living spaces, to be gravity fed when needed. This sort of water supply can be contaminated by outside sources, meaning whatever may fall in from the loft area, including bugs, birds, etc.
Other systems run off of the reidential heating boiler, drawing off hot water when needed. Often this water has been recirculating for some time, and can pick up quite a bit of deposits from constantly running through the pipes while being heated up, and cooling down when it is done heating the living space. This sort of setup is another no go for use in an aquarium.
As far as when & how to add dechlorinator, there is a topic going on now that may interest you; http://www.fishforums.net/content/forum/223973/Official-Advice-Topic/
Edit to add;
I do 50%+ water changes on my tanks weekly, this is somewhere around 500 gallons added per week. Do you really think I boil this water, let it sit, or any of the other screwy ideas given here? I sell more fish to shops in a weekend than most aquarists buy in a lifetime, running a for profit breeding program.
July 20th, 2010 at 9:32 pm
The ratio that I use is 9:1 That is, 9 parts cold water from the tap, to 1 part boiled water from the kettle. (I use a 10ltr bucket for changes to make it easier) Gets it to within about 2 or 3*C of tank temp.
Only ever change at the most, 25% at any one time. Anything more than that risks shocking the fish – and ALWAYS use dechloronator.
Some people use a heater to heat the water to the correct temp but 1. Heater thermostats can be out of touch, and 2. By the time you wait for the heater to reach temp – and then for the water to reach the temp – the water could have been changed.
However, I’m a bit concerned as to why the tank should smell :s Mine’s NEVER smelled. Do you have a filter? If not, you need to get one – ASAP.
Regarding feeding, feed them only what they’ll eat within 3 minutes once or twice a day. Don’t just stick to flakes – go to the pet shop and you’ll find loads of food available for sale. For example, I feed mine:
Brineshrimp
Tubifex
Bloodworm
Peas (helps the fish’s digestive system)
Daphnia
As well as flake.
July 20th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Do not mix hot & cold water, you could have uneven distribution and stress your fish. The proper way of heating water is to use an aquarium heater in your tank set to the correct temp for your kind of fish, get one asap especially for winter in temperate countries. If you cannot get a heater soon, you can mix but do it evenly and test the temp with a thermometer before adding the water to the tank, you don’t want to risk cooking your fish. For most tropical fish, you should not exceed 28 deg C (82 F) for best comfort. For mollies, they will appreciate a bit of salt mixed in their water (use aquarium salt, not table salt). Change water at least weekly, more frequently with smaller tanks, but only about 20% each time.
As for feeding, just a small amount 1-2 times daily, as much as they can eat in 3-5 mins and remove uneaten food after that. They will come to no harm if fed alternate days or up to a week without food. Never overfeed as it will foul the water fast & encourage algae and snails. Do you have activated carbon in your filter ? It will help to absorb toxins & reduce some of the odour.
While the internet is a great free resource but also lots of misinformation there, even in this forum. Suggest to also look for a good book on freshwater/tropical aquarium care, check out Amazon for their range of books for an idea of what’s available and read people’s comments to see if that book is good.