How do I match my new water temp: To my tank water temp:

[Ki-Saber]

I am new to tropical tanks and I have had my tank with fish in it for 2 weeks. The fish are doing great. I know after a month I should do a 20-25% water change. How do I match my treated water in buckets to the current temperature in my fish tank?

[Discusguru]

You should be doing at least 1 waterchange every 2 weeks.

To Match the temp just use water from cold and hot tap mix.

ron

[Ki-Saber]

Do I need to treat the water and let it sit for a specific amount of time?

[Discusguru]

Treat the water with water conditioner to remove chlorine, chloromine and heavy metal from tap water. Don't need to sit overnight.

[ryanjury]

I thought Chch water was supposed to be sweet for chemicals and stuff? I dont bother with dechlorinator anyway just chuck the hose into the tanks a couple of degrees temp drop wont hurt the fish..

[Discusguru]

not a very good way to teach a beginner.

For you it's ok because if there's any problem you know how to treat :bounce:

[alanmin4304]

If you are on Christchurch water supply it contains no added treatment such as chlorine so you just need to mix hot and cold until it feels about the same temperture as your tank.

[Cheesejawa]

do 50% a week atleast

[JK]

do 50% a week atleast

Sounds a bit excessive, especially when the tank is still in its early stages and cycling?

[kd123]

Ki-Saber Welcome to the confusing world of Aquarium Forum NZ....

chch water dosent need chemicals added to clean it or age it.

I began by being very particular about getting the right temperature before adding the water but found that what Alanmin4304 said about 'feels about right' to be good enough. It also makes this much more enjoyable especially as the addiction sets in and more tanks are added to the mix

[jayci]

Hello,

Yes, well, I am one of those people that don't worry about matching the water temp. But when I do do a water change, I add the water over a long period of time, at least an hour sometimes two. I do this for two reasons, firstly so there isn't a fast drop in temp and secondly if there is a difference in Ph between ph in the tap and the tank, then the Ph will change slowly.

Man alive, if I was in Chch, I would even do water changes. I would setup an overflow on the tank and continuosly add new water at a slow rate, equal to 5% of tank volume per day.

[Discusguru]

Hello,

Yes, well, I am one of those people that don't worry about matching the water temp. But when I do do a water change, I add the water over a long period of time, at least an hour sometimes two. I do this for two reasons, firstly so there isn't a fast drop in temp and secondly if there is a difference in Ph between ph in the tap and the tank, then the Ph will change slowly..[/quote)

An hour or two X 40 tanks = 40-80 hrs waterchange

[alanmin4304]

The joys of keeping and breeding discus Ron

[Caper]

Do you have test kits? Nitrite, nitrate, ammonia, pH are pretty much the standard for tropical tanks.

What kind of fish? What size tank? Post a pic

Caper

[carznkats]

Normal tap water should be fine as ChCh water is good. About a 10-20% water change once a week is a good starting point. I match my water temperature as close as possible, but it isn't really necessary... in fact some fish love the fresh cold water and will actively swim in it!

If you are interested we have a fish club meeting once a month (first saturday of each month) - ChCh Totally tanked, you're welcome to come and discuss with us any queries you have. It is a social informal meeting to discuss any new fish or problems. We generally post our meeting details at the end of the month in the FNZAS Clubs section.

[jn]

Hi Ki-saber... Do you know what cycling is? Have you been told about ammonia and nitrites while the tank establishes? If so then it's all good.

If not please ask and people will clue you in.. it's extremely important to know whats going on in the fist 6 weeks and how to deal with it if yo uwant your fish to stay healthy.

Tell us how many fish you have and what size your tank is so we can make sure it's all good for your new pets

[me love fishy]

I would check your water parameters before doing a water change to ensure cycling has taken place first.

Then once you know your tank has cycled I would do 20-30% water changes every one - two weeks. Some people prefer to get the water temperature the same or close enough to the tank temp and others don't, I personally prefer to get it roughly the same and have bought a pump that allows my kitchen tap to mix the water and pump it in via hose to my tank, before this I used to bucket the water in, depends how big your tank is though as bucketting can take ages for a big tank.

Chch water doesn't need any chemicals added to it as stated by others. All the best with your tank, in the end you will find what works best for you from a variety of advice.