Water Changes

[pangasiusfan]

So I'm thinking of doing water changes since on a different thread my fish are suffering from ammonia...(will get some kits next week to make sure)
but i am keeping TROPICAL fish. and the water from the sink is COLD water...cold meaning 60's. i can turn off the heater as to not break it but what about the fish?

i can make hot water run by twisting the thing a little further but then this really white water comes out, but then it clears after about a minute. i asked a neighbor an said it's harder water.
why does the water get harder when i make it get hotter?

will my fish be safe if I just put this white warm water(with prime) in my tank?

 

[Delhezi222]

They should be allright, but you'd have to let it sit for a while.

 

[pangasiusfan]

what do you mean by sit a little?

 

[south coast nelly]

put it in a bucket and leave it to "sit" to get warmer.................i just add mine straight into tank

 

[pangasiusfan]

but it's not going to reach the 70's is it?

and i need a 50 gallon bucket....

is the warm white water bad?

 

[wataugachicken]

the water isn't harder. . . . the white water coming out of the hot tap is just gases coming out of the water while it sits in the pipes. the warmer water, just like warm soda, allows gases to escape more easily, but then those gases have nowhere to go within the pipes and sit in there until you turn the hot water on, then they mix with the water a little bit. it looks cloudy when it comes out, but will clear up. once you run it for a little bit, those gases are all gone and the water is clear.

 

[dr_sudz]

Just make sure you are adding your declorinator when filling the aquarium like your suppose to and you shouldn't have a problem. But if your just newly setting this tank up, the ammonia is just the first step in the nitrogen cycle and you need to let it do its thing before water changes

 

[Ianab]

Like the guys have said.. the cloudyness is tiny air bubbles in the water. Nothing to do with hardness, which is minerals (calcium etc) dissolved in the water
After a few minutes they dissapate and the water clears.
You will be OK mixing in a little hot water with your water change, add the prime, let it sit for a minute and pour it into the tank.

If you are doing small water changes the cool tap water wont change the tank temp by very much, but if you are doing large water changes and your tap water is cold then it's best to try and roughly match the temps.

Cheers

Ian

 

[pangasiusfan]

YES!!! thanks guys, wow smart people on this site!!

so i will just fill a 5gallon bucket with this warm water, let it sit for a few minutes(maybe 5, just in case) and then just add prime and fill the tank up!

also, how much prime should i pour in a 5 gallon bucket?? like a few drops or something? what happens if I over-due this chemical?

yeah i will be doing something like 50% sometime this weekend.

 

[basslover34]

Make sure that you go and get a test kit ASAP so you know what your actual needs are...