# Tap Water + Hot Water



## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Just a quick question...

It is much easier (and practical) for me to fill my 125g tank up from the garden tap.
The problem is, the temperate of the garden tap water is probably 60, whereas my tank is 77.

As I add water to the tank, I have been slowly adding very hot water from a bucket to try and keep the temperature somewhat close to 77.
Natural I make sure the fish are down the other end before doing this.

Anyone see any problem with this?
I couldn't find anything on the internet (after a quick search) that relates directly to this?

Thanks


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

The thing that always concerns me about the hose is, how's the inside condition of the hose, what is the hose made from. You see a lot of hose's made with copper or bronze connectors, and aged and you get that green oxidation, and worry about it getting into the tote water. However i still do it, and so far so good but my hose is also new. What you could do if plausible is buy a big tote, fill it up with water from the hose, and let it warm up some via ambient air if it's that warm in the room, or add a heater to match the tank temp while it's conditioned. This is about weekly water changes or filling up the tank for the first time?


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks for the reply.

I am actually using clear plastic hosing - just connecting it up to a garden hose tap.

The problem is, a decent water change (battling nitrites at the moment) is 50 gallons or so - I simply can't use a bucket for that and nor do I want to hook the hose up to a household tap (in case the pressure does damage etc).

I just don't know if there is any consequence mixing really hot water in with the cold water from the tap. Any risk of cracking glass etc, silicon and so on?


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

The glass can handle it, the silicone can handle it as long it isnt so hot you can cook spaghetti with it. What i like now a days is using a big trash barrel with wheels to condition my water in. I can just wheel it around the house from tank to tank. You can try that to fill up, then add prime or whatever your using for the conditioning, and pump it out into the tanks.


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

I guess if you had a pump that could work.
What pump do you use?


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

Tejay said:


> Just a quick question...
> 
> It is much easier (and practical) for me to fill my 125g tank up from the garden tap.
> The problem is, the temperate of the garden tap water is probably 60, whereas my tank is 77.
> ...


Why don't you use a python type water changer hooked up to a faucet in the house? You just need tubing that is long enough to reach the faucet. Then you can mix to temp. As far as hot/warm water...many people advocate not using water that is heated by the hot water tank...possible contaminants and things. Those folks usually do smaller water changes using tap water at tap water temp and indicate that the change in water temp doesn't hurt the fish.

I have no experience with doing things the latter way as I use the python and faucet water (at the temp I want adding warm water when needed...yesterday our out of the tap temp was 79.5...used it just as it came out and wished it was a smidge cooler actually) method.


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Tejay said:


> I guess if you had a pump that could work.
> What pump do you use?


Right now a Eheim 1250. I bought it used as i didnt want to dish out the money for a new one just for water changes. Any pump will work as long as you have the right max delivery head. The shortest stand i have is 36" so i needed a pump that can handle at least 6 feet. Like said above you can use a python. I dont use one cause i have a thing about treating the water after its already in the tank, and having tanks on multiple floors it just dosnt make any sense for me as well as it's not in my comfort zone putting untreated water in the tank before conditioning. Another thing to think about too for the garden hose a lot of hoses these days are treated with mildew/fungal inhibitors. If you do get a pump check out any local salt water forums, see if they have a trading/sale section. People flow in, and out of that hobby on a steady pace, and equipment can be bought for super cheap. I paid $30- for my pump.


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## cichlid-gal (Apr 27, 2012)

I believe the recommendation for hoses is to use a food safe hose like the ones they use on RV's...ours is white I think but most RV stores or even the WalMart RV section might have one of these hoses. Being food safe my assumption is they are not treated with anything.


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## swk (Mar 16, 2010)

I do 5o+% water changes on my troph tank and just fill with water from the garden hose. Tank temp drops quite a bit. I don't feed until the tank comes up to temp.

Certain fish I would not approach the same way. Cyps and Calvus seem more sensitive than some others


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## notchback65 (Apr 3, 2013)

I run my garden hose to a 32 gallon Brute trash can,I then use my water conditioner,see what the temp is;if necessary use a heater to bring it to within 2 degrees of the tank temp;then I use a mag drive 5 pump to pump the water into the tank.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

cichlid-gal said:


> the change in water temp doesn't hurt the fish.


I would agree with this. We always fill with slightly cooler water than what is in the tank, although we do use water from inside. I would think adding hot water and cold water would provide more of a temperature issue than simply adding cooler water to the tank alone.

I have heard some say that adding cooler water (or any water that will cause temperature fluctuation) instigates immune system deficiencies and ich, etc., etc.. Others will swear by cooler water encouraging the fish to breed.

In my experience, having cool water for an hour or so after a WC isn't a big deal.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Temperature change most certainly has an effect on fish. If so why bother floating the fish for 15 to 20 min for a new fish just drop them in. Wrong. The reason it is recommended at most to change 25 % water is because when mix with the temp of the aquarium water it will not have an adverse effect. 50% water changes on the other hand with 60 degree water would be a very bad idea, trying to mix not knowing the actual temp could burn the fish not much better than just using cold water.

Get a trash can and mix like you have been and get a temp gauge so you know around what temp is going in, even this way I wouldnt change more than 25% at a time.

If you need to get nitrates down just change 10 % daily better than 50% once a week less stress on fish. At this amount you might be able to just add the water directly without a temp drop and you would be changing 70% a week instead of 50


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## Tejay (Jan 22, 2013)

Thanks all, a number of good ideas there.


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## jcabage (May 29, 2012)

walzon1 said:


> Temperature change most certainly has an effect on fish. If so why bother floating the fish for 15 to 20 min for a new fish just drop them in. Wrong.


Having an effect and hurting the fish are two different things. New fish that are floating to acclimate have a little more to be concerned with than a change in water temperature. Personally I prefer a drip system in this scenario. I have never seen an adverse effect from allowing the water temperature to drop a few degrees after a change.

Maybe some research into actual lake temperature fluctuation would shed some light on this necessity of maintaining a perfect 78 degrees 24-7.



walzon1 said:


> it is recommended at most to change 25 % water


Is this a personal recommendation?



Tejay said:


> Thanks all, a number of good ideas there.


Glad you got the information you needed one way or another Tejay :thumb:


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## k7gixxerguy (Jan 12, 2012)

I would hazard a guess that lake temperatures could never change up to 7 or 8 degrees in a day let alone a week so I follow my own little rule that if it is more than two degrees, it happens over a length of time longer than a water change. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that's what I do. I use a RV hose from a laundry sink tap with it set to the same temp as the tank. I've never had an issue thus far.


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## farmer (Apr 1, 2013)

I use cold water straight from thee garden hose. It drops the water temp, but the fish seem to be fine. I have several breeding pairs that do fine with it. Just using a regular hose. How soluble do you really think these chemicals are?


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## Pseudeotropheus BB (Jan 24, 2013)

walzon1 said:


> If you need to get nitrates down just change 10 % daily better than 50% once a week less stress on fish.


It would probably be best not to discuss nitrates in this way as a tank with a heavy bio-load would never drop to safe levels.


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## Pseudeotropheus BB (Jan 24, 2013)

As for the original question, I always fill my 100G directly from my spicket using a hose however I will regulate the waters temp to make sure the water is neither to cool or warm (within 5 degrees cooler or 2 degrees warmer). This usually works fine from mid-spring through mid-autumn however from mid-autumn through mid-spring I will use a python from my sink to fill the tanks.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

Pseudeotropheus BB said:


> walzon1 said:
> 
> 
> > If you need to get nitrates down just change 10 % daily better than 50% once a week less stress on fish.
> ...


What are you talking about? 10% a day is 70% a week if you can't get nitrate to drop by changing 70% weekly then you have a whole other problem


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## k7gixxerguy (Jan 12, 2012)

Somebody should have stayed in math class a bit longer if they wanted to argue the nitrates verse 70% water change theory. Say for arguments sake that you have a 100 gallon tank and it currently has 4 ppm of something that you want rid of that didnt come from the water. So you decide to do two water changes and change "all of the water." Day one, you do a 50 gallon water change and end up with 2 ppm of whatever you want to get rid of. Day two, you do another 50 gallon water change and end up with 1 ppm left of the bad, hmmm. Thought we changed 100 percent of the water....or did we change 75% of the original water? Now compound that with a heavily stocked tank that it constantly producing nitrates and you understand the reason for large water changes.


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## walzon1 (Jun 17, 2013)

yes I apologize I have been out of the hobby for a while and forgot that at such a low percentage you would be only changing what is produced at some point. I remembered immediately after submitting . Thanks


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