# Pre-Warming Water For WC



## PanzerFodder (Oct 15, 2010)

Just wondered how/what is the best method to pre-warm your water when you do a WC?.

I have been sitting my WC bucket in a sink of hot water to take the chill off of it a little, but it take ages to do a large water change by doing it like that  .

So how do the rest or you Guy's and Gals pre-warm you WC water?.

Cheer's...PanzerFodder...


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Heater? I usually plop one in for SW WCs a few hours before, and for FW WCs, I just adjust the temp out the tap, mix with Prime and go.


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## Cravenne (Nov 6, 2010)

I just match the temp as close as possible using my arm. I've never had any issues doing it that way. Water conditioner, match temp as close as possible and toss the water in....


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## Sagittarius-Aquarius (Oct 30, 2009)

I also do it by feel, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it, heater is probably your safest bet.


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## TBemba (Jan 11, 2010)

Cravenne;157089[B said:


> ]I just match the temp as close as possible using my arm[/B]. I've never had any issues doing it that way. Water conditioner, match temp as close as possible and toss the water in....


How does your arm heat up the water to the right temp?


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## Cravenne (Nov 6, 2010)

lol..

Well, on my right leg there is this little knob and when I turn it to the right, my arms get warmer...



I match the new water temp(from the tap) as close as possible to the existing tank water WITH my arm.


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## Al-Losaurus (Jul 21, 2009)

Cravenne said:


> lol..
> 
> Well, on my right leg there is this little knob and when I turn it to the right, my arms get warmer...
> 
> ...


lol...
go buy a thermometer what i do is run the water at the temp i think it should be then hold the thermometer under for a few seconds to check the temp its usually bang on. and with my water changes it has to be calvus are extremely sensitive to temp and tap water so i usually let it sit with tap conditioner for half hr or so and stir it now and then..


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## PanzerFodder (Oct 15, 2010)

I always thought that useing water from the hot tap was a huge NO,NO for fish tanks, coz of all the crap and stuff that has settled at the bottom of the copper water heater?.

Sometimes when I wash the dishes, I can see white stuff come out of my hot tap!, so don't think that I had better try this method  (it's a bloody brand new water heater as well  )

BTW: Thanks for the info Guys and Gals 

Cheer's...PanzerFodder...


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I mix hot and cold water from the tap; I age it for 20 feet, the length of the hose. I add dechlor to the tank if it is over 10%, none if it isn't.


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## bigd81 (Jun 8, 2010)

I agree with Bill, Same way I do it..Never had any problems


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## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

I mix my hot and cold tap water to 20C into a bucket. Dechlor it, then pump them into the fish tanks.
It's a bit of work, but saves me countless fish deaths. The in between allows me the chance to smell the water and visually check for problems. For the smell, if it's still a strong chlorine, then I would know that the city have just flush the system with a high dose of chlorine to kill off the bacteria build up. Some times, rust/dirt colour would come out of the tap. This would come from contructions some where up the line. I usually catch these things 2 or 3 times a year. I don't change water that week.

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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

Just use a heater and leave it overnight in your wc container and throw in an airstone or powerhead to help aerate the water.


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## Holidays (Apr 18, 2010)

I have always used warm water straight from the tap (in last 10 years in miss and rh), take a shower twice a day, so if there is anything funny I would have smell and taste it. But I never kept anything so sensitive like true altums, so it depends on the fish that you're keeping too.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

I used to live in a hard water area and at that time I'd use rainwater heated on the stove or melted snow heated on the stove. I'd test with a thermometer.

These days I just use cold tap water and let it sit at least 24 h so that it is room temperature (only a few degrees cooler than tank water). Add it slowly -- it's like rain for the fish.

(Same fish going strong at 18+ years old . . . healthy as ever).


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## PanzerFodder (Oct 15, 2010)

Thanks for all the replys and tips.

I use prime as a water conditioner, will it get rid of all the bad stuff that may be lurking in my hot water tap if I start to use it for WC's?

I plan to do a 12% WC every 3 days so that my substrate is extra clean for my corys to live on, and I would think that all the rest of my fish would be happy with this as well?, but have heard that changing the temp in my fish tank to often will cause stress that can lead to the fish getting ill?.

Thank's again...PanzerFodder...


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

I use the water straight from the tap and add conditioner to the tank, as far as copper in hot water heaters theres no more than in your cold water tap. For the last 50 years or so good hot water heaters are lined with glass, if you get white stuff from your tap your water heater may need to be flushed its is mostly calcium deposits.


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## gucci17 (Oct 11, 2007)

PanzerFodder said:


> Thanks for all the replys and tips.
> 
> I use prime as a water conditioner, will it get rid of all the bad stuff that may be lurking in my hot water tap if I start to use it for WC's?
> 
> ...


I don't think Prime will do that for you. It's main purpose is to neutralize the chlorine, chloramine and ammonia.

What's your tank size again? If your tank is big enough, you won't get that big of a swing in temp just by changing 12% of the water.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

PanzerFodder said:


> I always thought that useing water from the hot tap was a huge NO,NO for fish tanks, coz of all the crap and stuff that has settled at the bottom of the copper water heater?.
> 
> Sometimes when I wash the dishes, I can see white stuff come out of my hot tap!, so don't think that I had better try this method  (it's a bloody brand new water heater as well  )


Water heaters are usually lined with glass or stainless steel, IIRC. Brand new copper plumbing can be a problem, but it soon gets a layer of inert oxides on it. This is one reason municipal water authorities raise the pH of your tap water above 7 -- acidic water will leach copper from your pipes.

White stuff coming out of the hot tap is strange. From an old system, I suppose it could be calcium deposits, but if it's new, I have no idea what it is. Is your other plumbing old? Strain some of the stuff out and see if it dissolves in vinegar with fizzing -- if so, it may be calcium carbonate deposits from older plumbing and harmless. If it doesn't dissolve or doesn't fizz, contact whoever installed your water heater for advice.

I mix water at the tap, too. One thing to remember is to check the temp after you've drawn a lot of water, since it may get cooler as the hot water in the water heater gets used up. Most household water heaters are about 40 gallons, but some are larger.


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## qwerty (Dec 15, 2009)

I thought the problem with copper pipes is more the lead solder than the actual copper itself, isn't it? 

Anyways, yeah... I just stick my hand in the bucket and get the water warm-ish from the tap. If it really bothers you, you could always test for copper to ease your mind. But I've never heard of water heaters being a potential risk to aquariums, and I'm sure, like water softener units, it would be more known and discussed in the hobby now and again if it was. The white stuff you see I'm pretty sure is just hard water deposits. Run the tap for 3-5 minutes if you really wanted to be safe...

In regards to temperature and our fish, I don't think the temperature of a water change is that big a deal as long as it's not a drastic difference and it feels comfortable to the touch. I'm sure you've been swimming in a lake and noticed how there's often patches of water that are freezing and patches that are warm and comfortable. I think what they mean when they say temperature fluctuations can harm your fish is basically just saying don't go unplugging or otherwise meddling with your heater too much. Like if you unplugged your heater at night, letting the temperature drop from 78 to 70F, and then plugging it back in in the morning so it rapidly heats back up, and doing this regularly.


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## Rmwbrown (Jan 22, 2009)

I think my father has perfected this, he uses RO water in 18L jugs and then tosses them and himself into the hot tub for 15-20 minutes.


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## PanzerFodder (Oct 15, 2010)

Just did a 25% WC in both tanks useing the hot tap mixer in the sink, all seem's to be ok ATM, and the fish are swimming around as normal  .

The water straight out of the tap into the buckets did look a bit murky at first so I let it stand for a few minutes to clear, then added the Prime waited a few more minutes and tipped it in to the tank, think that I got the temp about right as the heater did not come on for a while afterwards.

Think that I will continue doing my WC's this way in the future as it save a whole lot of time, but will also keep an eye on my plants to see if they start to yellow as I have been told that is a indication of bad water/poisoning  .

Thanks for all the tips...PanzerFodder...


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

That murkiness is dissolved oxygen gassing out of the water.


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