Heating water for water changes

[Scrumpy]

I was told not to use hot water from the tap to warm up water for water changes because it would have things like lead and copper from the pipes.
I'm having to do 50% water changes twice a week on my 34 gallon tank....so I have to boil the kettle about 15 times atm and it's driving me mad, taking ages and must be expensive!
So, it occured to me, I'm using a water conditioner to take out choloramine and heavy metals....so would that include anything nasty in hot tap water?

 

[Medic6666]

I normally have 4 pots boiling on the cooker.

I then add the water until the temp is the same as my tank.

I know people who add hot water from their taps and they seem to think that because you are only adding a little (ie 20% ish) and that you use some sort of water cleaner its ok. They don't seem to have any problems and their tanks are fine.

I like to be 100% sure I am not going to damage my fishies as my g/f would kill me..  

Someone else might have info that could change the above  *twirlysmiley*

Good luck

Medic6666

 

[Atlantic Fish]

putting in hot water from your taps takes it right from you hot water boiler. in which the water has been sitting for god knows how long, constantly getting reheated and reheated and reheaded, so it is really stale and full of crap you dont want in your tank.  Personaly, i take my water from the cold water tap, let it warm to room temp, then with some conditioner to take out the chemicals in the water supply, i dump it in the tank.  Ive been doing it for 9yrs and have never had a problem (knock on wood)....

 

[luvfishies]

I run the hot water tap for a few minutes before using that water for fishies.

I also use a dechlor that removes heavy metals (AquaPlus). I do this for all the fishies, even the rams and discus, and haven't had any problems with it.

As long as the hot water heater is up to code, I don't see any reason why NOT to use water that is up to temperature right from the tap.

 

[Matt Nace]

I also do as luvfishies does.

One thing people do is flush the contents of their water heater twice a year.(there should be a hose attachment at the bottom of the heater)

What metals that are in your water(lead ,copper)  would be a result of your pipes, or where you get your water from(public/well) So chances are..if you have lead/copper in your hot...it is in your cold.

The lead and copper in my water are very low..where no action is needed(by them)this info in my borough drinking water report.

 

[Somonas]

I use hot tap water from the highrise boiler that is god knows how old and in god knows what condition.. and my fish are fine.

but now since it's summer I can do 30% - 40% waterchanges with cold water only and not change the tank temp at all.  (or hardly, like 2F)

 

[ronrca]

Same as some already posted. I use hot water from the tap to get a temp of 82F. You should be using enough hot water during the week that most of it should be replaced, especially if you take hot showers or hot baths. Running the hot water for a couple of minutes as luvfishies mentioned is also recommeded. Why make live difficult when you dont have to. The fishies will be fine. I have had my 90G for over a year and my 30G also 2 and I have never had a problem with the hot water. A little copper is not neccessarily a bad thing. I said little, right?!!! If you are getting levels that are bad for your fish (copper and lead), you had better get a new hot water tank or someone checking it out because it wouldnt be good for you either.

 

[colesea]

You could always just put cold water in a plastic bowl or ceramic crock and heat it in the microwave. That would be faster. Water in the microwave doesn't bubble the way we think of boiling, but my coffee is always well re-heated in the morning.

Personally, I don't add warm water to my tanks. I don't even wait for it to be room temp, I just use strait cold water and tap water conditioner.  Not freezing cold water like from the refrigerator, but I've never found the cold water tap to get cold enough to make a huge differance in my tank temps.  

I would be wondering why you are doing 50% changes twice a week. That seems an awful much for 34 gallons. I only change 8 gallons 2x a week out of my 30 gallon, and my fish have been fine for almost a year now.

So I would find out what's causing the initial problem of 50% change twice a week. Then you wouldn't have to worry about boiling so much water.  Also, perhaps, you could change the tank more frequently (say 3x a week) then you wouln't have to be boiling so much water at one time.
~~Colesea

 

[catfishmike]

i live in a place where water quality is a heated debate for anyone,fish or no fish.for two years i've raised my fish on tap water.in the winter i use hot water after it's been allowed to run for a minute then mix with cold.in the summer,straigt from the tap cold water is 78far. so no need in the summer.if  you have a new water heater it should be lined with glass and as matt said should be flushed once or twice a year.if your water is that bad maybe you should find another source.

 

[Scrumpy]

Thanks for all the replies.
My tap water nitrates are high (25-30 ppm) and after 3 or 4 days my nitrates in the tank are up to 80 ppm. My lfs says I must keep them at 30 ppm or below :-(
According to my calculations I'm well stocked but not over the limit (because I've allowed room for them to grow). I don't think I over feed...but maybe I do. I fishless cycled so I could add a full load straight away. The tank's only had fish in for 3 weeks. I dread to think what it will be like in a year. Daily 50% changes?
I've got plants but they don't seem to be doing much about the nitrates.
If I don't do a big water change it doesn't make enough difference, and the water gets a brown tint. I don't think the big piece of bog wood helps the colour though I boiled it a dozen times and soaked it for several weeks before I put it in.
I'm trying to organise myself so I can use Nitrazorb to remove nitrate from my water before I add it which might help. I was thinking of buying a water butt and putting my water in the night before, chuck in the Nitrazorb and water conditioners and then it will warm up over night and not need heating so much.
Straight from the tap our water is very cold. I don't know if it's contaminated from the hot water tank. I hoped water conditioners would take out anything if it was...but none of you seem to think so.
I've thought about using bottled water, but tbh this tank has been cripplingly expensive so far to set up, and I don't think we can afford to use gallons of bottled water every week. My husband would have a fit! I rather wish I'd just got a gold fish!

 

[ronrca]

Hmmm! Tap water with high nitrates. Not good! I remember Cloth having the same problem some time ago. Do you add any fertilization also?

 

[Scrumpy]

Yes...it's Nutrafin Plant Gro with .26% iron. My water conditioner is Nutrafin Aqua Plus

 

[Scrumpy]

I just read the bottle It says it contains 0.15% Nitrogen. Is that helping bump up my nitrates? Can I get plant food without nitrates?

 

[ronrca]

I believe you can. Actually, I use Flourish iron by itself twice a week. You can also make your own fertilization.

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