# Worried about a water change



## ohGODerin (Aug 4, 2005)

I haven't posted on here in a while it seems, but I finally saved up enough cash to buy a 29g tank and its been running for two weeks. I added two golden zebra danios for cycling about a week and a half ago. Everything has been going smoothly, but now I'm ready for a water change, and basically, I'm terrified. The problem is that I don't know how to tell the temperature of the water by feel, and I'm worried that when I add water back into the tank it might be of a way different temperature & stress out the fish and I wouldn't know it. Does anyone have any tips? Or am I making a mountain out of a molehill here? I hope I explained my situation well enough. :-| Thanks.


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## shev (Jan 18, 2005)

Not to brag but I've gotten quite good at telling the temp of water.  but if the room is colder or warmer than the water it can really throw you off.

as long as its around a 20% water change a few degrees wont be the end of the world.

you could just buy one of the floating thermometers and put it in your bucket of water.


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## fishn00b (Jun 10, 2005)

The floating thermometer is a good idea as shev said. The way I tell is I just stick my finger in the water. If it feels at all warm, its too hot. If you stick your finger in the water and its just a little bit cool, then its probably right around 80 degrees. Its just like getting into a pool. But don't worry about it too much. I change a little bit of my water and I always raise the temperature by 4 degrees or so that it goes up to 83 degrees. After a few hours it will cool back down again to where you want it to be.

Walmart sells those floating thermometers for just about a dollar, I would say it would be a good investment if you are sincerely worried.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

It doesn't make that big of a deal. In fact, some people change the temp on purpose, usually to trigger spawning. Just as long as it is not a huge water change with a very different temperature, it shouldn't matter.


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## cheechee65 (Jun 13, 2005)

I don't worry too much about water temperature when doing a water change. It's actually very difficult to do here specially since I use a python. In Arizona the cold tap water is usually warmer than what the tank is but because of the heat here. But from what my thermometer registers after adding the water it doesn't seem to be enough to worry about. In the winter when it is colder I simply add more hot water to the tap till it feels just cool but not cold. My fish are doing well and are thriving so I don't really think it bothers them. So I don't believe it has to be the exact same temp. Of course you don't want it to be too terribly off either.


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## ohGODerin (Aug 4, 2005)

Okay, thanks guys. I did a 20% change and tried to get the temperatures as close as I could, which I now know was obviously all I could do. Muchas gracias.


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