can big fluctuations in temp cause more disease vulnerabilities?

[Justin Boucher]

Dave,

Reading your post, a few things came to mind.
First, you suggested that you're supplementing CO2. Have you tested for the
CO2 concentrations? Lack of real oxygen may be a small contributor. It's
always a better idea to change water with similar temps. If you're using a
5 gal bucket to set the water, you may want to consider getting a small
heater to raise the temp while you're letting it sit. I would like to say
though that many municipalities are using chloramine to chlorinate their
water. If that's the case, setting water out to evaporate the chlorine will
not remove the chloramine. You will need a dechlorinator that also handles
chloramine. So keep in mind that chlorine and chloramine are not equally
removed but equally bad for aquariums.

Just my 2 cents,
Justin

"Dave M. Picklyk" > wrote in message
news:XBTVd.1308$ZO2.1270@edtnps84...
> I've sadly watched my two clown loaches die of ich...and that was the last
> straw. Over the last year and a half since I started up the aquarium I've
> had too many fish die from one disease or another...or just die from some
> unknown cause. I've never had this problem years ago with fish. Since I
> started up a nice lush planted aquarium with CO2, ferts and the rest, I've
> had issues. My water is crystal clean and was always successfully tested
> against nitrites, ammonia levels etc, I've cleaned all excess detris from
> the gravel where plants aren't.
>
> I think I might know the culpirt: I do 50% water changes weekly to remove
> excess nutrients/ferts. These water changes are done with room temperature
> water which is pretty cold 68-70 degrees compared to the 79-82 degrees in
> the aquarium. Since I only have a 15 gallon tank I leave a 5 gallon bucket
> of water sitting for a few days to evaporate the chlorine and use this for
> replacing the water. I thought that was pretty smart since I was saving on
> dechlorination chemicals and encouraging a more organic approach to fresh
> water.
>
> I think these huge flucuations in temperature every week is what was
> shocking the fish and reducing their immunity to diseases. I now have a
> slime coat / dechlorinater additive and will be adding tap adjusted warm
> water to my tank from now on. Any opinions?
>
> Thanx!!!!
>
> Dave.
>
>

[Dave M. Picklyk]

I've sadly watched my two clown loaches die of ich...and that was the last
straw. Over the last year and a half since I started up the aquarium I've
had too many fish die from one disease or another...or just die from some
unknown cause. I've never had this problem years ago with fish. Since I
started up a nice lush planted aquarium with CO2, ferts and the rest, I've
had issues. My water is crystal clean and was always successfully tested
against nitrites, ammonia levels etc, I've cleaned all excess detris from
the gravel where plants aren't.

I think I might know the culpirt: I do 50% water changes weekly to remove
excess nutrients/ferts. These water changes are done with room temperature
water which is pretty cold 68-70 degrees compared to the 79-82 degrees in
the aquarium. Since I only have a 15 gallon tank I leave a 5 gallon bucket
of water sitting for a few days to evaporate the chlorine and use this for
replacing the water. I thought that was pretty smart since I was saving on
dechlorination chemicals and encouraging a more organic approach to fresh
water.

I think these huge flucuations in temperature every week is what was
shocking the fish and reducing their immunity to diseases. I now have a
slime coat / dechlorinater additive and will be adding tap adjusted warm
water to my tank from now on. Any opinions?

Thanx!!!!

Dave.

[[email protected]]

It would be sad if true that you must always add water that is about
the same temperature as the tank water. In other words I don't know but
I hope it isn't true because it takes a while for my faucet water to
reach warmer temperatures. Good luck and I would like to observe this
discussion about this subject. Later!

[Charles]

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 06:53:43 GMT, "Dave M. Picklyk"
> wrote:

>I've sadly watched my two clown loaches die of ich...and that was the last
>straw. Over the last year and a half since I started up the aquarium I've
>had too many fish die from one disease or another...or just die from some
>unknown cause. I've never had this problem years ago with fish. Since I
>started up a nice lush planted aquarium with CO2, ferts and the rest, I've
>had issues. My water is crystal clean and was always successfully tested
>against nitrites, ammonia levels etc, I've cleaned all excess detris from
>the gravel where plants aren't.
>
>I think I might know the culpirt: I do 50% water changes weekly to remove
>excess nutrients/ferts. These water changes are done with room temperature
>water which is pretty cold 68-70 degrees compared to the 79-82 degrees in
>the aquarium. Since I only have a 15 gallon tank I leave a 5 gallon bucket
>of water sitting for a few days to evaporate the chlorine and use this for
>replacing the water. I thought that was pretty smart since I was saving on
>dechlorination chemicals and encouraging a more organic approach to fresh
>water.
>
>I think these huge flucuations in temperature every week is what was
>shocking the fish and reducing their immunity to diseases. I now have a
>slime coat / dechlorinater additive and will be adding tap adjusted warm
>water to my tank from now on. Any opinions?
>
>Thanx!!!!
>
>Dave.
>


In addition to what has already been posted in this thread, how much
is your pH changing when you add the water? You add CO2 to the tank,
the new water doesn't have any.

That being said, I use a Python for my tanks, and the temperature I
set is done by the approximate position of the faucet handle.

Some of my tanks have heaters, some don't. I weed out the delicate
fish, I guess. I don't have problems with the water changes, but I am
not raising any very delicate fish. I found Clown loaches most
sensitive to deteriorating water conditions. I don't keep them any
more.


--
Charles

Does not play well with others.

[Elaine T]

Dave M. Picklyk wrote:
> I've sadly watched my two clown loaches die of ich...and that was the last
> straw. Over the last year and a half since I started up the aquarium I've
> had too many fish die from one disease or another...or just die from some
> unknown cause. I've never had this problem years ago with fish. Since I
> started up a nice lush planted aquarium with CO2, ferts and the rest, I've
> had issues. My water is crystal clean and was always successfully tested
> against nitrites, ammonia levels etc, I've cleaned all excess detris from
> the gravel where plants aren't.
>
> I think I might know the culpirt: I do 50% water changes weekly to remove
> excess nutrients/ferts. These water changes are done with room temperature
> water which is pretty cold 68-70 degrees compared to the 79-82 degrees in
> the aquarium. Since I only have a 15 gallon tank I leave a 5 gallon bucket
> of water sitting for a few days to evaporate the chlorine and use this for
> replacing the water. I thought that was pretty smart since I was saving on
> dechlorination chemicals and encouraging a more organic approach to fresh
> water.
>
> I think these huge flucuations in temperature every week is what was
> shocking the fish and reducing their immunity to diseases. I now have a
> slime coat / dechlorinater additive and will be adding tap adjusted warm
> water to my tank from now on. Any opinions?
>
> Thanx!!!!
>
> Dave.
>
>
I've always adjusted my tap water to tank temps for water changes. I do
think of temperature swings when I hear ich. Also, do your lights heat
up the tank every day? I put my lights for planted tanks on eggcrate
rather than a glass canopy so evaporation can cool the tank while the
lights are on. I top off with RO or rainwater as needed.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Dick]

On Fri, 04 Mar 2005 06:53:43 GMT, "Dave M. Picklyk"
> wrote:

>I've sadly watched my two clown loaches die of ich...and that was the last
>straw. Over the last year and a half since I started up the aquarium I've
>had too many fish die from one disease or another...or just die from some
>unknown cause. I've never had this problem years ago with fish. Since I
>started up a nice lush planted aquarium with CO2, ferts and the rest, I've
>had issues. My water is crystal clean and was always successfully tested
>against nitrites, ammonia levels etc, I've cleaned all excess detris from
>the gravel where plants aren't.
>
>I think I might know the culpirt: I do 50% water changes weekly to remove
>excess nutrients/ferts. These water changes are done with room temperature
>water which is pretty cold 68-70 degrees compared to the 79-82 degrees in
>the aquarium. Since I only have a 15 gallon tank I leave a 5 gallon bucket
>of water sitting for a few days to evaporate the chlorine and use this for
>replacing the water. I thought that was pretty smart since I was saving on
>dechlorination chemicals and encouraging a more organic approach to fresh
>water.
>
>I think these huge flucuations in temperature every week is what was
>shocking the fish and reducing their immunity to diseases. I now have a
>slime coat / dechlorinater additive and will be adding tap adjusted warm
>water to my tank from now on. Any opinions?
>
>Thanx!!!!
>
>Dave.
>

I can't say for sure that the temp changes bring on the ich. I do
know that Clowns are sensitive to ich. I get my fish via the internet
and received a shipment of 6 that all had ich. I didn't have any
medication on hand and no other tank, so my 75 gallon "community" were
exposed and not one of the other fish got the ich.

I take my fresh water straight from the tap with a Python. I adjust
the temperature as close to tank temp as possible. I monitor the temp
in the tank with a digital thermometer, but the sensor is away from
where the water comes in, so I watch the temp, but also feel the
Python tube. Even though my water heater tank is close to the
kitchen, the hot water gets hotter as the pipes heat, so I have to
monitor continuously, adjusting the handle to compensate.

Perhaps you can relax your worry about taking water straight from the
tap and focus on getting a steady temperature. I killed several fish
while trying to adjust the pH. I over dosed. That was the last time
I adjusted the pH. I decided "survival of the fittest" was safer than
"survival of my adjustments."

By the way, I now have 3 tanks with 11 Clowns. Never have had any
further problem since the first 6. No more chemicals, I even stopped
putting charcoal in my filters.

dick