[fry84]

I've got a temperature problem and question.

Late Friday night I set up a new Eclipse 6 for my two small fantails. Within 24 hours I was dismayed to find the temperature had climbed to roughly 79/80 degrees, where it's been hovering since (about 16 hours now). In my previous tank, the water was usually about 75 degrees.

I've figured out it isn't the light but the pump assembly that's giving off so much heat. I can even feel heat escaping when I open the feeding door. I removed, disassembled, and inspected the impeller unit, but found nothing wrong with it, and have no idea why it's so warm to the touch.

While I'm waiting to hear back from Marineland about the possibility of a replacement, I'm very worried about the continuance of elevated temperature. My fantails seem active and happy at the moment, but is it better that I turn off the pump to keep the temperature down rather than utilize the filtration system?

 

[jrodriguez]

the temperature is actully fine...but if it gets any higher you should consider one of the following methods

1.put a small fan on top of the surface of the water

2.freeze a couple of gatorade bottles...when they are frozen put them in the water

while doing both of these it will lower your temperature at least a couple of degrees

keep us posted

 

[fry84]

Thank you! The idea of freezing bottles is excellent.

The temperature is slowly climbing, so I've popped a couple of bottles in the freezer.

 

[JIM]

80 degrees is pushing the upper limit of what goldfish prefer, and a 6 gallon tank is kinda small for even 2 small ones. These fish have great growth potential, and create large ammounts of waste, so special attention needs to be paid to water quality, by way of frequent water changes. Dont know what your source water is for changes but if it is city supplied , you will need to have pre-treated or water that has set out of the pipes for awhile, so the chlorine used by (City Suppliers) will have time to gas off prior to using. The filter your using (will) produce heat on its own and as mentioned above needs some form of dissipation out of the tank, as the warmer water will also contribute to increased metabolism by your fish. Yes fishkeeping is a complicated but wonderful hobby, and figuring out these hurdles and overcoming them is part of the fun

 

[fry84]

Jim, thank you so much for that wealth of information! Of course, now I feel the best way to show my appreciation is to ply you with questions.

I am using city water, so I use Prime to take care of the chlorine/chloramine issue, and Cycle since it's a new tank and fantails are so messy.

But one thing I find a different answer to everywhere I look is the frequency/amount of water changes. I've seen suggestions ranging from weekly to monthly, and amounts ranging from 10 to 30%. Any thoughts?

And what would you say is a good tank size for fantails? It'll be at least a month before I'm ready to upgrade, but when I do, I'd like to add another two to three goldfish.

One more, then I'll hush up. Do all filtration systems create heat? I'd like to shake my fist at Marineland for not including some sort of newbie warning about coldwater fish on their packaging.

 

[jrodriguez]

srry i didnt know that you were talking about goldfish

 

[fry84]

That's okay. Your suggestion about frozen bottles is still a lifesaver.

 

[jrodriguez]

np

no problem

is that the only tank you have???

 

[fry84]

Yes, I just got my first fish two weeks ago. I'm new to the hobby, and am on a considerable learning curve.

 

[jrodriguez]

cool...i started about a year ago with a 10 gallon and i am starting up a 55 gallon soon

 

[JIM]

The only tank thats too large is one you cant afford,So if you cant afford to properly house the fish, dont get them. Always do your homework first, how big is that cute little Oscar gonna get, and i cant afford more than a 5 gal setup. Better to just visit the local LFS and enjoy him there than doom him to living in a shoebox. With true fishkeepers its all about the fish.Personally, i wouldnt try to house 4 goldfish in less than a 30 gal aquarium, but thats me. I do, and have done, at least 20% water changes monthly for 30 years and have never had health issues with my tanks. You didnt mention any cycle time at all so im assuming your bio-load is off the charts right now. Tanks have to have time to get ready to handle the load put on by the fish and all wastes of food etc. to remain healthy, and a squirt or 2 of nothing you can buy will replace, true cycling of the tank. I use Marineland products (Hot Magnum) but have plenty of surface area to dissipate that heat, also my tanks are all in a conditiioned space, so heat is never a problem for me, I also recommend Aqua-clear as they have a long waterfall return, which causes aereation, and also no replacing filter media because they have squeeze out sponges, which also act as bio-media, as im also kinda cheap and the tendency is to not replace the filters often enough because of expense, so you're just lettin the debris rot on the filter pad instead of in the tank.

Whew!!!! that was a mouthful

 

[fry84]

cool...i started about a year ago with a 10 gallon and i am starting up a 55 gallon soon

55... wow. I hope it goes well for you.

 

[jrodriguez]

me too

 

[fry84]

The only tank thats too large is one you cant afford,So if you cant afford to properly house the fish, dont get them. Always do your homework first, how big is that cute little Oscar gonna get, and i cant afford more than a 5 gal setup. Better to just visit the local LFS and enjoy him there than doom him to living in a shoebox. With true fishkeepers its all about the fish.Personally, i wouldnt try to house 4 goldfish in less than a 30 gal aquarium, but thats me. I do, and have done, at least 20% water changes monthly for 30 years and have never had health issues with my tanks. You didnt mention any cycle time at all so im assuming your bio-load is off the charts right now. Tanks have to have time to get ready to handle the load put on by the fish and all wastes of food etc. to remain healthy, and a squirt or 2 of nothing you can buy will replace, true cycling of the tank. I use Marineland products (Hot Magnum) but have plenty of surface area to dissipate that heat, also my tanks are all in a conditiioned space, so heat is never a problem for me, I also recommend Aqua-clear as they have a long waterfall return, which causes aereation, and also no replacing filter media because they have squeeze out sponges, which also act as bio-media, as im also kinda cheap and the tendency is to not replace the filters often enough because of expense, so you're just lettin the debris rot on the filter pad instead of in the tank.

Whew!!!! that was a mouthful

Thank you, again! 30 gallons and AquaClear are very helpful suggestions while I work on finding a new home for my fantails.

I've yet to find anything more than teenage angst in the employees of the local pet/fish stores, so I've been desperate for useful guidelines.

 

[jrodriguez]

yeah i am going to get a aquaclear for my 55

btw you should a filter that filters more than the size of your tank

 

[Shotgun]

the water temperature is fine. but if you feel like you want to lower it by a few degrees if it gets too hot, you can do the following:

freeze water bottles and put them in the tank.

put a small fan and let it blow on the water above the tank. dont put it on oscelate. If you keep it standing still, it can easily lower your tank up to 8 degrees depending on how big your tank is

make ice cubes from old water in the aquarium! old water in the aquarium equals no chlorine. (hopefully)

 

[fry84]

Thanks for the idea! The frozen bottles are making the fantails nervous, so I'll look for an ice cube tray and give that a whirl.