# question



## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

i have read through the breeding forum and it was fascinating , i was just curious about the the water change with cold water to stimulate them breeding, would it have to be pure cold water or some hot water mixed in with it? and if it is only cold water wouldnt it give the p's a shock ..the tempature diffrence i mean ? thanks


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## tweaked (Aug 3, 2003)

Weclome to the board!

It's normally not advised to have a big difference in the temp of water. Yes, your fish can go into shock from such a big change or can get or develop some sort of disease.

Will it happen to your fish? Can't answer that one. My reds are well over 10 years old and have been conditioned to big changes in temps since they were 6" plus. I don't do this on my smaller fish. The cold water I use on water change depends on outside temps. I live in a State that doesn't snow ... so, this time of the year ... the coldest the water from the tap gets probably is around 50 degrees on average. I have done water changes where the tap water was probably into the 40's.

I guess to address whether or not to mix in hot water is the end result temp that you're trying to achieve in the main tank after the water change. You can probably achieve the same thing by unplugging the heater overnight on a chilly night and then pluggin it back in after a small warm water change the next day (I haven't tried this one yet).


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## Killer (Oct 28, 2003)

I agree with Tweak, don't add just pure cold water because it can shock your piranhas which could lead to a sickness. The best way to lower the temperature is to unplug the heater and let it sit overnight. The temperature will only fall to your room temperature so keep that in mind. If you're wanting it to go below, I would suggest reducing the amount of heat into that room. The last thing you want to do is kill your piranhas in an effort to motivate them to breed.


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## MStiers (Mar 21, 2003)

The information that I have received regarding "the cold water shock treatment" is just that. You do a thorough gravel siphone and 20-30% water change followed by a cold water dump. I was advised never to go below 65 degrees, but I honestly wouldn't go below 70. Maybe Nike or Homebrewed can offer some more detailed information on this. I believe this mimmicks changes in their waters after rains when the cooler streams run into the larger warmer streams, but I honestly need to read up on this more.

**I just remembered reading in the past that some have had success adding snow in their tanks.**


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## DiXoN (Jan 31, 2003)

i was always led to believe this was of inducing spawning was to just use the water a few degrees lower than it should be in the tank and not a huge drop in temp as this could be harmfull p's should be able to feel the difference even with a few degrees drop 10% or so dropp would be harmfull imo this is supposed to mimic the rainy season in a roundabout way with colder water filling the rivers.
i have used this way to get my reds in the mood and they have dug nests but the cariba in the tank wont let them breed for some reason

dixon


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## hastatus (Jan 16, 2003)

In a nutshell, what the purpose of introducing cold water is to emulate 'rain water' as it falls on a natural river. This drop in temperature (2-3 degrees) and pH variation is sufficient to stimulate seasonal changes, thereby inducing piranas to breed. Of course this is done over a long period of time to simulate dry vs wet season.


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## steveling (Jun 6, 2003)

thanks guys , fascinating stuff , not gonna try it yet though as i dont htink mine are big enough to sart breeding if they ever will , but thanks for the info anyway


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