big temp change

[m.bug]

yesterday i was making some changes in my 20 gal tank. i moved in 2 new fish, did a 10% water change and added a brand new rock.

this morning when i went to test the nitrite i thought the water felt warmer than usual, checked the thermometer and somehow over night the water went from 79 to 86 degrees. i figured that when i put that rock in it must have bumped up against the submerged heater and turned the dial. i have a pretty cheap heater(top fin) and it doesnt say what temp it is set at. it has a dial that just moves from high to low. so i have no way of knowing if it actually moved or not.

anyway, i adjusted it to lower and hopefully that will fix it.

should i be concerned about my fish? they seem fine. i have 2 powder blue gouramis, 3 red honey gouramis and 4 skunk cories in there? will bringing the temp back down shock them again? anyone have advice on how to best handle this?

 

[patagonia]

if you return to your normal temperature very slowly...about 1F every 4-6 hours your fish should be fine....HTH....

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The temp of 86 will not harm the fish. That's the temp that the water should be when treating ich. As patagonia said, turn it down slowly. A sudden decrease in temp is also stressful.

 

[QTOFFER]

In general, tropical fish tolerate warmer temps much better than cooler temps.
If you turn down the heater and let the tank slowly cool down on its own, I think they'll be fine. DON'T add cool water or ice cubes - this would drop the temp too quickly and stress the fish. HTH

 

[m.bug]

ok. i guess it will be alright. thanks guys.