bitseriously
- #1
Has anyone ever run into a thermometer issue where water chemistry affects the temperature reading?
I use an instant read meat thermometer for temp matching my new water during water changes. Kind of a variation on this one...
I also have a thermometer installed in my tank, to monitor things on daily basis, at-a-glance. Like these:
On wc day, I use the meat therm to measure the temp in the tank, and then use the same thermometer to set the temp in my buckets (tap water). It's not uncommon for the meat therm to give a different reading from the in-tank therm (never more than a couple degrees different, until now), but I figured if a single thermometer gives the same reading from both tank and tap, I'm good.
BUT WAIT!!!
During wc's two weekends ago, I was surprised to see my tank temp at 87F according to meat therm (heart actually started racing LOL), but the in-tank therm still showed 81F (whew). Regardless of the different readings between two thermometers, if I use a single thermometer to match the temps in tank and bucket, I should be fine, right? NOPE.
Like most of you, I've discovered that my fingers are pretty good at sensing small differences in temp. Dip in tank, then dip in bucket… if off by more than a couple of degrees they will feel different. And that's what I found. I checked and rechecked, and even though the readings were 87F in the tank and in the bucket, the temperatures were actually quite different. Assuming that the actual temp in the tank was 81F*, the temp in the bucket felt a lot warmer.
So my question to you, the experts, is this: Is there any chemical or physical differences between typical tank water (fw) and primed tap water that would cause an instant read thermometer to measure their temps differently?
* I've added an analog (mercury) aquarium thermometer to the tank, so I can be sure that I'm keeping it where I want it. The analog and in-tank therms are giving about the same reading, ±1deg.
I use an instant read meat thermometer for temp matching my new water during water changes. Kind of a variation on this one...
I also have a thermometer installed in my tank, to monitor things on daily basis, at-a-glance. Like these:
On wc day, I use the meat therm to measure the temp in the tank, and then use the same thermometer to set the temp in my buckets (tap water). It's not uncommon for the meat therm to give a different reading from the in-tank therm (never more than a couple degrees different, until now), but I figured if a single thermometer gives the same reading from both tank and tap, I'm good.
BUT WAIT!!!
During wc's two weekends ago, I was surprised to see my tank temp at 87F according to meat therm (heart actually started racing LOL), but the in-tank therm still showed 81F (whew). Regardless of the different readings between two thermometers, if I use a single thermometer to match the temps in tank and bucket, I should be fine, right? NOPE.
Like most of you, I've discovered that my fingers are pretty good at sensing small differences in temp. Dip in tank, then dip in bucket… if off by more than a couple of degrees they will feel different. And that's what I found. I checked and rechecked, and even though the readings were 87F in the tank and in the bucket, the temperatures were actually quite different. Assuming that the actual temp in the tank was 81F*, the temp in the bucket felt a lot warmer.
So my question to you, the experts, is this: Is there any chemical or physical differences between typical tank water (fw) and primed tap water that would cause an instant read thermometer to measure their temps differently?
* I've added an analog (mercury) aquarium thermometer to the tank, so I can be sure that I'm keeping it where I want it. The analog and in-tank therms are giving about the same reading, ±1deg.