How do you read a fish tank thermometer?
Here is what the different colors mean: brown means temperature rising, the green color is the actual temperature, the blue color means the temperature is falling. If all the colors appear during the actual reading, then the actual temperature is the reading in green color.
How to Manage Your Tank Temperature. A good range is 76° to 80°F (25° to 27°C). A few species need to be kept several degrees warmer, and some species require temperatures a few degrees cooler.
Float a bag of ice or cold water in the fish tank to gently lower the water temperature. (Take care not to lower the temperature more than 2 or 3 degrees F in a 4-hour period.) Avoid putting ice cubes directly into your aquarium unless you make them with reverse osmosis or dechlorinated water.
A digital thermometer can give you an accurate reading to 0.1°F. There is no guessing – you just read what's on the display, and that's your temperature.
Mercury thermometers cannot be adjusted after calibration. The actual temperature must be calculated by applying corrections to the measured temperature. This takes time and is susceptible to calculation error.
The easiest way to check your fish tank water is to buy a good all-round tester kit. The key things to look out for are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These compounds will be kept largely in check with a good mechanical, chemical and biological filter.
Fill a glass with ice cubes, then top off with cold water. Stir the water and let sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes give it another stir then insert the thermometer probe into the ice water making sure not to touch the sides of the glass or the ice cubes....just insert into the cold water.
In any thermogram, the brighter colors (red, orange, and yellow) indicate warmer temperatures (more heat and infrared radiation emitted) while the purples and dark blue/black indicate cooler temperatures (less heat and infrared radiation emitted).
Answer: There are black temperature strips that have an adhesive backing for sticking to the outside of the aquarium glass. The water temperature is revealed as the thermometer colours change depending on how warm or cold the water is.
The thermometer will beep and the display will read: “188.8 ° ”. This is a function check indicating the unit is working properly. The last measured temperature will be displayed for approximately 2-seconds.
How do I know if my fish tank is too cold?
If your tank temperature is too cold, then your fish's metabolism will slow down, which leads to your fish becoming sluggish and sleepy. On the flipside, water that is too warm causes your fish's metabolism to speed up. Your fish will become more lively or even hyperactive.
Best Temperature
Cool water fish do better in temperatures below that, usually between 60° and 75°F (15-24°C), but some of them enjoy water well below 70°F, which is not suitable for any tropical fish. Ultimately the best temperature will depend on the species of fish in the aquarium.

You don't want the temp bouncing around more than 3 degrees because that will stress the fish. Try running your heater at 81-82. If you are truly concerned, run a small fan by the sump to help out, but also expect more evaporation.
A fan mounted at an angle or completely horizontal blowing on the water surface can decrease the temperature of the aquarium significantly. Keep in mind that if a lot of water evaporates from the aquarium, the salinity of the water will increase.
To prevent this from happening, allow the fish bag to float in the aquarium for 10–15 minutes to acclimate them to the water temperature. (If the fish are in a breather bag that allows gas exchange, place the bag on the aquarium lid for about 30–60 minutes.)
AQUANEAT Aquarium Thermometer (Best Digital Aquarium Thermometer) Of the three digital thermometers that I tested, the Aquaneat was the most accurate.
Most electronic thermometers have a digital display that shows you the temperature reading. Rectal temperatures provide the most-accurate readings for infants, especially those 3 months or younger, as well as children up to age 3. Temperatures taken from the armpit are usually the least accurate.
Rectal temps are the most accurate. Forehead temps are the next most accurate. Oral and ear temps are also accurate if done properly. Temps done in the armpit are the least accurate.
Experts suggest adding a degree to readings found through these methods. Rectal thermometers are most accurate while oral and axillary readings are half to one degree lower. If it's been a while since you've used a thermometer at home and pull a glass one containing mercury from the medicine cabinet, do not use it.
Shake the thermometer so that the mercury inside goes below 36°C (96.8°F). Carefully place the tip of the thermometer under your child's tongue. With your child's mouth closed, leave the thermometer in place for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the thermometer and read the temperature.
What should my fish tank test strip read?
A pH of 6.8 - 7.2 is ideal when keeping a community aquarium containing a variety of tropical fish. Goldfish should be kept in their own aquarium and prefer a pH of 7.5. Many Amazonian fish, like angelfish and neon tetras, prefer a pH of 6.5 - 6.8. Mollies and swordtails thrive at pH 7.2 - 7.5.
Turn on the cold water and allow the water to run for about five minutes to purge water from the plumbing and pipes and draw fresh water in from the water supply. It is important that you do not touch or otherwise contaminate the inside of the bottle or cap.
If the results are consistently safe and repeatable, you can decrease testing to every three days, then once a week, and eventually once a month.
Place the stem of the thermometer in the boiling water. Again, make sure that it's submerged at least 2 inches and wait at least 30 seconds. Your thermometer should read 212°F or 100°C. If it doesn't, keeping the thermometer in the water, turn the adjusting knob until the needle reaches the 212°F mark.
Thermometers should be calibrated regularly to make sure the readings are correct. The ice-point method is the most widely used method to calibrate a thermometer.
Your thermometer should be accurate within 2°F (1°C). If you notice a bigger gap after testing the thermometer's accuracy, you need to adjust it. If you cannot calibrate an inaccurate thermometer, you should replace it. Your business may receive inspection violations for using inaccurate thermometers.
The strip will change the colour as per the body temperature. Keep it on until it stops changing colour. Green indicates that the temperature is normal. If it shows tan or red at the same time, then consider deducting 0.5°C (0.9°F).
Alcohol or Petroleum thermometer: This thermometer can be recognized by the red liquid in the column and the ball at the bottom. The red color is a colorant that has been added to the alcohol or petroleum. To make the bottom of the aquarium thermometer heavier, metal-colored balls are often added.
These vertical (up and down) lines stand for degrees of temperature. Most thermometers have two scales for temperature, Fahrenheit and Celsius. Read the numbers for °F (degrees of Fahrenheit).
A color temperature of 6500 K is standard for ordinary PC use and for the sRGB standard. Most LCD monitors offer a setting of 6500 K among their color temperature options. If a monitor offers an sRGB mode, setting it to this mode should present no problems.
What is the red thing in the middle of a thermometer?
Talk to the children about the red line in the middle of the thermometer. Explain that it is either mercury, alcohol, or a similar chemical that interacts with the temperature outside, or how hot it is, which makes the red line move up or down.
In your home aquarium, the best location for placing a heater is near the maximum water flow, such as the outlet (or inlet) from the filter, or in the stream of a powerhead.
Submersible thermometers should be placed somewhere in the corner of your tank. Stick thermometers should be placed on the front glass of your aquarium and they should be always visible.