water changes with a hose

I was just preparing to do a water change, while looking out the window at the snow.
I realized it might be useful to pass along a wintertime tip. A few years ago, I bought a point type temperature sensor - you can buy expensive gun shaped ones or cheaper pocket sized devices, for under $20 if you shop around. I use mine to measure the temperature of the water going through my Aqueon/python hose in winter, as it can be hard to get the hot cold balance right. This is especially important when the real cold hits - right now we are just a few degrees below zero here.
You point the device, the red laser light hits the hose and you get a reading. It takes a second, and I do it a couple of times in the course of a change on my 120 gallon. As the really cold water comes into the mix, the temperatures can really dive.

I also walk around with the thing and check temperatures in the fishroom, and in individual tanks. Once you learn its limitations (it is not a perfect technology) it is really useful. It's great for finding drafts in the house, and I got to spend Friday after school on a ladder caulking classroom drafts to try to keep my kids from freezing all winter.

I remembered you writing a similar post years back. While I was walking through the aisles of Canadian tire looking for xmas gifts. I stumbled upon a great deal.



It was originally $99 on sale for $29. It also comes with a laser pointer, which my dog goes absolutely crazy for.