Best tropical fish tank temperature?
- Thread starter TxDemb4theoilOligarchs
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My fish are from Mexico, and I keep my tank at 75 degrees. The tropics are quite a wide band, and there is a big temperature difference between the areas around the equator and the fringes like Mexico.
I unplug my heaters in the summer time. And plug them back in the winter time.
Depends on the species and particular fish to me. Normal display tanks are at 78, breeders and grow outs at 82, my Uaru Fernandezyepezi stay at 87. I also had a rio olimar gymnogeophagus that I kept in a heater-less tank for a while.
78-80 is good for younger fish to induce growth and stimulate appetite, most of my larger aggressives get knocked-down to 72-76 F after a year or when they are sub-adults. I have a pair of brasiliensis in a unheated tank fluctuating between 66- 72F, and also have bred convicts and jewels at 68-70F.
It's not always about location in the wild, a lot of fish are highly adaptable of extremes, you just have to experiment and find out which species
It's not always about location in the wild, a lot of fish are highly adaptable of extremes, you just have to experiment and find out which species
I alter my temps throughout the year on my breeding project tanks. Many species benefit from a winter cool down and trigger their annual spawns with the warming from winter temps. My silver aros spawned after a winter cool down from their usual 80F dipped down to 68-70F. (Although, truth be told, I realized the benefits of altering temp by accident. My aro tank was in the front of my shop which never got as warm as the heated fish room during winter months).
Nowadays, it's easy to find these temp triggers via the internet. Many weather bureaus, world-wide, monitor their local water temps daily so, it's relatively easy to match aquariums up to the seasonal changes the species-of-interest evolved in when attempting to induce spawning in problematic species.
Nowadays, it's easy to find these temp triggers via the internet. Many weather bureaus, world-wide, monitor their local water temps daily so, it's relatively easy to match aquariums up to the seasonal changes the species-of-interest evolved in when attempting to induce spawning in problematic species.
I keep all but a couple of tanks in my basement fishroom unheated. It's basically the temperature of the house in the middle level of tanks: in the summer ~73-4F....a bit lower on the lower levels...and higher on the top level.
I keep primarily new world cichlids and livebearers.
With few exceptions, I tend to keep fish on the cooler end of the spectrum. It's a good strategy for controlling aggression and saving electricity. A couple of degree jump (for example, when the HVAC is off and we open the windows in the house mainly in the spring and fall) results in lots of breeding activity.
I keep Uruguayan fish totally unheated and on the lowest rack to provide temps down to the upper 50s / lower 60s in the winter. They start breeding when temps come back to the upper 60s / lower 70s in the spring.
Matt
I keep primarily new world cichlids and livebearers.
With few exceptions, I tend to keep fish on the cooler end of the spectrum. It's a good strategy for controlling aggression and saving electricity. A couple of degree jump (for example, when the HVAC is off and we open the windows in the house mainly in the spring and fall) results in lots of breeding activity.
I keep Uruguayan fish totally unheated and on the lowest rack to provide temps down to the upper 50s / lower 60s in the winter. They start breeding when temps come back to the upper 60s / lower 70s in the spring.
Matt
It really depends on the fish. I will look up studies on what I'm keeping and keep it in the mid to upper level of what temp ranges its found in. I mainly keep parachromis c/a so temps end up from 75-82 depending on how aggressive the individual is.
