how cold of temps can oscars handle??

[screaminleeman]

Heaters dont blow up without a reason to. Believe me, Ive had about 10 different heaters in the last 6 years, no problems.
Tropical fish NEED a heater. Period. Unless you live in the tropics. Room temp and Water temp differ. Evaporation causes water to be about 5 degrees cooler than the air. More evaporation in the winter. This means you will be at around 65-70 degrees with no heater. This is going to leave your fish turpor like Knifegill stated and also make him alot more suseptable to disease. Even if its a $10 cheapo made for 10gallons. That will give you at least the 5 degrees you need to have healthy fish until you get a real heater.
Tropical animals require warm temperatures. Theres no way around it. Without a heater in other words you are "flushing your fish down the toilet".
Being cheap and not taking care of your pets ARE NOT the same.

1. The Oscar will need a heater to remain healthy, no question.
2. I have had over a half a dozen different brands (and even more models) of heaters fail for a number of reasons. The issue has been discussed frequently.

Please DO NOT mislead this fishkeeper into even worse heater paranoia by giving him bad information. I congratulate you on the stellar record that you enjoy with your heaters, but please understand that you are probably in the PROHIBITIVE VAST MINORITY of MFK'r that have NEVER experienced serious challenges with their heaters!

 

[ar0wan]

I truely love this thread.

 

[elting44]

wow, you could say things are really getting heated in here.... (hooray for bad puns)

Bottom line is you need a heater. Yes heaters fail. I use Aqueon heaters, they seem to be a solid brand, I have heard good things about Stealth heaters by marineland.

just because heaters fail, doesnt mean you have to live in constant fear of them doing so. Be cognisant of your water's temperature (look at the thermometer). Most heaters have failsafes in place so that if they fail they wont do so to a catastrophic level and kill your fish. Although this does occur if the thermostat fails on certain heaters and the temp goes up to the 90+s, and have also heard stories of fish getting electrocuted if the glass is broken, but they may just be stories.

 

[FishingOut]

1. The Oscar will need a heater to remain healthy, no question.
2. I have had over a half a dozen different brands (and even more models) of heaters fail for a number of reasons. The issue has been discussed frequently.

Please DO NOT mislead this fishkeeper into even worse heater paranoia by giving him bad information. I congratulate you on the stellar record that you enjoy with your heaters, but please understand that you are probably in the PROHIBITIVE VAST MINORITY of MFK'r that have NEVER experienced serious challenges with their heaters!

Huh? Im trying to subside his heater paranoia and have him get a little heat on his oscar. What are you doing? Trying to get him to live in fear of his heater?

9/10 when a heater breaks its not the heaters fault. Whether it was a power surge, broken by fish, not turning it off during WC, be clumsy, overworking the heater, Or it just expired like all electronics do eventually. Heaters wont last a life, But like I said I've had my fair share of heaters. Yes I broke a couple, sold a couple, have backups, but never once have I been electrocuted or had it explode which I hear alot of claims about.

 

[knifegill]

I've had really good luck with heaters. Bought one that died within a week, had one last five years then die, but the rest (about ten) of them are still going strong. Just do it and if accidents happen, they happen. It's better to keep most of your fish properly and occasionally have a little mishap here and there than to outright deprive them of a basic necessity. My tip? Dig like mad and find the green Ebo-Jager heaters. I have yet to see one die.

 

[Aquanero]

I’ve never had heater “explode” I’ve had them die but that’s about it. One thing I’d like to mention that I don’t know has been brought up. I use Stealth heaters black plastic fully submersible and always put them on 45 degree angles towards the bottom of the tank. Angling the heater allows it to function more accurately and efficiently. Heat rises and if a heater is used vertically it shuts off before the desired temp is achieved so the hobbyist then turns up the temp to compensate causing the heater to work harder than it should. And yes always turn off or unplug the heater during water changes, this is probably the number one cause of heater failures.

 

[blowfishRus]

its not about being scared of the heater...........its about not using if i dont have to.

if that logic cant fly thru your head and maybe stick, thats cool. all i really wanted to know is what temps the fish can take. thats it.

if my tank stays in the mid 70's, why do i NEED a heater. please explain this to me?????

 

[felixxx]

I think a heater also maintains a constant temperature for fish which is better. A heater set at the max temp of the tank will stop the temperaure dropping overnight.

 

[Aquanero]

It has been explained. It’s your fish, use it, don’t use it doesn’t matter to me. I posted about keeping the heater on an angle for any of the new fish keepers that read the thread and might not be aware of it. Good luck to you, I hope you have a very mild winter in Ga.

 

[VRWC]

i shoud flush the fist down the toilet while im at it to huh??


i dont understand how its being cheap just because i dont wont to have to worry about it blowing up like one has before. if its not bothering the fish why over do it?

but i guess you ASSume and get it all figured out, prick.

yea, flush it ...thats exactly what I was saying. Youre an expert at reading between the lines...just as you are in controlling your juvenile temper.

its not about being scared of the heater...........its about not using if i dont have to.

if that logic cant fly thru your head and maybe stick, thats cool. all i really wanted to know is what temps the fish can take. thats it.

if my tank stays in the mid 70's, why do i NEED a heater. please explain this to me?????

see the bolded comment in your answer to me at the top of this post?

YES, you are scared of the heater if your concern is having it blow up on you. Ive had fish over 25 yrs and NEVER had a heater blow up or get damaged without me making a mistake with it, just like probably most others here. They wouldnt get UL approved if they did it on a regular basis or without reason.

You need one because of lots of reasons, the main being temp fluctuations are stressful and you cant maintain the temp the same without one...which in turn can cause illness, ich etc. Also, you dont live where you are void of winter storms, ice overs, snow etc. If your power lines freeze and snap, youll be damn glad you had a heater in the tank because it will buy you that extra 2-6 hrs of livable water for your fish until the power company fixes the problem.

So put on your big boy pants, buck up and go with the general consensus here...or dont ask questions you dont want the answer to.