Temperature tolerance of gambusia?

[Hybridfish7]

As far as I know the only thing that can kill gambusia is eachother. Or anything that can rip them in half for that matter but that's besides the point. I had a tub pond of them outside, thought they all died of natural causes, left it out anyway so I had a partial rain/snow water pond ready for my next tubbing season. As of recently the weather has warmed up and I decided to go check on the ponds. To my surprise, there were a few gambusia up swimming frantically around the surface doing mating dances and fighting and all. The water temp at that moment was 47 degrees. Obviously since they overwintered they can go lower. Is there any recorded low for how low they can go?

 

[KATALEKEEPER]

I mean I have a ton of gambusia by me and I'm in NY. Where are you in the US? Aren't there two species of gambusia?

 

[Hybridfish7]

I'm on the east coast within the native boundary of g.holbrooki, so I believe mine are in fact holbrooki. There are at least 3 in the US I am familiar with, being holbrooki, affinis and that one brackish one. There may be more but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[C. Breeze]

Holbrooki overwinter in ditches here that go dry to the point that they do not support aquatic Plants- only support marginal plants. They over winter in the mud./ leaf litter/ debris. I’m east coast 32 degrees north. I have a 35 gallon round patio pond from Home Depot that has melanistic holbrooki in it for a couple years now. Hell or high water. I like them. And use them as feeders a little bit too. In my backyard they’ve been down to water temps solidly in the 30s and up to high 80s.

 

[Hybridfish7]

Holbrooki overwinter in ditches here that go dry to the point that they do not support aquatic Plants- only support marginal plants. They over winter in the mud./ leaf litter/ debris. I’m east coast 32 degrees north. I have a 35 gallon round patio pond from Home Depot that has melanistic holbrooki in it for a couple years now. Hell or high water. I like them. And use them as feeders a little bit too. In my backyard they’ve been down to water temps solidly in the 30s and up to high 80s.

Ah, I too have the 35 gallon home depot patio pond. Did you drill holes in yours to prevent flooding?

 

[C. Breeze]

Ah, I too have the 35 gallon home depot patio pond. Did you drill holes in yours to prevent flooding?

No. It overflows. A couple times a year. I’ve lost a few overboard along the way. I don’t particularly love that 35 round. I’ve got 140s and 180s that I prefer by a large margin. The 35 rounds I have are for sailfin mollies and the gambusia and are adequate in that capacity.

 

[Hybridfish7]

What time of year do you put your sailfins out? I have some latipinna I was planning on putting out for the summer but not sure when. Definitely not now since the night temps are still in the 40s

 

[The Masked Shadow]

The Gambusia in local creeks see temperatures of 45 degrees, or maybe lower. And I as well have a patio pond from home depot, but it is barrels, and it houses Rosy Barbs, and some plants. I want to get more patio ponds because they are so underrated.

 

[C. Breeze]

Mine are from here, a few miles from my house, they stay out. Just like my gambusia. I don’t have a pump for them so I’m not pumping cold air in, and because they are above ground I put a little plastic greenhouse over them to make up for being above ground- and that only really during January / February

Those 35 rounds with the three shelves are the worst to catch fish out of.