Tropical tank temperature

[magictorch1976]

Hi all

This is my second post and I am so impressed with these forums. I am not new to fishkeeping, having owned coldwater for a number of years and then tropical but these forums are increasing my knowledge ten-fold, which I thank all of you for doing

I wonder if you can help me with tank temperature.

I have a 96L tank, which I believe is 25US gallons......two thermometers, one of which is a traditional stick on inside of the tank jobbie and the other part of a Marina AquaMinder digital system, which has a probe that goes into the water.

Both of them seem to comply with each other's thoughts, that the temperature of the tank water is around 79 degrees Fahrenheit however, I have just been to the pet store to pick up some more fish and the water in the carriers felt so much warmer than this, i.e. when I put my finger in my tank, it "feels cold."

Is this just my perception or do I have the tank temperature wrong, or did the pet store?! To be honest, the pet store water "felt tropical." Mine feels freezing in comparison. However, my fish seem fine

Thanks for the advice

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Pharaoh]

You are probably OK, but it really depends on what type of fish you keep. Some stores may keep the temps a little higher to ward off infections and outbreaks.

 

[knifegill]

Most likely, the fish store has truly warmer water. There is also the chance that your skin was fooled, or that the water heated up on the way home. As long as you acclimatize slowly and your tank is stable, it's going to be adequate. Since most tropical fish are happy between 75ºF and 80ºF, if your thermometers are off a degree or two you're still in the ballpark.

 

[alexmuw]

Most Fishstores (LFS, Big chains are different, worry about electricity bill) use higher temps (78-85 Fahrenheit). This is to PREVENT parasites and bacterial growth. However, if they do breakout with a disease, the high temps also aid in treatment times (speeds up lifecycle of parasite and bacteria).

I'm sure there's a more "scientific" reason for raising temps, but that's the laymens terms.

Good luck!!!!!!

 

[magictorch1976]

Ah that's excellent. Thanks all for coming back to me so quickly. Much appreciated. I'll stop worrying about it now.

Thanks again

J

 

[BlackShark11k]

Higher temps also raise metabolism, makes the fish grow faster. Useful if you into something like datnoids that grow painfully slow.

I keep most of my tanks at 80-82.