What cichlid can handle 50-75F?

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druxboyz

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 15, 2006
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Southern California
As i am in southern california, my pond temp would vary between those temps. What cichlid can handle these temperatures or handle temperatures close enough to it?

As it is summer now, my tested temp at 2am is about 68F. I assume my winter 2am temp is 55? let me know if i am way off. thanks
 
You could try using a solar cover on your pond to keep the heat during the night. Maybe try that and you could add some cichlids, but as of now i would say none.

Chad
 
The cichlids with the most northern range is the Texas cichlid and I don't think they can handle temps that low. Why not just get sunfish? They are almost exactly the same.
 
The Texas cichlid, Herichthys cyanoguttatus, should be able to handle southern California winters without a problem, as winter lows in its native range in south Texas are probably similar. However, make sure you get the real Texas cichlid and not its smaller southern relative, H. carpintis. Carpintes are often sold as "Texas cichlid" don't have temperature tolerance of their northern relatives.

Another possibility would be the Mozambique mouthbrooder/tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, which is commonly used in aquaculture. It has been introduced into areas of southern California, including the Imperial Valley. Although native to east Africa, these fish are tough MFs. They occur in heavily brackish canals that feed the Salton Sea in the Imperial Valley. Fishbase lists its temperature tolerance as being as low as 8 degrees Celsius or into the high 40s water temps:

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=3&genusname=Oreochromis&speciesname=mossambicus
 
Zilli Tilapia also handle temps as low as the high 40s F. So will nile and blue tilapia.
 
i have a few oscars in my pond right now. i'll continue to monitor my temperatures as winter comes in a few months. just yesterday the water temp was 82, considering it was almost 100 degrees here

thanks for the replies, and any other replies will be appreciated and considered as id like some variation :)
 
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