# How warm is your fishtank?



## b/p (Apr 21, 2010)

Just wondering how hot everyone's tanks have been during this "heat wave" (by Vancouver standards anyway)

Mine's at about 81 degrees and the fish are almost motionless along the bottom chilling out 

I usually keep the tank at 78F so I hope +3 degrees in the short term won't hurt.


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

mine are both around 80-83 and my fish are still swimming like nothing...


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## CRS Fan (Apr 21, 2010)

80 - 83. Good thing I only really have Blue Pearl shrimp now !


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

My upstairs tanks are higher than the sticky thermometer will read, so higher than 86 degrees. My main floor tanks are slightly cooler sitting between 84-86 degrees. It just won't cool down in my house ...I really wish that I had air conditioning.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Hot enough to wipe out all but 5 of my 100 or so shrimp.

Bought an air conditioner for my bed room, _the last 5 are toughing it out!_


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

ouch. would it be a good idea to turn the heater right down.. or off? or turn the lights off at night... or is it better to leave it so the conditions are steady?


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## eternity302 (Apr 22, 2010)

81F
I have an airconditioner that keeps the room at 25c, but i just like my temperature a little higher =)


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

angel tank is 81f with heaters off and the discus tank is at 84f with heater on


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

mine is at 80-84 range.....room door and both windows open...unplugged heater a long while ago for the summer..and reduced the tank light time...and less feeding/food...

*beep* last year..heat wave....lotsa shrimp didn't make it..ugh...even with a few ice cubes and some cool water top off


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

effox said:


> Hot enough to wipe out all but 5 of my 100 or so shrimp.
> 
> Bought an air conditioner for my bed room, _the last 5 are toughing it out!_


i had a fan...ice cube...cool water top off..heater off..windows and room door open..reduced the tank light..........still mass casualties last year....wish u luck on ur survivors


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Mine is right at 78 in the basement. Hot still. Hot enough to cook my shrimp!


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## pisces (Apr 22, 2010)

i usually keep 75C , summer time, need cut down the electic bill !!!!
actelly now summer time dont need very warm,


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## fkshiu (Apr 22, 2010)

cichlid said:


> ouch. would it be a good idea to turn the heater right down.. or off? or turn the lights off at night... or is it better to leave it so the conditions are steady?


I'm not sure why people think they have to do anything to their heaters during a heat wave. Heaters are just like your home furnace: they're only on when the temperature drops *below* what the thermostat is set at. Higher temps mean the heater simply stays off just like your furnace. Only if you're paranoid about the heater sticking on should you unplug your heater - and if you're that paranoid in the first place you should be using a more reliable external heater controller in any event.

The best thing you can do to keep temps down (other than getting A/C or a chiller) is to simply remove all tops from the aquarium and have a fan blowing across the surface of the water. Your aquarium dissipates heat the same way your body does: sweating. Having a top on your aquarium is like you wearing a sweater. Taking the cover off and blowing a fan is like you taking off your shirt and standing in front of a fan. Your evaporation rate will go way up because of this, but this is a good thing during a heat wave because it allows you to add more cold water.


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## Luke78 (Apr 24, 2010)

Between 84-86 is where my setup is now.Discus dont mind it one bit and seem active all the time.All other occupants seem to be ok as well.Havent turned off the heater, and i got both canisters with spraybars creating alot of surface movement.Personally i dislike this weather and cant wait for the cool down to begin again.I know its a bit off topic , but this summer has created alot of havoc in this province alone and some rain would make it a bit easier for everyone.


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

fkshiu said:


> I'm not sure why people think they have to do anything to their heaters during a heat wave. Heaters are just like your home furnace: they're only on when the temperature drops *below* what the thermostat is set at. Higher temps mean the heater simply stays off just like your furnace. Only if you're paranoid about the heater sticking on should you unplug your heater - and if you're that paranoid in the first place you should be using a more reliable external heater controller in any event.


thanks. I wasnt sure, I have never done anything, never had a fish die. I was just wondering why people unplug there heaters and if there was a purpoes for doing so, I guess you could turn them down so the water is cooler...


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

cichlid said:


> ouch. would it be a good idea to turn the heater right down.. or off? or turn the lights off at night... or is it better to leave it so the conditions are steady?


Its actually better to turn it up. Depending on the weather, if it is hot in the day and cold at night (unlike today, and yesturday as it is hot 24/7) the temperature changes is usually what kills the fish. You will notice it will probably affect a 20 gallon way more than say, a 100 gallon as the temperature can change so much faster. What i do is check the room temperature at the hotest time in the day and take 2 degrees off and set my tanks to that.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

AWW said:


> Its actually better to turn it up. Depending on the weather, if it is hot in the day and cold at night (unlike today, and yesturday as it is hot 24/7) the temperature changes is usually what kills the fish. You will notice it will probably affect a 20 gallon way more than say, a 100 gallon as the temperature can change so much faster. What i do is check the room temperature at the hotest time in the day and take 2 degrees off and set my tanks to that.


Yup, bad time to be a 10 gallon.


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## gwcana (Apr 22, 2010)

effox said:


> Hot enough to wipe out all but 5 of my 100 or so shrimp.
> 
> Bought an air conditioner for my bed room, _the last 5 are toughing it out!_


oh wow, one of my shrimp died today...never though it was because of the heat


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## b/p (Apr 21, 2010)

My main concern during the heat is dissolved oxygen content. I usually have a koralia pump going about 12 hours a day when the lights are one (they are hooked up to the same timer). Now I just have the pump going 24/7 to keep water circulating near the top of the tank.


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## Jonney_boy (Apr 28, 2010)

I agree, my tanks are usually running 72-74 range....... last year in the heat I was doing 3x small cold water changes a day to hold the temp down, along with turning off the lights, opening up the top, adding fans to the rooms etc. Tanks where running low 80's during the heat wave.

I also made sure to keep o2 levels up by moving a lot of the filter output's to the water's surface.. (causing a bba oubreak in the process).

this year I purchased and AC for the fishes. All tanks are @ normal temps with the room set at 23 C.... unfortunally I DON'T have an Ac for the living room so it's me that is dying in the heat (more excuse to go look at the fishes).


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

my coolest tank (open top) was 26 degrees this morning (just shy of 79 in the old-school Fahrenheit y'all insist on using), 28 (82.5) at 8pm last night. 

Last year, August killed off my bumble bee and crystal red shrimp. I've given up on that branch of shrimp entirely, now.

good ideas being offered in this thread. removing lids and turning off lights are effective and simple. Small, frequent water changes likewise easy. Combing ice and fans emulates air conditioners from the fifties and sixties and is quite effective.

as for overnight temperature fluctuations hurting fish, it depends on the species and what kind of environment they come from. Some fish (my Z. tequilas, for instance) require overnight variation to really thrive.


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## snow (Apr 21, 2010)

Today when the heat was at it's prime my FW tanks were between 78-81F. 
My SW tank was 83F.


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## Barrie (Apr 22, 2010)

We're using the fan method for the SW tanks and the temps are staying down at the 79-81 area. The FW haven't changed a thing and they're at about 83. Nothing sensitive in them apparently, as everyone is just fine (no shrimp!).


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## Immus21 (Jun 14, 2010)

82 degrees f. Turn up my aerator and unplugged my heater (noticed it turning on at night). If needed you can cool down your tank by floating ice packs in it.


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## gmachine19 (Apr 21, 2010)

Just checked mine... It's around 28C-30C


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

i usually keep my african cichlids in 82 F water so theyre unaffected by this, i saw the tank hit 83 once but ive read they can be at 86 for short periods without problems to treat ich


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

It was hot enough to do 2 80% water changes on both days on most of my tanks. Still lost 1 fish though.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

My big tank is at a solid 82-83F, pretty well constant. My heater controller is set at 78F. No impact on fish thus far. I think my SA fish should be fine in those temps for a while. The tank is on my main floor which is getting pretty warm these last two days. Probably same temp as the tank. Leaving the tops off to help with evaporative cooling should help somewhat for those who are concerned...no lights, a couple of frozen pop bottles of water helps too. Or for the extreme, a chiller. LOL.


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## David J (May 2, 2010)

It hasn't reached the crazy temps here in Port Moody that it did last year. So far the tank has only reached 30°C (86°F) from its normal 28°C (82°F), but last year it went to 32°C (90°F). However, I haven't suffered any fish losses.


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## Holyarmor (Apr 29, 2010)

The HEAT will definitely affect the tank water + fish. The best way I found was to reduce feeding and increase water movement by adding more powerheads or filtration.

When the temperature is up a few degrees reaching 84+, the oxygen level reduces unless water changes are more often, or ammonia will build up fast 

I have learnt a hard way in the past where my whole tank of fish died of the above effect.


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## AvianAquatics (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm having a lot of temperature flux here in Calgary. Usually they just stay at 74-76ish, 75-77ish and 80F for my Crystal Red, Tiger, and Cherry shrimp tank respectively and then increase by 2 or 3F when the lights are on. But once it got really cold here and the temps in the Crystal Red and Tiger dropped to 20 and 21C and thankfully non of the shrimps died even after it climbed to 78F the next day... and the dropped to 72-74 the day after. It sucks to have 10Gal for shrimp tanks.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

My 20 gallon in the living room is up around 86 while the one in the air conditioned bedroom is around 82. Basement 125 is at 82 also. So far no problems as I run aerators at night in the non-ac room tanks. One more day and this heat wave should be over. I think the humans are suffering more than the fish in my house.


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

I'm at 86, added two ice cube trays, nodda is working thank god i'm moving into a house in the shade in a couple weeks, hope it's not too late.


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

wow.. now i feel irrisponsible.. i havent done anything with my tanks.. but they havent really gotten all that hot, i usually keep my tanks at about 80 degrees, they havent really changed, never really conserned me about the temp but i am in a basement suite so it dosent get too hot. i havent had any dead fish 

as far as poeple unplugging there heaters, that seems pointless... i agree with the one member that stated its a bad idea to unplug the heater

1. is keeps the temp from dropping below what you want so it dosent get too cold 
2. its OFF when its too hot
3. will help prevent a huge jump and drop in the tank which is more stressful for the fish


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## VinnyD (Apr 21, 2010)

TCR said:


> wow.. now i feel irrisponsible.. i havent done anything with my tanks.. but they havent really gotten all that hot, i usually keep my tanks at about 80 degrees, they havent really changed, never really conserned me about the temp but i am in a basement suite so it dosent get too hot. i havent had any dead fish
> 
> as far as poeple unplugging there heaters, that seems pointless... i agree with the one member that stated its a bad idea to unplug the heater
> 
> ...


hmm i guess not unplugging the heater does make sense once u point it out..haha...maybe its just the psychological fact that you you its unplugged that give comfort that it wouldn't suddenly fire up or yada. kinda like when u press the pedestrian cross walk button at the intersections...as long as it pressed the system gets it...but damn when u r in a hurry or if the lights dun change...i am pretty sure u go ape-sh*t on that button as if it's the emergency stop button to a bomb


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Well, unplugging your heater makes sense if you have one of them new fangled ones which blinks non-stop the whole time it's < or > 5 degrees beyond the set temp like my Smartheater. Besides it's not like the weather changes overnight and even then you'll have time to plug the heater in because the heat capacity of the water will buffer the temp for quite some time before it changes, unless it's a 20 gallon. My 125 gallon for instance, would take a day to reach room temperature, if it was more than 10 degrees from room temp.


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## BigFatLyre (Apr 22, 2010)

good question
One Endler tank on the fridge top was 88 degrees. Whew!

Flushed all ten gallon tanks with cool water yesterday. Today, clouds of new babies.
Anyone for Endlers?
-sorry to hear about shrimp loss; takes time to grow them to size
-and remember four weeks from now we'll be whining about all the rain. 
I know we broke a record; why do we have the temp meter at the airport? There's always an onshore breeze there and the cold water of the Fraser. We need the record temp taken at the corner of Cambie and King Edward!


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

I keep my fish tanks at about 80ish, and that's where most of them are sitting. I bumped my 15g up a bit, to about 82, since my betta knocked his head on the lid. 
My "temporary" 10g was surprisingly cool, only 76F.

The turtle tanks are the ones that always get quite heated up (with the extra lights). I think Frankie's 90g is 82ish. Haven't done my frozen milk jugs in there yet though.


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## kaisa (Apr 21, 2010)

most of mine are at 86... my bettas are loving it... they all have massive bubble nests and are very very active


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## clintgv (May 6, 2010)

My tank downstairs is at 82F. And my yellow lab fry tank in my room is at 81F.


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## InfraredDream (Jun 24, 2010)

BigFatLyre said:


> Anyone for Endlers?


I have an endler's tank, I guess all of them are too small to have babies. I try to keep it below 85, but it is difficult when I am out of home 
Do you think they suffer at 86-97?


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## bowman00 (Apr 27, 2010)

I just unpluged my heaters today, Theres really no point of having them on people. Saves money!!!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

bowman00 said:


> I just unpluged my heaters today, Theres really no point of having them on people. Saves money!!!


IMO I can't think you would save much money for the short term of the heat wave, unless you have some special light that stays on all the time as my light is only on when the heater is on. I think the following 2 quote's make valid points on why you shouldn't unplug your heater.



fkshiu said:


> I'm not sure why people think they have to do anything to their heaters during a heat wave. Heaters are just like your home furnace: they're only on when the temperature drops *below* what the thermostat is set at. Higher temps mean the heater simply stays off just like your furnace. Only if you're paranoid about the heater sticking on should you unplug your heater - and if you're that paranoid in the first place you should be using a more reliable external heater controller in any event.
> 
> The best thing you can do to keep temps down (other than getting A/C or a chiller) is to simply remove all tops from the aquarium and have a fan blowing across the surface of the water. Your aquarium dissipates heat the same way your body does: sweating. Having a top on your aquarium is like you wearing a sweater. Taking the cover off and blowing a fan is like you taking off your shirt and standing in front of a fan. Your evaporation rate will go way up because of this, but this is a good thing during a heat wave because it allows you to add more cold water.


I would like to add that the fan blowing across the top of the water will add some oxygen if I'm not mistaken



TCR said:


> as far as poeple unplugging there heaters, that seems pointless... i agree with the one member that stated its a bad idea to unplug the heater
> 
> 1. is keeps the temp from dropping below what you want so it dosent get too cold
> 2. its OFF when its too hot
> 3. will help prevent a huge jump and drop in the tank which is more stressful for the fish


or you might forget to plug them back in when needed
My 50g gal is 80-82 in the day and 76-78 at night the smaller tanks are more apt to increase and decrease faster, which I have 5 tanks smaller than 10 gal so I perfer to leave the heaters on in case the temps get lower then 78, my fish won't get stressed , especially my betta's. Just my opinion it's better to leave them plugged in to atleast maintain a minimum temp.


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## cichlid (Jul 30, 2010)

I did a cold water change, and the tank dropped from 30 to 27, the goldfish seam to be doign ok with the 30, might cold change them tho too.


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## user_error (Aug 15, 2010)

i hadn't thought the heat had affected my tank's so much, but i realize now why my last ghost shrimp just died...


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## Sandy Landau (Jun 4, 2010)

Personally, I think that live bearers might have trouble with 97. I think they can go for awhile at 90, though. How big is your tank? If you float a couple of baggies of water with ice in the tank when you go out, and leave your light off, you'll probably be fine.

My betta tank is going to 92. It's really really hot in this condo! If it gets any hotter, I'm going to take my betta down to the parking garage...



InfraredDream said:


> I have an endler's tank, I guess all of them are too small to have babies. I try to keep it below 85, but it is difficult when I am out of home
> Do you think they suffer at 86-97?


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

My discus tank is in the sitting room upstairs and with all the windows shut when we are away, the temperature climbs so its about 90 to 92 when I get home every day. The fish have no problem with it, most likely because they are discus.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

92....wow. I don't think some of my plecos would like that. The Hypans would, but the L128 and L200 would be belly up I think.


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

my place is starting to look like a garage sale... the lids are off the tanks and in stacks on the floor. the humidity in the apartment is through the roof! but the tank temps are staying at 28 to 30, so no complaints.


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## josephl (Apr 21, 2010)

2wheelsx2 said:


> 92....wow. I don't think some of my plecos would like that. The Hypans would, but the L128 and L200 would be belly up I think.


Fortunately for me, I have all hypans except for one or two so its all good (so far)


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