Effects of water tamperature

[welwinlobo]

I was just thinking about the effects of water temp. on tropical fish and here are a few questions that came to my mind:
1)Do fish feed more when the temperature is higher or lower
2)Are fish more active when the temp is higher or lower
3)Are fish more resistant to diseases when the temp. is higher or lower

 

[welwinlobo]

Which fish is most sensitive to temp.?

 

[welwinlobo]

Are angelfish sensitive to temp.

 

[welwinlobo]

hello?

 

[Arfie]

Hi Welwinlobo,

Chill out, this is not a chatroom, 4 posts in 30 mins is a bit extreme. When somebody who can answer your questions comes along they will, please be patient.

Sorry though I am not that person, the only meaningful thing I know about the temp is that you raise it when treating ick as it speeds up the reproduction process allowing medication to work faster.

Arfie

 

[Tropjunky]

I don't think the water temp makes that much of a diff as long as it's within the comfort zone.

but the basic biology is that the higher the temp the faster things go and that means food as well but then if it's too high it get slower.

hope that answers ur question?

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

Well, to first answer your questions.

1)Do fish feed more when the temperature is higher or lower

I'm not sure about this one, in theory yes, they would, but fish can go so long without food that increasing rations in high temperatures would be wasteful, and also dangerous, as it could cause a spike in ammonia.

2)Are fish more active when the temp is higher or lower

well, if the water is very hot, their probably going to be swimming around in distress, but as long as it is in their ideal temperature range, they should have typical activity levels. They definitely will slow down in cooler water though (happens in my tanks sometimes in the winter.

3)Are fish more resistant to diseases when the temp. is higher or lower

It realy depends. Free swimming ich parasites cannot live in warm water (80-82), but this does not help the fish to much once the parasite is established, and actually helps it develop faster. Other treatments should still be pursued. Other diseases, like Malawi Bloat, should be treated in cool temperatures, because, as stated above, it will slow down the development of the disease and help you catch it before it becomes untreatable.

Temperature can cause a lot of things to change. In higher temperatures, There is less oxygen, so fish cannot breath fully, and toxins in the water also have a greater effect on fish. Raising temperature can also incite fish to breed too, and also kill off free swimming bacteria. It realy depends on the situation, but for now you should keep it between 76-78 (assuming you keep tropical fish).

 

[willywonka099]

Acyually i have to disagree. Most of the ich meds. that say turn temp up do this for quicker results. Ich must come OFF the fish in tot he medicated water to reproduce.

 

[FrankSlapperinni]

Acyually i have to disagree. Most of the ich meds. that say turn temp up do this for quicker results. Ich must come OFF the fish in tot he medicated water to reproduce.

When you see ich on your fish, It is too late for medications to take effect. Medications only help kill free swimming bacteria that exist in the water at the same time as the parasite is on the fish. Raising the temperature helps kill the bacteria so the medication does a more thorough job. The only way for ich to disappear from your fish is for it's own immune system to help fight it off, and also things like fluctuating salinity, which causes the on board parasites to die.

 

[Undawada]

As I understand, Ich cannot be "cured" from a fish except by it's own immune system. Keeping good water helps that, though.

Ich can be killed in free swimming stage, so all Ich "cures" really do is help prevent Ich from spreading to uninfected fish. Raising water temperature makes it so Ich's life cycle is faster, thereby reducing the amount of time you need to medicate and reducing stress on the fish.

I'm no ichthiologist (sp?) so I may be wrong.

 

[Opcn]

Ich is not a bacteria and It can handle water temps well in excess of any freshwater fish. However in cold blooded animals Heat speeds up metabolic processes includeing growth so long as its not so hot to denature protiens or deney the oxygen needed for fish to grow (fish get to be there largest at the low end of there own temp ranges). As for which way your fish will be heathyer it depends entirely on what type of fish you have.

Fish that are sensetive include Discus (Large SA cichilid somewhat like angels) and especially Red torpedos (most temp sensitive fish immaginable)

 

[clutterydrawer]

a high temp. speeds up the metabolism of the fish. an implication of this is that you shouldnt keep coldwaer fish eg goldfish in warm water as it speeds up their metabolism and thus shortens their lives.

another important factor is that less oxygen will dissolve in warm water, so if the temp suddenly rises, fish may not be able to breather properly.

In my experience, panda corydoras are very sensitive to higher temperatures

 

[Angry_Platy]

Due to the extreme summer temperatures here my tanks can be upto 33degC (90F) in summer and down to my heater temp (27degC-82F) in winter. I notice that when the water is warmer, the fish are more brightly coloured but are less active. Come coller temps....the fish are more active and slughtly less bright (though still bright).

My fish are always piggy eaters so cannot answer that question.

Fish are less prone to disease when the temperature is warmer. This is because most of the organisms that infect fish live in optimal tropical conditions not at the extremes.. They will also however live in lower temparatures better as opposed to higher temps. Hence fish will get ich if exposed to lower temperatures (provided the parasite is in the water).