Effects On Temperature

[fatheadminnow]

It is summer here, and the temps are rising and so is the temp of my tank!

It is about 82-84F (29C) in the tank right now, is this bad at all for the fish at these temperatures?

Also, what if the temps keep on rising?

I assume that since my cichlids are native to Africa and all, that they should be well adapted to the warmer climate and should not be effected all that much?

I know a higher temp will speed up their metabolism, but will it do harm or anything like that to the fish?

Thanks guys!

-FHM

 

[fifefish]

If it goes higher you might have a problem, but if it is only for a month or so it should be fine,

 

[dthoffsett]

I agree with fifefish, if it gets any higher you may have some problems. Even though they are from Africa, Lake Malawi is pretty deep and mbuna are bottom dwellers. A couple of things you can do to help with the heat is to keep your lights off, unless you have plants the fish will do just fine with the ambient light. The other would be to aim a fan to blow over the surface of the water (obviously the lid must be open/off for this to work ), this will speed up evaporation though.

 

[fatheadminnow]

I have plants, so I need to keep the lights on.

I might try to do the fan thing.

How does everyone else keep their tanks temp under control in the hotter months throughout the year?

Thanks for the replies!

-FHM

 

[fatheadminnow]

I think my heater was set too high?

I looked at the thermometer and it read 82F, then I watched the heater to make sure it would not come on at all, and it did!

So I turned the heater down a little and the thermometer is now reading 80F, so I hope we are good now!

Thanks again guys!

-FHM

 

[Colin_T]

make sure there is plenty of surface turbulence to maximise the oxygen levels in the water. African rift lake cichlids can tolerate 30C but any higher and they stress. A couple degrees warmer and they often fall over. If the temperature goes up slowly over a course of weeks or months, then they tolerate the higher temps much better.
Reduce the feeding during the wamrer weather because the food will rot quicker in the warmer water. Also the water quality will go off faster if you have a power failure in warm weather.
Regular water changes and lots of aeration will help keep things in good shape.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Okay, thanks for the response!

I do have plenty of surface agitation, so there should be no worry there.

Temps are hovering right around 81F, so I think I am good for now.

I have the thermometers at the top of the tank, so I bet the water may be a couple of degrees cooler at the bottom of the tank where the cichlids like to hang out.

Once again thanks for the response!

-FHM

 

[Ferris]

When we get this sort of whether in the UK (which is not often), I unplug my heaters completely - this gives the tanks chance to cool down overnight without the heater kicking in. This gives you a slightly lower starting temp during the day and helps to keep the average temp down - this is particularly effective after a water change.

As already said, plenty of surface agitation is also a must.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yeah, I just checked the temp again today when I got home and it was around 85/86F, and I still saw my heater kick in?

I wonder why it is still kicking in? Is is because since the heater is at the bottom of the tank, that the water temp at that level is cooler?

It must be right, since the heater is turning on?

I am going to turn the heater down some more tonight and see where the temp is at tomorrow when I get home.

-FHM

 

[fifefish]

try putting the heater higher up in the tank,
like this:

this may give the thermostat a chance to click off at the right temperature

 

[fatheadminnow]

I turned the heater down a little, and if that does not do it then I will put the heater higher up in the tank like you said.

Thanks for the helpful advice fifefish!

-FHM

 

[fifefish]

No problems

 

[Ferris]

I've never found the thermometers on aquarium heaters to be particularly accurate, even on higher priced models. I was finding the same as you fatheadminnow - the heater would be on its lowest setting (22C, roughly 74F) but would still occasionally kick in despite the tank temp being 80-82F, which was verified by a very accurate electronic "dipstick"

Hence why i unplug the heater altogether in very warm weather as room temp is absolutely fine anyway.

P.S. Its now chucking it down in Manchester (UK) so i guess those heaters will be getting plugged back in tonight.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Well, I just set up my 55 gallon tank about a week ago, so I guess it is just fine tuning for the heaters; that's all.

I turned the heaters down a little last night, and today the temp is right around 80/81F, so I think I am good for now.

It is not the hottest part of the season yet, so I think I will be unplugging them sometime in the future?

Thanks again guys for all of your help!

-FHM

 

[fifefish]

Glad you got it sorted out