Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 9,127
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
I didn't know they prefer cooler waters. I have a plug on thermostat that stick in the water inside the tank. I keep the temp plum in the green zone so 23 or so. Should I try lowering a little? I have to make sure the other fishes are ok too. I only have guppies and 2 Otto's now. Stockwise little low so going to get some cardinals
Off the top of my head, I'm not sure how low you could set the thermostat on the heater and not upset the Otos, I suspect the Guppies would tolerate lower temps.
That being said, the tank will only get as cool as the room. With heat given off by lighting and/or filters, you might well find the water won't drop lower than approx 20C.
I have a few tanks running indoors with no heaters, most contain fish regarded as "tropical" but their water temp changes with the seasons and the ambient room temp, typically 18-30C. Only my garage tank has a heater running through the winter months for my subtropical livebearers, to keep the water above approx 16C. It stops the fishes' metabolism being in permanent hyperdrive, shortening their lifespan and saving me a fortune on electric bills I simply couldn't afford.