Maximum water temp for Cichlids

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Ang

Ang

I should be a Hookworm
MFK Member
Dec 15, 2005
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San Diego
I don't know if this should be in a different forum. I just put it here because lots of different fish live in different temperatures.

During heat waves. Our house is terrible. We cant keep ourselves cool let alone the fish.
I have a 125 gallon with one large Jaguar.

A few heat waves during the summer, but mostly very nice. So its not so much of a problem to buy a chiller or move the tank.


The hottest I think the water has been is about 88 degrees. I will put Tupperware full of ice that float at the top to cool it, but it will only drop a couple degrees (if that)

What temperature is TOO hot for cichlids like Jaguars? I've lived here 4 years and had an Oscar the whole time. He never died from the water temp getting too high, but i'm not sure what temp will cause death.
 
if your top temp is 88 i wouldnt worry about it , to treat ich i have pushed it to 90, however with warmer water you need more oxygen, so buy a bubbler another thing you could do is try and find a way to cool the air your pumping through the tank for example put your air pump in a place thats dark and cool , like a closet or somewhere that is noticibly cooler than your room temp or basement if your down with running 375 feet of air line the cool air pumping through your tank should assist in lowering the tank temp
 
Most cichlids can take short stints in the 90s. Some like Nandopsis haitiensus and Alcolapia alcalicus are endemic to waters that hover in the high 80s and low 90s.
It is very important in these heat waves to up water changes and vacuum the tanks though. Any temps over 82'F increase the chance of Flexibactor columnaris (duck lips),
to become epidemic if detritus is left in the tank or filters.
At this time of year during heat waves I increase my water changes to 30%-50% daily.
 
I have used clip on fans in the past that have worked to drop it a bit.

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All great suggestions here! Surface agitation is very important with oxygen exchange in higher temps as mentioned and its a great idea to pump cooler air into the tank to create that. I use used computer fans above the tank as well and this has done wonders for me in the past to keep my tanks cooler. With what you said the max has been I think you'll be fine with what you are doing and all of the helpful information already posted.


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Water Change done. I made the new water as cold as it would go and it was only 2 degrees cooler than the tank water.. lol

I will have a fan blow over the surface.

Thanks for all the advice. I do feel a lot better now. Ruger seems to feel happier now.
 
High temperature can kill, not just the depletion of oxygen. Have you read about heater got stuck and fish died at low 90s, including even warm water discus. Temperature above 88F is fatal to African rift lake cichlids, where the lake water temperature is stable between mid 70s to mid 80s. When I go on vacation in summer, I set the AC thermostat at 85F to safe guard heat wave because even a few days of 90s can be fatal.
 
Yeah I don't have AC in my house. or insulation. ..

So short of buying a chiller, I don't have too many options. But I will use the advice here for sure.
 
here in AZ, MOST of us have temps in the mid-80's for 6 months a year , and africans seem to do ok ,but then again I KEEP SA/CA , so idk for sure about them...by the way W/C'S RAISE temps here for 4-5 months a year
 
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