Maximum water temp for Cichlids

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Last summer my heater malfunctioned and the temp rose to 95. I'm not sure how long it was like this but all my fish survived. 88 should be alright for the summer but like everyone else said you should get an stone, lower the water level ( to get more water disturbance from your filter) or put in a powerhead.

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Also, I wouldn't add any more electronics such as pumps, power heads, internal filters INTO the tanks water, that could potentially raise the temp even more.


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Temps in the upper 80s or even 90s aren't a problem if there is adequate aeration and the water's clean. If in doubt add an extra airstone, box filter or powerhead...

My fishroom in Cali was in the garage. Temps in Sacramento were > 100 degrees for over a week...fishroom was hot. Only lost some Tanganyikan fish - all of the new worlds did great. Many even spawned!

Matt
 
more often than not a jump in temp will spark a breeding responce..

more over some fish ie cory's and other such as "butterfly loaches ect " do just the opposite they spawn when the temp drops "rainy season" i assume , anyways good luck ,
I was thinking of this also if you dont want to buck up and buy a chiller you could get yourself a mini fridge and drill 2 holes in the side and pump water through your tank into the fridge where inside you could run a coil of tubing around and around and around and then have it cycle back through your tank, we'll call it the red neck chiller but i see those simple mini fridges on cl(craigslist) for cheap often,then you could have some flexibility with your temp too by adjusting the temp on the fridge , just spray foam or silicone around any holes you punch through it ,
as inconvienient as it may be i would suggest maybe drilling through the door so as to not accidentally punch a hole in any of trhe fridge mechanics though
 
My qt tanks are run at about 86-88. I salt, aerate and have had no issues with cichlids at these temps for short, 2 -3 week runs.


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dogofwar said:
Temps in the upper 80s or even 90s aren't a problem if there is adequate aeration and the water's clean. If in doubt add an extra airstone, box filter or powerhead...

My fishroom in Cali was in the garage. Temps in Sacramento were > 100 degrees for over a week...fishroom was hot. Only lost some Tanganyikan fish - all of the new worlds did great. Many even spawned!

Matt
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And there's the answer, it depends on the fish, since temperature tolerances vary.

As far as moderating tank temperatures, the physics of it is that evaporation is more efficient than ice to cool your tank. Here's a copy of info I posted a few years ago on another forum:
More efficient than ice is evaporation. Evaporating just one gram of water loses 540 calories of heat according to various sources (converted to kinetic energy in the increased motion of water molecules as a gas compared to liquid, quite a few sources deal with effect on the air during this process, which is a 600 calorie exchange). Conversion of one gram of ice to water is only 80 calories of heat according to various sources. Or, according to other sources, evaporation and condensation exchanges 7.5 times more energy than freezing or melting.

To put it in more meaningful terms: One gallon of water equals 3785 grams. Evaporate 3785 grams (multiply by 540) equals over 2 million calories of heat removed. If you replaced that gallon with cool water you'd further cool water in the tank (thermodynamics).

So opening the lids (you could put screens over the openings to keep fronts from jumping out, something they like to do on occasion) would help cool the tank and having a fan blowing over the surface to increase evaporation would increase the effect. You could then experiment with how much additional water (beyond just topping off your tank) you'd need to change to maintain a more comfortable tank temperature.
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Since I posted this, I've seen others post real-life experiences with using fans to moderate tank temperature. So, yes, it works.
 
My qt tanks are run at about 86-88. I salt, aerate and have had no issues with cichlids at these temps for short, 2 -3 week runs.


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Thanks for all the advice. The temp hasn't gone over 86 since I last posted and its been 90 at the worst in our house. I do water changes if its been really hot. On average about every 3 to 4 days lately.

This heat should go away in a week and go down for a little bit before it gets hot again.
Luckily here it only gets like this sporadically over the months of Sept and Oct.
 
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