I think that a species which is exposed in nature to occasional seasonal high temperatures for relatively short periods is still not necessarily going to do well if kept at those temps consistently all year round. I'm pretty far north compared to most posters, but even up here we have shallow ponds and canals which can achieve temperatures of 80F or even higher for several weeks during mid-summer. The fish in these waters...mudminnows, fatheads, bullheads, madtoms, many others...survive these hot spells without incident, but then will be living under thick ice only a few months later. They spend much more time in cold water than in warm.
The thing is...there are hundreds or thousands of species of fish that are suited to aquarium life and which are easily available in the hobby trade. No matter what your water parameters are, what temperatures your tanks maintain, what size they are, what food you can provide...there are always numerous fish that are well-suited to those particular conditions. Why must so many aquarists push the envelope and attempt to keep a given species in temperatures or conditions in which they may perhaps survive...sometimes barely...sometimes for limited periods of time...rather than simply choosing fish that find those conditions ideal?
A person living in a small apartment could perhaps keep a Great Dane...but it would involve an inordinate amount of work, and would still be very poorly suited to such a monstrous dog. A much better choice would be a small dog breed...or even, God forbid, a
cat! ...which would be easier to keep and would thrive rather than merely surviving.
It's a Jurassic Park kind of thing; don't ask if you
could, but rather if you
should...