Terra Cotta Pipes/Tubes

[FIU Panther]

PS: Where in S.Fla, & do you heat your loach tanks? If not, how do they fare on those particuarly cool nights like a couple' weeks ago?

I'm in Broward County, and yes I heat the clown loach tank to 82. The other tanks are unheated, but I had to place a heater in the community tank as it was dropping too much overnight. I left my RCS unheated and I didn't notice any deaths or issues.

The tanks are inside where I usually keep the house between 76-78 while we are present and 80-82 when we are out.

In the winter we never run heat, but we also don't get too many cold nights. This Sunday may drop into the lower 50's upper 40's.

My father keeps his 75g community tank outside. On really cold nights he'll cover it with a blanket and throw in an extra heater. In the summer he runs it without a top and with a fan constantly blowing across the top.

 

[andyroo]

FIU Panther - sorry, whats RCS?
These notes are great, thanks. My loaches are in my office down in the town & dropped to 22C (71F) in the cold snap last week. They got quite lethargic so I think that's a short-term absolute minimum for that species. By 24C they were back to full-speed. They were the only sp to seem to feel it - nobody else missed a beat.

Our house is 1600' & temps are about the same as you in winter & a little cooler in summer, so I'm very glad to hear that your dad's does Ok outside with blankets & heater. We saw ~15C (59F) in the yard overnight, but back into the 20s as soon as the sun broke. We've got a 220gal inside that'll be finished towards the end of this month (touch-wood) and then work will start on digging, sealing, plumbing & ponding the gorgeous old 10'x7'x~6' cut-stone diesel tank sump (it's been a veggie/flower garden for >30years). CL won't be on the pond's stock-list as I'd not risk that 22C min.