Dwarf Chain Loach Temperature

[threecharacters]

I'm planning on picking up a UNS 75P sometime in the next year (~36 gals, essentially a rimless 40 gallon breeder). I want to to a stream set up with sand, rounded pebbles and stones of many sizes. I want to base the tank around a bottom dweller. Some initial options I came up with were Panda Cory, Panda Garra, or Dwarf Chain Loach (there's a theme here). I am favoring the Dwarf Chain Loach right now.

Now, I would like to keep the tank unheated if I can. It will be in a climate controlled house so the lowest it should go is 68F and the highest somewhere in 74-76F. I am comfortable with keeping Panda Cory and Panda Garra in unheated tanks, but I am not sure about the Dwarf Chain loach. Online it sounds like people keep them in 75-82F commonly. However, Seriously Fish seems to think that they can be in the range 68-86F (large range), so they would be comfortable in an unheated tank. In addition, these fish are from the Mae Klong and Ataran basins in Thailand and Myanmar. Fish from the same basins also seem to be recommended down to 68 F with some Akysis sp. supposed to be good down to 61 F.

What do you think? Will they be OK in an unheated tank?

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I have kept sids for close to 20 years. I have normally lept them at the warm end pot their range. I also keep clowns. Despite the major size difference between the two species i have them to live similar life spans.

However, sids are active all over the tank from top to bottom. I tend to s=hoot for temperasture for my fish that are not close to either their upper or lower temp. levels. I prefer to be close to the middle. That way I has some wiggle room for temps to rise or drop some without ending up outside of the range.

I only have one tank with no heater, a 5.5 gal. with CPDs and red cherry shrimp. But is it on a shelf 6 feet up a wall and it is on the warm side at that height. My mountain minnows are kept in the low 70s but there is a heater in the tank JIK.

 

[TNG]

Temperature range of 68-86F must be the variation between night time during the cool season and midday in the heat of summer. I don’t think they would thrive if kept consistently at the high or low end, somewhere in the middle would be ideal.

 

[threecharacters]

Good points. I'll probably just have to add a heater if I get those guys, and keep it at 76-77F or so. I was aiming for a really clean look without any equipment except canister filter inflows, but it's not that hard to hide a heater, and if I really cared I could get an inline heater.

 

[Byron]

When I did my research to write a profile of this species Ambastaia sidthimunki, the temperature range I pinned down from reliable sources was 24-28C/75-82F.

A word about temperature ranges on reliable sites (like Seriously Fish, Planet Catfish, Corydoras World or Loaches Online)...the range is the estimate of the minimum and maximum through which the species should manage, but extremes (either end) are not to be prolonged but temporary. Mid-range is the "general" long-term temperature.