Who's Removed Heaters From Their Tropical Tanks

[pippoodle]

while speaking to a breeder from Vietnam he asked me why i run my tanks with my heaters on all the time and i explained that i thought that's what the fish would prefer and thats what i have been told , he said as long as temp dont drop below 18-20 then all should be fine .
He talked me into trying to go a more natural way and to turn off my heaters .
So on 2 of my tanks 4 weeks ago i turned the heaters down to 20 degrees (wasn't sure about turning them off) - the tanks reach between 24 and 26 degrees in the day with the lights on and when the lights are off the tanks go down to 20-22 degrees

The rio 180 and the aquaone now have the filters turned off all the time and the temp slowly drops to around 20 degrees at night and rises to 24 -25 in the aquaone and 25-26 in the rio180 .
So the tanks have run with no heaters for 2 weeks . The last 4 weeks since i started doing this the fish in both tanks have been breeding like mad and seem to be thriving (though there werent any problems before)
I think they enjoy the natural way the temp slowly raises during the day and then slowly falls again at night .

I also turned off the heater in the 55 ltr hex 2 weeks ago and that one is doing well also the brigitte rasboras have spawned since doing this - though their eggs have been munched .

I now only have heaters on 2 of my tanks - rekord 60 cos its in the kitchen and gets cold - thats set to 22 degrees and a rena 30 ltr half hex fry tank thats set to 22 degrees .
I have MS so my flat is always kept warm as i feel the cold a lot (i also hope this all makes sense - i get muddled sometimes)

I AM no way saying this is the way to go and would not advise it for new fish keepers or for people who can't or dont have a regular warm place where there tanks are kept - i have been keeping fish for over 20 years - coldwater ones , then started keeping tropical september 2008 , so i'm always open to suggestions from breeders and other fish keepers on how they run their fish tanks .
As fish keepers we are always learning

Sarah x

 

[Tolak]

I have a few tanks in my fishroom that have no heaters. The room temp sits at about 77F with the door closed, sometimes above 80F in winter when the furnace runs more. When I'm working in there for a while the temp will drop to 74ish, near 70 during the summer. Bristlenose breed in an unheated tank, as do platys. Lower tanks are cooler, I've kept & bred corys in tanks a few inches off of the floor, and have a few newts in a low tank.

Temperature fluctuations are one way of getting many species to spawn.

 

[pippoodle]

I have a few tanks in my fishroom that have no heaters. The room temp sits at about 77F with the door closed, sometimes above 80F in winter when the furnace runs more. When I'm working in there for a while the temp will drop to 74ish, near 70 during the summer. Bristlenose breed in an unheated tank, as do platys. Lower tanks are cooler, I've kept & bred corys in tanks a few inches off of the floor, and have a few newts in a low tank.

Temperature fluctuations are one way of getting many species to spawn.

Thanks for replying Tolak it is strange to me that the fish do seem to appreciate the fluctuating temps - when i was told by so many people - when i started keeping the tropicals - to make sure the tanks have a near constant temp
I suppose it is just experience and trial and error - though i will add i would do nothing that would harm my fish (not intentionally)

 

[rdd1952]

I still run heaters on both my tanks but I rarely see them on. I feel certain I could turn them off and not have a problem. The room the tanks are in stays fairly warm anyway. I had a 2.5 gallon betta tank it there at one time without a heater and it usually stayed around 75/76. And that small amount of water would be more susceptible to temp changes in the room than a larger tank.

 

[pippoodle]

I still run heaters on both my tanks but I rarely see them on. I feel certain I could turn them off and not have a problem. The room the tanks are in stays fairly warm anyway. I had a 2.5 gallon betta tank it there at one time without a heater and it usually stayed around 75/76. And that small amount of water would be more susceptible to temp changes in the room than a larger tank.

It took me a while to actually turn the heaters down to 20 lol - couldn't get the courage but then only took me 2 weeks before i turned them off
It was a big step and i'm glad it's working so far - the heaters are still in the tanks so can be turned on at any time if i see the fish arent doing well -- not had the courage to remove them totally yet

 

[wuvmybetta]

I haven't used heaters for years. To me they seemed unnatural and more risky than they were helpful, my fish don't seem to mind fluctuation at all. I've always said - if you're comfortable, your fish are comfortable. This year I've gone as far as keeping my central heating thermostat at 70, sometimes even 68 and you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at my fish. I just have to be careful about shutting my windows (near tanks) before bed.

 

[pippoodle]

I haven't used heaters for years. To me they seemed unnatural and more risky than they were helpful, my fish don't seem to mind fluctuation at all. I've always said - if you're comfortable, your fish are comfortable. This year I've gone as far as keeping my central heating thermostat at 70, sometimes even 68 and you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at my fish. I just have to be careful about shutting my windows (near tanks) before bed.

thanks for the reply
i agree i read a lot of posts about heaters going faulty and frying peoples fish and the more i read them - after speaking to the breeder - the more it convinced me to turn off the heaters

 

[kj23502]

I just have to be careful about shutting my windows (near tanks) before bed.

Man, I wish I could open my windows

lol

I keep my 125g cichlid tank at about 72 although they are supposed to be around 80. They get a bit warmer in the summer but only by a few degrees.

 

[Inchworm]

I have a few tanks with heaters turned on, but most of them are unplugged. Even though I live in New York, where it's cold in the winter, it's always warm in my apartment. While I would prefer that my fish had cooler water, I don't want to be cold myself.

In the summer, when the air conditioning is running during the heat of the day, the temperature fluctuations are more drastic. That's when I turn the heaters on to keep the water temperature more or less stable.

 

[Tolak]

I don't know if you saw this topic, post #10; http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=275465&hl=

 

[pippoodle]

I don't know if you saw this topic, post #10; [URL="http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=275465&hl="]http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=275465&hl=[/URL]

I did see that and seen the temps the tanks run at , it's great the success he has had with the breeding in the unheated tanks

 

[JustKia]

The heater in my community tank is off (still in the tank though "just in case"), the one in the betta tank is still switched on but I rarely see it on.
So, given our UK weather (temps are up and down all over the place LOL) it's always warm in our home because I can't cope with the cold.
Although, I do admit I'm probably more concerned about how I'm going to keep the tanks cooler in the summer months.

 

[pippoodle]

The heater in my community tank is off (still in the tank though "just in case"), the one in the betta tank is still switched on but I rarely see it on.
So, given our UK weather (temps are up and down all over the place LOL) it's always warm in our home because I can't cope with the cold.
Although, I do admit I'm probably more concerned about how I'm going to keep the tanks cooler in the summer months.

thats a good point , though before september this year i only kept coldwater fish and never did anything to cool the tanks apart from keeping the curtains drawn and windows shut in very hot weather to stop the heat getting in the house in the first place - room stays quite cool then

 

[england]

I have one heater in my 566litre that seems very rare to come on, but now my other tank's are sub tropical any how so saving's on electric
but saying that my sister turned off her heaters two years ago and all still good,,

 

[pippoodle]

I have one heater in my 566litre that seems very rare to come on, but now my other tank's are sub tropical any how so saving's on electric
but saying that my sister turned off her heaters two years ago and all still good,,

save more electric give me the 566litre tank
good to hear sisters tank still going ok