What should be the temperature in a fish tank?

Aquarium fish are one of the most convenient pets, as they are quite easy to care for, and in return you can admire the inhabitants of the aquarium, relax and calm your nerves. In order for different fish to live comfortably in captivity, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for them, which primarily consist in maintaining the optimal water temperature, where the pets spend their entire life. If the values ​​are incorrect, the fish can get sick, behave aggressively and even die, therefore it is so important to monitor these indicators and be able to regulate them.

Fish are cold-blooded, but the temperature of the water where they live can be different. Aquarium fish tolerate any changes in their habitat very noticeably, so you should pay special attention to this. In nature, fish can live in water with a low temperature, close to zero, as well as in very hot water, reaching 70 degrees. If the temperature environment of any type is sharply disturbed, the consequences can be irreversible.

In cold water, the fish begins to slow down their metabolism, they become inactive, calm, and breathe infrequently. In warm water, the behavior is completely different: the fish are active, move a lot and consume oxygen. If the temperature range goes beyond the usual regime, then problems begin. With a sharp cold snap, the immunity of the fish weakens, they become susceptible to any diseases and viruses. With strong warming, the inhabitants of the aquatic environment begin to fuss, swim restlessly, look for oxygen, which is not enough, and float to the surface of the water to get it from the air.

The benefits of adherence to the regimen will lie in the calm behavior of pets and a long life, and any violation of their habitual habitat will cause irreparable harm to them.

In order for the fish to live comfortably in the aquarium, it will not be enough to buy beautiful decorative figures, provide lighting and plant algae. One of the most important criteria for a normal life is timely nutrition and ensuring the optimal temperature level of the water.

Due to the fact that there are a lot of varieties of aquarium fish, and they all have their own preferences regarding the living conditions, it is worth carefully selecting roommates so that they converge in character and can swim freely in water of a certain temperature.

• Swordsmen - these are fish, whose origins are in Central America, therefore the optimal temperature range for them is + 22-25 degrees. These fish can withstand a drop in temperature to +15 degrees and an increase to +29, all other fluctuations will be dangerous for them.

• Guppy live all over the world, and the most comfortable temperature for them ranges from + 23-27 degrees. The minimum temperature for normal life can be +14 degrees, but only for a short period, and the maximum temperature can reach +32 degrees. If guppies are in cool water, their body weight increases, but their immunity suffers.

• Danio - The recommended temperature for these fish is + 21-25 degrees. The lower limit is +15 degrees, and the upper limit is +31. For successful spawning, a temperature of 29 degrees Celsius is required.

• Neons - fish from South Africa, where the average water temperature varies between + 20-25 degrees. The most suitable mark for this type is +21 degrees, if you increase it to +27, then the lifespan of neons will immediately decrease by 4 times. The lower limit for these fish is +17 degrees, the upper limit is +29.

• Scalars - immigrants from South America, accustomed to living in waters with temperatures from +24 to +29 degrees. The optimal indicator for this type will be +25 degrees, the lower threshold is +24, and the upper threshold is +30 degrees. During the spawning period, it is better to raise the temperature to +27 degrees.

It is quite normal that each species of fish has its own preferences regarding the acceptable water temperature in which they can comfortably exist. To choose the right fish for one aquarium, it is worth learning more about the habitat of each species, which will help table of temperature indicators of the most famous fish.

Since most of the representatives live in a tropical climate, the average water temperature in the aquarium during the year should be within + 22-26 degrees Celsius. Severely lowering the environment of the fish is considered unacceptable and could lead to the extinction of the entire population, and raising more than the upper threshold should be carried out as necessary and gradually to prepare the fish.

To create a comfortable living environment for fish, you need to be able to monitor and determine the temperature of the water. To make it as convenient as possible, it is best to purchase a specialized thermometer or thermometer for the aquarium, which can be of several varieties.

• Mercury instrument made of glass - it is convenient to work with it, it accurately shows the increase or decrease in temperature, is easy to operate and is inexpensive. The main disadvantage is the death of the contents of the aquarium if the thermometer breaks.
• An adhesive thermometer in the form of a strip. This is a liquid crystal device that must be placed from the outside of the aquarium, which leads to inaccurate data on the temperature of the aquatic environment, over time the degree scale begins to fade.
• Alcohol-filled thermometer - is considered a budget option, convenient and inexpensive, but with a short service life, since after some time the readings will be inaccurate.
• Electronic measuring instruments are the most convenient and multifunctional, they show accurate data, monitor any temperature changes and notify about them. The only drawback of such a thermometer is its considerable cost.

To provide the fish with the required water temperature in winter and summer, you need to know what measures are effective to lower and increase this indicator. In case of untimely or incorrect actions, there is a risk not only not to help the fish, but also to harm them. In order to properly regulate the heating or cooling of water relative to the ambient temperature, you need to have certain devices and options that are able to normalize the situation in the shortest possible time.

If there is a need to increase the temperature indicators of moisture in the aquarium, you need to follow these steps.

• Use a heating pad that is placed in different parts of the aquarium for even heating. Thanks to the possibility of setting the intensity of heating, you can act more accurately without fear of overheating the water and harming the fish.
• Use ordinary boiled warm water. It is important to add no more than 10% new fluid and do it gradually. You need to increase the temperature by no more than 2 degrees at a time. It is worth bringing in heated water at intervals of 15–20 minutes, not more often.
• Heat the water in the aquarium using a plastic bottle, into which the heated liquid is poured. This option is similar to the previous one, but safer, since the aquatic environment does not change, which means that the fish are comfortable in it and do not need to adapt. In addition, when adding warm water directly to the aquarium, there is a risk of getting on the fish, and this will have a very bad effect on their well-being and condition, while the bottle does not come into direct contact with aquatic inhabitants and is completely safe. You can regulate the temperature by heating the water in the bottle to one temperature or another, and after reaching the desired values ​​inside the aquarium, simply remove it.
• In an emergency, when the fish are very frozen and need to be activated, you can pour one spoonful of brandy or vodka into the water. In this case, you need to have settled water in reserve, since after the inhabitants wake up in the aquarium, part of the water will need to be replaced. This manipulation should be done several times so that all alcohol residues are removed.

In addition to raising the water temperature, a frequent problem is the need to lower it, especially in hot climates or in a stuffy room. There are options for such cases as well.

• Using a plastic bottle, the water in which is cooled in the refrigerator to a certain level to set the desired degree of cooling inside the aquarium. You should not immediately use ice, as this is too sharp a temperature drop, which will negatively affect the fish.They can be helped by an exceptionally smooth decrease in the temperature of the water, bringing it to the desired indicators.
• In hot weather, it is often worth using a compressor that fills the water with air bubbles, thanks to which the fish have something to breathe. The compressor alone will not cool the water, so measures to reduce the temperature will still be needed, but until the situation stabilizes, the inhabitants of the aquarium will feel good.
• If the compressor is broken or has not yet been purchased, you can enrich the water with oxygen using hydrogen peroxide, which requires only a spoon, based on a capacity of 100 liters. An additional positive effect will also be to disinfect the contents of the aquarium and kill any parasites living there.

High temperatures are very harmful for aquarium fish, as their physical condition worsens, it becomes harder to breathe, in addition, any nitrates and harmful substances in warm water become much more dangerous, therefore, it is so important to be able to timely and correctly lower the temperature indicators of the fish habitat. A sharp drop in the readings on the thermometer in the aquarium will also not go for the future, but in this case the fish slow down their metabolism and can wait for some time until the owner corrects the situation.

For information on the most correct water temperature for aquarium fish, see the video below.