Fish for an unheated aquarium

[tuvok]

Hello all:
I have spent the day checking out the forums and gathered up the nerve to ask a question. I have started to do some research on setting up an unheated aquarium (house thermostat set to 21 C) with fish other than goldfish.

So far the only species that seems well suited for this type of setup (according to what I have read) is the White Cloud Minnow and possibly the Rosy Barb.

I have also come across recomendations for other fish that can handle a a cooler tank.
A partial list of some of the fish recommended for cool water tanks include:

Danios (Zebra Danio in particular)
Platy
Guppy
Ruby Barb
Buenos Aires Tetra
Bloodfin Tetra
Gold Barb

I would be very interested to hear from members of this forum regarding the suitability of the fish listed above for a cool water aquarium. Also, if anyone would like to suggest any other fish that would do well in a lower temperature environment, that would also be appreciated. Thanks.

[yellowtang]

Its is very rare to see fish living without a heater,
reason being is that, not only their movements and reactions would
be much slower,their metabolism slow down drastically being one.
another thing water pollutes it self much faster. 'ALGAE', and last but not least ''ICK" is like fish having a cold. Many white spots will
appear on their bodies.
why don't you want a tank heater.............may we ask?

[BigDaddy]

Algae has nothing to do with the temperature of the water.  I have had algae outbreaks in both 80 degree tanks and cold water tanks.  Algae comes from excess light and nutrients, not from water temperature variances.

[tuvok]

why don't you want a tank heater.............may we ask?

At this point I'm just doing research into the matter. When I first started keeping fish I was living in the tropics so this was never an issue (I could catch wild guppies in the drain next to my house if I was so inclined).  I'm not in any way strongly against using heaters but I am curious to know if it is possible to do without one for certain types of fish.

[Pisidan]

From my personal experience I find White clouds and zebra danios do much better with a heater..when they dont have one they are less active as when I have one they school more and move alot more for the others im not sure! I do know that White clouds are a cold water fish and I personally love them alot they are a neat looking fish when ever there r some at the meetings I try to grab them LOL!!

[luvfishies]

If you really want to see the true colours of WCMM they like it cooler, like 72.

I think a coolwater tank would be a nice one, provided the house temps stay STABLE!

Dojo Loaches and Hillstream/butterfly loaches also like cooler temps.

[Aiglos]

Plecos and Snails also will do well in Cooler temperatures. You have also Bitterlings, what about a Betta ? I know they are recommended for temperatures around 75, but I see them all the time in unheated aquiriums.

PS. I guess its going to kill you to have to pay all that money for Guppies ect when your use to going in your backyard and catching them

[pegasus]

I can vouch for the danios, since the OU use them for their research. They have them in over 50 unheated tanks for daily egg collecting.  As for beta, they will be fine in 21 degree tank but don't expect them to nest readily.  For other recommended fish, I would look for those that can be found wild in the USA.

On a side note... check my OVAS photo album on a beta experiment.

Michel

[Evan]

You could try native fish, such as sunfish and different types of small bass.

I have seen a couple and they look pretty good.

[pegasus]

Is there not a law against collecting and keeping native wildlife in Canada. I would certainly like to know. I would love to try to raise sunfish.

In the 70's you needed a research permit to do so.

Michel

[Aiglos]

You do not need a permit to use Minnow Traps, So if your legally allowed to catch them, and theoretically if your going to be fishing with them, you must be allowed to keep them.

I know your not allowed to fish with "game fish" but with Sunfish I can't see the logic behind banning it.  bass or Pike ect might be another story though.


but I doubt MNR does random house checks for people keeping Bass in there aquarium

[Anubias]

Odessa barbs are perfect. I'd leave out the Buenos Aires tetras because of their aggressiveness. Blue gourami, paradise fish and quite a few others will do fine.

[tuvok]

Thanks all for the feedback so far. Lots of interesting facts and insights here.

PS. I guess its going to kill you to have to pay all that money for Guppies ect when your use to going in your backyard and catching them

Lol. The wild guppies, while colorful, were not particularly attractive fish (at least for displaying in an aquarium). When it came to guppies I was more a fan of the "fancy" guppies (fanned tails, standardized appearance etc.) so I occasionally would buy them anyway. They were by no means as tough as the "backyard" variety (who knows what was in the water in those drains) but they looked good in an aquarium.