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Do you mean a thermometer?
Nope. But I have one in the room - I assume since the water is room temp, they are the same.
When it comes to your fish don't assume. Room temp. just means it matches the temp. of your room (if it does)...that doesn't tell you if it matches what the fish actually need. You can get a gauge that sticks to the front of your tank's glass for a few bucks- I HIGHLY encourage you to do so
When it comes to your fish don't assume. Room temp. just means it matches the temp. of your room (if it does)...that doesn't tell you if it matches what the fish actually need. You can get a gauge that sticks to the front of your tank's glass for a few bucks- I HIGHLY encourage you to do so
Well, duh.
Both fish like 68-80 and the house is kept 75 in the summers and 70 in the winters.
I can't imagine the water fluctuating more wildly than a couple of degrees.
Both fish like 68-80 and the house is kept 75 in the summers and 70 in the winters.
I can't imagine the water fluctuating more wildly than a couple of degrees.
Def will get a thermometer this winter.
For one, a temp range is just that- a range. While the fish can survive at temperatures within that range, each species has a temperature they do best at. Danios actually prefer colder temps than platys. The lower end of the range for any fish is going to slow their metabolism and make them more vulnerable to disease and parasites. The higher range will cause heat stress. Either way, the fish will have a shorter life span.
Platys do well around 78 (though this is really dependent on your species, as some can cope well with lower ranges) but because you have the danios a good compromise might be be around 74.
Moreover, it is important to avoid temperature fluctuations, perhaps more so than to keep the temp in the mid range. Especially with a small tank...just as a sink of hot water will cool down quicker than a bath tub full, a 10 gallon tank is going to fluctuate more than a 75 gallon.
Of course, you don't know how wildly your tank if fluctuating since you aren't monitoring it, and I honestly don't understand why. A few bucks spent and you know for sure- there's no downside to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
Well, duh.
Being that I have been attempting to be helpful to you, I find this response uncalled for. You may choose to take any advice you are given or not and it can be understandable to disagree, but I should hope you would be able to do so in a mature manner. Regardless, I am out.
Did not mean to offend - was being jovially flip at your comment that the fish would not like the temp just because it was room temp.
Am trying to access the laws of physics that would allow my water to be vastly different from the room temperature of the room in which it resides, though. Or wildly fluctuate.
Did also say I was going to get a thermometer bc I was not going to trust the gauge on the heater. So not sure where you get the "don't know why you won't just pay a couple bucks and buy one" comment.
Most tropical fish will not thrive in cold water, certainly not through a winter. Depending on your climate, temps could be dropping during the night, rising again during the day, etc. As your room temp changes, it can take a day or more for the tank's temp to change with it, depending on how large the tank is. Yours is small so the changeover will be quick. It's not really healthy for most fish to have constantly changing temps long-term either, they will become more susceptible to disease. With a thermometer you could be sure this isn't happening in your tank, if it is you should use the heater now, temps will probably start dropping more where you live. They began dropping where I live weeks ago. Platies will do okay in lower temps temporarily, but they won't thrive at 70 degrees. One summer I had platies and guppies in a tub on the deck, and sometimes in that early June the temp dropped to around 70, I put a thermometer in to keep track of it. The fish went into a sort of hybernation mode, becoming very still and not swimming around. It certainly wasn't enjoyable for me to watch, and not healthy for them, so for a while I put a heater in the water. I'm not sure why you are resistant to a thermometer now. Might as well just do it now since you'd need to do it soon anyway.
Last edited by andthentherewere3; 09-28-2012 at 07:07 AM..
Most tropical fish will not thrive in cold water, certainly not through a winter. Depending on your climate, temps could be dropping during the night, rising again during the day, etc. As your room temp changes, it can take a day or more for the tank's temp to change with it, depending on how large the tank is. Yours is small so the changeover will be quick. It's not really healthy for most fish to have constantly changing temps long-term either, they will become more susceptible to disease. With a thermometer you could be sure this isn't happening in your tank, if it is you should use the heater now, temps will probably start dropping more where you live. They began dropping where I live weeks ago. Platies will do okay in lower temps temporarily, but they won't thrive at 70 degrees. One summer I had platies and guppies in a tub on the deck, and sometimes in that early June the temp dropped to around 70, I put a thermometer in to keep track of it. The fish went into a sort of hybernation mode, becoming very still and not swimming around. It certainly wasn't enjoyable for me to watch, and not healthy for them, so for a while I put a heater in the water. I'm not sure why you are resistant to a thermometer now. Might as well just do it now since you'd need to do it soon anyway.
We're having a nice fall right now, but you are correct. This part of the country is famous for crazy wild swings in temperature even in the same day. My house has 3 4 ton ac units, and the inside temperature is very stable in the summer, but for some reason, the winter is different - the temp does kind of flit about...and there is an obvious difference in temp from one side of a room to another (I blame the really high ceilings).
I'll admit I am a little scared of my heater as I have heard horror stories about how it says it's doing one temp but it's practically boiling the water - so that is why I want to get a separate thermometer.
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Or wildly fluctuate.
Might as well just do it now since you'd need to do it soon anyway. 
