Don’t rush and unplug all your heaters instantly. Instead do some research about wild temps and slowly adjust your heaters down to where you and your fish are comfortable. Learning along the way. Also my testing has only been in freshwater. Saltwater tanks typically shouldn’t vary in temp as much and I want to make it clear that being I haven’t tested it I can’t advise no heaters in saltwater aquariums.
Kira Doom12 caprice raises betta splendens typically come from tropical counties and this are used to warmer temps than we have here in the USA. Wild caught species do well at lower temps in my experience. As well as locally bred splendens.
We here in New England tend to lose our heat more often then every 5 years (often due to my own forgetfulness in buying oil. :/) so I have heaters but they are set at 65 just for such an emergency.
I understand the point of the heater (and all such environmental control things) to be about maintaining the environmental parameters to be stable as possible specifically to have as little variability as possible...for the sake of making it easier for the "systems of life" to do their things....from a "caretakers" perspective. Being "chemical concoctions", i imagine something like a temp change of a material amount messing with those chemical processes. I imagine the genetics of the fish have long been best suited to things like day/night cycles and the things that come along with it.
This is what I love about Cory and the Aquarium Co-Op. Think about this, Cory is a store owner, and he could lie to all of us and tell us we need heaters when we don't to boost his own sales, this just goes to show how genuine he is, and I am sure all his employees are the same, from what I see from other videos like the unboxing videos and a few others I can tell they are ALL passionate about what they do and the hobby. Thanks Cory for being awesome, my #1 Fishtuber to watch!
Which is why I curse my stars that I wasn't born with access to his business... XD I've literally had pet store owners sell me fish they knew wouldn't thrive in what I offered, just so I'd come back and buy new fish. Most pet stores want to sell sell sell. This extends to all living animals in the stores, not just fish. But with fish they're extra lax (huheue) because somehow, fish "don't count". Many don't see fish as individual animals. That predatory mentality from the stores is 100% surely the reason why so many end up abandoning the hobby. If we had even 1 guy like Cory running a Aquarium fish store in my entire COUNTRY, I'd be such a happy guppy! But alas...
@@SensationalBanana Do research before buying something and this wont happen, its as much your responsability to make shore its the correct conditions as it is the shops
breeder here. i find that some fish live longer at a lower temp, expecially live bearers. slower growth and metabolism but still perfectly healthy and breeding at 70°. i do not use heaters in my tanks, the room is between 70 and 78°. bottom rack tanks are covered with insulation sheets in harsh winter and stay around 70° with a small oil heater in the room (it is an insulated wooden shed not a home) it is -7° here outside and fish are all above 70° with no tank heaters, saves me a LOT of money
My advice here would be to set the temperature of the heater nearer the lower end of the range required for your species. Therefore, it will rarely be on most days while your house/apartment is warm, saving you money on electricity, but should the temperature begin to fall, the heater kicks in and saves the day.
One thing I like about you Cory is that you think and challenge convention. I was running a tank outside and it’s temp varied greatly, 60 to as high as 90. Never lost a fish. Certainly not what heater manufacturers what to hear 😉😀👍🏻
I'm so pleased that you have done this video about heaters. I have thought the same way as you for many years. In the wild, as you said Cory, the water temperature fluctuates during the day and the temperature drops at night when there is no sunshine. I have found that my fish are healthier and hardier when the temperature changes throughout the whole day. I have also found that the fish don't get nearly as stressed when the temperature doesn't stay constant. Thank you from across the pond in England.
Cory there will always be people who will argue and disagree with you. Just be true to yourself! You are one of most honest people in the aquarium hobby. I’ve learned so much from your videos. Thank you for the time and work you put into spreading aquarium knowledge.
When I first started keeping fish I always ran heaters set to 78F. I’ve had expensive heaters and cheap heaters and they ALL work the same, they all last about 1-2 years depending on your luck. Replacing heaters become troublesome so I stopped using heaters and have never lost a fish due to temperatures
I am new. Like you, I got talked into preset heaters. My plants don't like like the heat. I've been reading that warmer temperatures lessen the oxygen levels. I just got a 55G to give my Community Tank Dwellers more room and allow me to add a few fish that I have been looking forward to getting. Where this is going is this... I bought an adjustable heater... one that I can adjust. I will re-review my fish species and come up with a common setting, but it appears that I can reduce the heat, kill less plants, and retain more oxygen in the tank will using a lesser tank temp. I bought an adjustable heater to warm up the tank water used for water-changes. I will use that adjustable heater now in my new 20G Long that I am also setting up at the same time to move into his current 6.6G Betta Starter Kit Tank. I decided that I'll make 1 mess creating 2 new tanks, instead of dragging this process of setting up one, then the next one... kinda like an assembly line approach. This is exciting for me because I am recovering from very serious spinal injuries and post-concussion traumatic brain injury and I am seeing that I am starting to be able to multi-task again and that I am finally connecting to my old process management ability, again. Great Review Cory and thanks for helping us tap into our Critical Thinking capabilites and look outside of the box. After doing a lot of research, I am considering that plants on the side of the tank where the heater is are not doing as well as the other side. The only difference is that they are on the side with the heater. I decided to build a rock mound on both sides of heater and place the plants on the other side of it. I was using some of the plants to hid the heater. I still can, but just not that close
Some cherry shrimp accidentally got into our pond outside. It freezes over completly in the winter yet it's still crawling with shrimp (they did discolour a lot) and they seem to be doing just fine.
I just love the way you explain things... you keep it simple but don't make it stupid... you don't talk down to us.... Your info is great for experienced fish people and those of us not so experienced. And you use great examples when giving your reasonings etc. Great video as always Cory.... it's why I keep coming back to your channel!!! 💖💖💖
this vid is spot on cory I recently went to a small local store and through a decent and honest conversation with the owners I walked out with 3 bags of 'tropical' fish which are thriving in my non heated 400 litre planted community tank which is lightly stocked with temperate fish from a big box store. sound advice m8 every fish keeper need to be subscribed to this channel. thanks again from Scotland,😎👍
So glad to hear this. I started keeping fish when i was 9 years old but have been out of the hobby for about 20years. im 63 now, and am getting back in. I remember getting away from heaters after several heating failures and i didnt have issues. i agree that the homes ambient temperature kept my tanks temp regulated well enough for my purposes. I kept at most 6 tanks at one time. I am now getting back into this hobby in my retirement so feel like a novice again but just dont want to use heaters, you have reassured me.
important: fish that are kept in heated tanks become conditioned to living in constant temp. tanks. It's why, for example it's not a good idea to take a goldfish that's lived in an indoor tank for years, and put it in a pond outdoors. This also goes for some plants, some varieties if harvested in the wild will continue to melt annually even when moved to a tank that's kept at a constant temperature year round. Read some aquarium books from the 1950's or earlier and you'll find a lot of info about whether to heat or not heat your tank (plus some pretty creative ideas for heating tanks).
Im sure they can adapt to a 10 degree difference but Im wondering how much solar plays a role in perhaps higher temps in the wild, where doing air temp comparison might not be giving us the full story. Also, back then people (like my father) were using hot incandescent bulbs in a reflector right on the water or even just a sun facing window to heat or grow plants. Plenty of kids, and parents, have cooked their first goldfish by leaving it in a window in the summer.
Agreed. Most habitats these fish live in are fairly constant. Large lakes or constantly moving streams. The water is constant and roughly the same temp throughout the year. Also, water holds onto hot and cold temps better than air and land, so the throughout the day the temperature of the water doesnt change much except at the very surface. Why just the very surface? Because Water is stratified. The first layer fluctuates a bit, not a lot. The other layers dont. Those layers are where the fish tend to live. Or in the shaded areas for cover and food. This stratification is pronounced and defined. So one layer will be right on top of a cooler later with no buffer between the two.
Ive had aquariums for nearly 20 years now but only recently (3-4yrs) ive tried for breeding and more but, Ive had rams at 74 to 76 for years. Its so cool how nature adapts, as long as it isnt an immediate change they just truck through it. It is still nice to have one just in case in the house to throw in you tank if needed.. love this hobby, and thanks for the videos again!
Where do you live? The town where I live is on the coast next to the beach and I probably don’t need one either because of that. I also don’t live too far way from the equator where the climate is warmer.
My house gets down to the low 40s inside in winter, so I'll be sticking with my heater but can see how this would make sense for people with warm homes
I'm primarily a tarantula keeper and we have the same issue with pet stores pushing heat lamps or heat mats when they're usually not necessary. Great video, helped ease my paranoia around heating as I learn more about fish keeping
I’m from central New York syracuse area . I only turn my heaters on in the winter time because the room my reef is in gets a little drafted when the wind is blowing hard but all summer no heater on any of the tanks unless the ac is on
I live in Zambia, it gets into the 50s at night in the cold season the fish in our small streams (Cichlids) survive just fine. Cold season is 5 months It does get into the 80s during the day so the water is probably more like low 60s by the end of the night.
"Old guy in the back of the room" - woot - he singled me out. Wait a minute.... who you calling old.. oh... right. There was an article some years back in TFH about this very subject. Only other mention of this I've ever heard/read about. Thank you for talking about this. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I've been feeling like the only broken record for years constantly talking about this in the forums or in the comments. Please talk about how a smaller heater last longer because it clicks on and off less often. (hot tip - the same is true for your house a/c) Extra side note - my clowns used to get down to 68 every winter before I insulated the garage - they're 13! But did they ever love it when temps hit 93!!! Did I say thank you for making this video??? Thank you thank you thank you!!!
This is maybe the best video I've seen. 30 years in the hobby and I'm running about 1600 watts in heaters right now. Tanks are 78-84 (Flowerhorn are high temp) I'm going down to the fish room after typing this and turning my tropical tanks down to 72. Is anyone reading this into Flowerhorn? My question is, everything I read on Flowerhorn says 80-86 degrees F. Because they are a hybrid fish and have weakend immune systems. I would like to think this is BS. For now I will keep the Flowerhorn warm. Hopefully someone here chimes in:) Great video Cory!
Thermal mass... pays a part of water changes... depending on where people live, I just fill from the cold tap and pour in the tank, yet others are all de-this and pro- that...
@@wobblysauce yea ive noticed this too. Ive kept fish since i was a kid and since we had fresh spring water coming from our tap i never had to worry about dechlorinators etc because our water was perfect 👌 As a matter of fact for the longest time i had no idea what all the fuss was about with tap/city water vs well vs spring- all i knew is that i never had to do anything special but throw my huge buckets in the bath and fill then carry to my tanks. Never acclimated them either even with 100% water changes, except when adding a new purchase to quarantine. I never used heaters either as i live in western NC and even at our coldest my pet room always stayed toasty and was positioned easternly towards the rising sun. So pretty much after buying my tanks and fish i wasnt having to pay but to feed them or treat new fish as precaution which came out pretty cheap. Only recently since becoming an adult and acquiring tanks at my new home have i discovered the joys of city water and the terrible ranging tank parameters plus adding declorinators etc
Awesome video! I’ve always thought to myself that it seemed weird that people are always screaming about keeping all tropical fish at a CONSTANT 78 degrees, while the temperatures of waterways in tropical areas fluctuates daily to seasonally. I have kept some of my tropicals at room temperature 65-80 depending on the season and time of day, and I have noticed no difference between my heated and non-heated tanks! It’s how temperatures work in the wild, so why shouldn’t it work in captivity?
Cory, thank you so much for your honesty and valuable information. I’m totally on board with not using a heater unless absolutely necessary, and haven’t for many many years. Totally agree that the room temperature should be comfortable for the fish in most cases. I got so turned off on them due to two major accidents.....once my daughters tank heater malfunctioned and overheated, killing all her fish. She was devastated. 😢 Another time, my massive beautiful gourami attacked his heater (he was just like that) and broke it...electrocuting himself. Swore I’d never use another heater again ! Now I’m raising corydoras, white clouds and one huge white comet. Everyone is very happy 😃 Thanks for the great advice!
I don't use one either and my betta is 🙂too I do something a little different to keep his tank warm all year long 🌱🌺🐿⛄️ Did this w/my past bettas and they survived just fine too
top video Cory..... I have 12 tanks with all sorts of tropical fish in a room in my house .I have no heater in any of my tanks .I been doing this for years . Only sponge filters .I would never run an internal or external filter ,why you ask ? Well I would not live or sleep in a room with the nose of an engine running 24/7 . I believe it's cruel to do so. Plus I live in the UK. I'm old school 30 years in the hobby .. it works for me.
I agree with you! I couple years ago I accidentally left my heater unplugged on my community tank and the only thing that clued me in was that the fish were not metabolizing their food as quick as they would in warmer water. They were probably around 70 degrees when I discovered it.
Thanks Cory. The world would be a lot better place if all business owners cared as much as you do! It also makes rational sense too. Your business prospers when the hobby grows and thrives and people are staying engaged. You could make a bunch of money in the short term selling cheap heaters to people who don't need them (and exposing those hobbyists to the risks of bad heaters) but in the long run that causes people to give up and get rid of their aquariums. Honesty and sustainability is so often lacking in business these days. I feel like I found an oasis in the desert here!
I really appreciate this vid, Cory. I have a 29 gal with black skirt tetras and was wondering why they do so well in my heater free system. Much appreciated as always and thank you.
Did research and found out my house is perfect for some of my tanks. So I ditched the heaters for three of them a week ago and we're all good. Eating good, looking good and the temp is perfect.
A smarter idea is to put a heater in as a backup safety set below your current temperature. I live in Canada so it's possible it could get too cold. But your point about it failing and cooking the fish is definitely valid.
What a fantastic topic, it's something that has been beaten into me that we keep tropical fish at 78°F but have suspected for a long time that we don't. This winter l set my heater controller at 68 in my 600g SA tank and also in my 200g Frontosa tank, the room temperature did drop slightly below that but with the water volume & powerful pump transferring heat the water temperature never dropped below 72, the Frontosa have bred & my Uaru are thriving.
When I kept a tank, many years ago, I had bought a heater that turned out to be defective. It worked for the first few weeks, and that was it, although at the time I wasn't aware it had stopped working. I didn't figure it out till almost three months later. The fish were fine, so I never replaced it when I finally noticed. Never had a problem.
@@AquariumCoop I am forcing myself to try it with my tanks. It is difficult to comprehend but makes so much sense and heaters are so unreliable. What is finally making me understand is I just bought a 75 gallon with african cichlids used. It didn't have a working heater when I got it and I haven't bought a new one. However I've noticed the fish are thriving even without it and my central heat/air is set to 72 all the time.
One thing I would recommend for your videos, if you're inclined to, is to tell us the temperatures in Celsius as well, because I had to keep going back and forth looking up all the temps you mentioned.
@@Max-hq2jm Don't be a dick. It's in English but the majority of the world, including people who speak English either as a first or second language, USE CELSIUS.
@@mastermarkus5307 I use Celsius, and I do dislike that Americans don't adapt on the internet (them being the minority of people who use Fahrenheit), but it's actually really easy. 32 °F is 0°C, so if you subtract 32 from any temperature on Fahrenheit, you'll get its Celsius equivalent.
I have 8 unheated aquariums in my basement (which is significantly cooler than the main and upper floor of my home) and those aquariums all tend to run at about 72*F. Obviously I don't keep German Blue Rams or Discus in those tanks, but I'd agree that the VAST majority of fish we keep can live happily at that temperature.
Finally someone makes a video about this! People would either not believe me when I say I don’t have a heater in my fish tank or say that I really need one.
Cory, you did not mention that in the wild or in breeder ponds, fish live in a much, much larger body of water which will heat and cool more slowly than a typical fish tank. Having a heater not only warms the water, but also helps stabilize the temperature of our aquariums keeping the stress of a quick temperature change from causing illness/death. Probably not as much of an issue aquariums over 100 gallons, but it could be critical for smaller (especially 20 gallon and under) tanks. Thoughts?
I have never experienced having problems in 20 gallon tanks any more than my larger tanks that don’t run heaters. That being said literally every tank and house surrounding it will be different. Find what works best for you.
@@AquariumCoop Thanks for the quick reply. Interesting. I keep nano tanks only these days and while I've considered the fact that fish are typically exposed to larger temperature differentials in nature than species care guides suggest, I was worried about the rate that the temp may change in an unheated 3-8 gallon tank. Your vid definitely gives us something to consider...
@@benblassingourami984 you are probably right... although the first time a fish is lost or there is a problem, it would be hard not to blame the lack of a heater first.
terrywho22 I have been comparing my losses/breeding across multiple tanks both unheated and heated, so although certainly not a scientific experiment, I feel it has given me the general impression that there is very little difference.
I live in Peru and caught some wild Apistogramma, brought them to cusco where I currently live and put them in a large paludarium. Cusco is somewhere around 10,000 feet in elevation and it gets very cold here. My home Temps got down to the 40's and I didn't use heaters. The fish did just fine. I agree that heaters are not necessary in most situations.
My 23 years of fishkeeping experience says aquariums do better without heaters. I live in India. During winters RT goes as low as 55F and in summer RT can be 96F. But many tropical fish like rainbow sharks redtail sharks bala sharks zebra danios rosy barb pearl gourami honey gouramis albino cory yo-yo loach plecos all lived well without any heater/chiller. In my opinion 3" or bigger adult fishes generally do pretty well without much problem. Small fishes sometimes can't handle extended period of cold temp. Thank you for this video and bursting the bubble. Most people look at me like insane if I tell them that I do not run any heater. But my fishes generally live around 10years so I guess I'm not doing something totally wrong. When I started there was no internet let alone youtube so I learned this the hard way (after frying a few fish) that not having a heater outweighs the risks associated with heaters.
I never used heaters either and all of my fish both past/recent have survived the cold season 🐿⛄️ I do water changes w/warm tap conditioned water to keep my tank that I have now cosy and my betta is doing just fine 🐟🙂
I like learning all of this before actually keeping fish. This tells me I'd probably still need a heater for some of the fish I want to keep since my house temp is 65 at the warmest so cold water fish would be fine, but that could get stressful for "lukewarm water" fish. I plan on testing the water temp in an unstocked tank for several months to double check that too. Thanks for teaching us all!
I work at a LFS, have worked in the industry for many years in Wisconsin, and I agree. In summer we dont really need heaters, but in winter most of us do need to run something especially in drafty old homes like mine. Also, I unpacked a shipment this week and mixed in with our oto cats was a single little panda garra. I only knew this species because of your videos and snatched him up for an amazing price ($1.80), thank you for educating me otherwise I would have never gotten my hands on this little wonder :)
@@MadCheshireHat Yea, I even let the boss know, he just kinda shrugged and said "it's their loss we only payed x for it, take it home if you want it", my coworker also a few weeks back got three adult royal panaques for the cost of baby royal farlowellas, our distributor recently hired a bunch of new pickers that don't know their stuff it seems
I learn so much from you, it's just incredible! I'm about to start all over with fish keeping after a 15 year break and I'm getting a 170 gallon tank. I read about what heater to get and the online store recommended a 400W heater. I will get a heater, sometimes it gets so cold indoors that I'm shivering (for some reason the thermostat doesn't know what to do when it's 32 F degrees outside). But maybe I won't go overboard after listening to you. (I'm gonna keep African cichlids).
Absolutely agree. Being an avid fisherman I spend alot of time on lakes and rivers. It's not uncommon for water temps to fluctuate 10-15 degrees daily. Fish handle it with ease. Too many in this hobby overthink what's needed for fish to thrive.
Plz note I live in hot as hell South Texas. I keep lots of guppies outside in a 500 gallon concrete tank when winter gets here in January sometimes the temperature stays around 50 degrees F and they don't die not even the baby guppies. I start to move guppies inside when the air temperature is gonna be 45 degreesF for 12 hours. I know about 39 degrees F I lose all guppies.
I'm so glad you made this video! I am in the process of setting up an outside pond, and I've been worried about next winter and what I need to do. I live probably 30-40 miles from that fish farm, I'm going to start watching them to learn about keeping fish outside. I'd never heard of them before.
I’ve always wondered this with my fish tanks and turtle tanks. All my turtles can be found where u live, which varies on weather from massive snow storms in winter to hot and humid in summer. I think I might give it a go.
This is great :) I use the smallest possible heaters in 2 tanks and then have an adjustable one I paid 20$ for on my 60g. My husband loves a cold house so that’s an issue for me, and it’s pretty cold in Illinois right now. Only ones I don’t have a heater on are my small Betta tanks because they stay around 78 in the room I have them in (1.5g tanks) and then my Betta breeding tank because they don’t seem to need it, it’s actually at about 78 right now but I have lights on it, and only about 3-5 inches water in a 10 gallon... so roughly.. 2-3g. I keep a heater on my puffers too because I’m afraid they’ll be too sensitive. My Betta fry tanks are under my 60 gallon so it stays cold, I keep a heater on them. At first I actually ran a small space heater under there to keep them warm but I was afraid I’d fry them (no pun intended) lol
Its really all dependent on your ambient temps and which species you are keeping. I agree 100% though that the common thought process of chasing one specific temp 24/7 isn't needed either. Where I live it's very mild and it's usually 45-55 degrees during the day, and anything 70-80 is pretty rare and only during our very short summers.
Thank you for clearing this out,it is true. My house during winter is about 68F to 70 during the night. During the day when the heating is on in the house, its about 75 to 78F. I am mostly working with Betta and Angel fish. Bettas are adopted and rescues that i try to help out/save and then let them get readopted but not all the time, they are in 6L tanks with Almond leaves and Pothos plant for the leaves. their tank temperatures variates around 71 to 75. Even with my angel fish tanks. i do use a heater sometimes in the Sumps when i see the temps dropping or getting stuck mostly around 71 and that is during the winters.
Im just kind of scared because my 75 gallon tank is sitting on a coffee table (short and closer to the floor) and I have an A/C vent about 1' to the left of it. What do you think about that? I have a heater and keep t at 78 right now. We live in FL so we have the A/C on most of the year.
I think this issue stems and lingers on from the days when central heating wasn't common place, or there are regulations or high costs of heating your house. If you have central heating, you're good for most fish. Most modern built homes in the US should have central heating, at least I think they do. If you come from a country where central heating isn't as common, and the humans inside are curled up shivering for most of the day, I would assume you'd need a heater for tropical fish.
I like this. I just turned off my 3x heaters. I live in Aus. Summer time now. Even at night the temp is 23c. And maybe 28c at peak time. This will save me electricity. I usto keep bettas and now i dont so i think this is actually good having lows and highs.
Cory, Amazing! Just as with filtration you gave me a paradigm shift in my heating aquarium education. Going on my 3rd year and the first 2 years I lost countless fish following mainstream (Big Box Fish store) recommendations. The constant monthly change of carbon, foam etc so they could sell me more. Since I found you & began following your advice my aquarium is in top notch shape & looks better, and I haven't lost any more fish since I put into practice your teachings so they are much happier & healthier. Thank you for your continuing education in the hobby!
I really, really want green neon tetras to go with my cherry shrimp, but I don't want a heater. So you're saying that'll probably work as long as my house stays above 66F? Nice! Hooray!!!
Love this informative video! What do you think about Bettas? Google says they prefer 75-80 degrees F. Would you say that the range listed there is too small and no heater is needed or would you add a heater when keeping a betta?
I'd say it depends on your location and the season. I'm in Colorado and my Betta's tank has consistently been at 80 with no heater, even with our constantly changing weather. But, my apartment also stays pretty warm since I'm on the top floor. We're already getting frost in the very early mornings and even then his tank is at least 78. When winter comes I'll most likely have to get a heater. It gets pretty cold at 6,000 feet lol. I'm paranoid about heaters and horror stories though...hence why I'm here
@@sansakitty9650 thank you so much for your reply! I feel the same way about heaters! I have heard so many stories from people at my local fish shop. It’s something I want to avoid all together. Thank you for your help and input! 🙂
@@RaindropsOnLichen How funny you replied, I was just thinking about the original commenter a couple days ago! I ended up getting the jager (something like that) heater and it's been great with the negative temperature. I'm still new too, so my biggest nemesis these last couple months has been algae -_- it seems to finally be balancing out though. I don't know if you've seen Big Hero 6, but my Betta looks just like Baymax so that's what I named him lol
I think 'probably' should have been 'possibly'. We don't heat our house overnight and during the day we only heat to 18 or 19 deg C (65 deg F). I know from unfortunate experience that without heating in winter, even the largest of our three tanks drops to 15 deg C (59 F). At that temperature the fish showed distress and we lost a tetra. It definitely makes sense to heat the room if you've a lot of tanks in one room; if however you have a only one or a few tanks, it's incredibly wasteful to heat the house instead of the tanks. I do agree that many fish can tolerate much lower temperatures than the ranges usually given for them.
Lol you're super correct. I feel like it took me forever to figure out which tanks need heat. Near my thermostat, the ambient temp stays relatively stable. In our bedroom near a window a little less, and all the way across the house from the thermostat it gets much colder by the time the room with the thermostat drops low enough to turn on the furnace. You've saved me a ton of money though with your vids, be it filtration, cO2, or heating. Thank you very much sir! Keep it up
So funny how I was talking about this to my friends the other day trying to explain how in the home depending on how warm u keep it that ur helping to heat the tank. Thanks for covering this topic 👍🏻
You know when I was younger there was a older couple that owned a local fish store and they said the same thing. Not one fish tank had a heater in the store. So I absolutely agree!
WOW! Heaters or not in fish tanks ... heaters or not in the house. I totally like colder weather so I haven't used my central heating for circa. 15 years and always have some windows open. I always had fish that DON'T need heaters i.e. goldfish and weather loaches. I am starting up again soon and found that your video was more than interesting and helpfull. (My, how things change over the years) Starting with a 30g and already have mosses and plants growing in the kitchen. So now it's go go go,go go...
I'm just watching this video to hear what Cory has to say. I have personally NEVER used a heater - we run chillers here in South East Asia. Temperatures are from 24 - 35 Degrees Celsius all year round.
Heater malfunction is a very common hardware failure in this hobby. Most of my fish deaths have come as a result of thermostat failure, causing the filter to be on full heat all the time.
Thank you. I'm setting back up my aquarium and was doing research because I think I'll go with a planted tank with very few fish and just plain old fish, nothing fancy. No need to worry about getting a heater.
I'm looking into getting some pygmy cories, and their recommended temperature seems to be often a bit above room temp. Any recommendations in regards to heating or if it's necessary for them?
New to the fish game but, am very comfortable at this point to knowing basics and need to knows! All thanks to you at that! I also took up your info on the heaters, you are totally right my fish are doing just fine! My stupid temp didnt even move 2 degrees after removing the heater! Completely useless in my tank at least lol. Thanks for the tips man keep doing your thing! I am learning a lot!
ive been setting up tanks without heaters foryears, i have a way lower mortality than my friends chasing temperatures, ph etc. plus in some species it increases the exspected lifespan. great video on a topic thats been nagging me for a long time.
I have to agree with you, Cory. I have more problems in the summer keeping the tank cool, to the point where a water change was the only option. (it's a 125g and not by a window to heat it up) I have a heater, I just don't use it.
I just may end up unplugging the heater in my 10g for a while. I keep my thermostat for the home set at 78F during the day, and about 73F at night. Planning on Cherry shrimp and a Betta for the tank. Pretty sure they would be okay between those temps, even if the tank got up to 80F during the day.
I live in Ontario, Canada. Canada is a place where I think in all four seasons you should run an adequate heater. If it's 30 degrees Celsius in wild heat, tank in front of a window. Maybe evaluate the temperature
I just get into aquarium hobby because i fall in love with mystery snails, you help me a lot of everything, now I'm turning my simple snail tank into a planted aquarium with shrimps and snails. I love your puffer!
Haha I knew it, not even 1 minute into the video and I already know that room temperature is pretty much ok, unless you have demanding fish. Same goes with plants, you can grow pretty much any American aquatic plant outside, yet alone inside with no heater
I have comets and shubunkin that have been living outside in British weather for 15+ years, they're fine, breed every year and the pond has frozen over many times, also up to 90° in the summer. I think they benefit from seasonal changes
I mean angel fish can be found in the same waters as neon tetras and he’s saying he thinks neons can probably tolerate lower water temps (mid 60s) so I’m thinking angels can probably survive lowering the temp a bit 🤷🏼♂️ definitely an interesting theory, I keep an angel fish and am kinda curious myself
@@thechosen1161 I had two angel fish that survived an ice storm that left me without heat and electricity for days. I put blankets over the tank and hoped for the best (I had to stay with friends who had electricity). Came back almost a week later and they were fine. Temps dropped SUPER low. I miss those two.
Thank you for your honesty! but what about if I use an air conditioner in summer and the temperature in the room becomes very cool such 22 degree? thank you. i have glofish and 2 Galons tank.
I went on vacation for 2 weeks and left my auto feeder on with my glass barb and the house was left at 50 degreese with no heater for the whole time I came back and he was happy and healthy
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Don’t rush and unplug all your heaters instantly. Instead do some research about wild temps and slowly adjust your heaters down to where you and your fish are comfortable. Learning along the way.
Also my testing has only been in freshwater. Saltwater tanks typically shouldn’t vary in temp as much and I want to make it clear that being I haven’t tested it I can’t advise no heaters in saltwater aquariums.
Because I always forget how many people will just read headlines and never do any actual research for themselves.
What about Betta the one sold at stores are captive bred half the time unlike the macrostoma or imbelius
Kira Doom12 caprice raises betta splendens typically come from tropical counties and this are used to warmer temps than we have here in the USA. Wild caught species do well at lower temps in my experience. As well as locally bred splendens.
We here in New England tend to lose our heat more often then every 5 years (often due to my own forgetfulness in buying oil. :/) so I have heaters but they are set at 65 just for such an emergency.
I understand the point of the heater (and all such environmental control things) to be about maintaining the environmental parameters to be stable as possible specifically to have as little variability as possible...for the sake of making it easier for the "systems of life" to do their things....from a "caretakers" perspective.
Being "chemical concoctions", i imagine something like a temp change of a material amount messing with those chemical processes.
I imagine the genetics of the fish have long been best suited to things like day/night cycles and the things that come along with it.
This is what I love about Cory and the Aquarium Co-Op. Think about this, Cory is a store owner, and he could lie to all of us and tell us we need heaters when we don't to boost his own sales, this just goes to show how genuine he is, and I am sure all his employees are the same, from what I see from other videos like the unboxing videos and a few others I can tell they are ALL passionate about what they do and the hobby.
Thanks Cory for being awesome, my #1 Fishtuber to watch!
Or he could be lieing so your fish will die and get sales in his fish
@@DillonWoods-lz4eu quit the negativity fam
Agreed. I respect his honesty!
Which is why I curse my stars that I wasn't born with access to his business... XD
I've literally had pet store owners sell me fish they knew wouldn't thrive in what I offered, just so I'd come back and buy new fish.
Most pet stores want to sell sell sell. This extends to all living animals in the stores, not just fish. But with fish they're extra lax (huheue) because somehow, fish "don't count". Many don't see fish as individual animals.
That predatory mentality from the stores is 100% surely the reason why so many end up abandoning the hobby.
If we had even 1 guy like Cory running a Aquarium fish store in my entire COUNTRY, I'd be such a happy guppy! But alas...
@@SensationalBanana Do research before buying something and this wont happen, its as much your responsability to make shore its the correct conditions as it is the shops
breeder here. i find that some fish live longer at a lower temp, expecially live bearers. slower growth and metabolism but still perfectly healthy and breeding at 70°. i do not use heaters in my tanks, the room is between 70 and 78°. bottom rack tanks are covered with insulation sheets in harsh winter and stay around 70° with a small oil heater in the room (it is an insulated wooden shed not a home) it is -7° here outside and fish are all above 70° with no tank heaters, saves me a LOT of money
How about a top 10 of fish that definitely like "room temperature" ? Really enjoyed that video!
Thiiis
Comprehension isn't your strong point huh!
Gold barbs
There’s not a video to make. Just go to google.
definitive list
goldfish
goldfish
koi
koi
carp
carp
koi
goldfishh
koi
carpi
My advice here would be to set the temperature of the heater nearer the lower end of the range required for your species. Therefore, it will rarely be on most days while your house/apartment is warm, saving you money on electricity, but should the temperature begin to fall, the heater kicks in and saves the day.
One thing I like about you Cory is that you think and challenge convention. I was running a tank outside and it’s temp varied greatly, 60 to as high as 90. Never lost a fish. Certainly not what heater manufacturers what to hear 😉😀👍🏻
I'm so pleased that you have done this video about heaters. I have thought the same way as you for many years. In the wild, as you said Cory, the water temperature fluctuates during the day and the temperature drops at night when there is no sunshine. I have found that my fish are healthier and hardier when the temperature changes throughout the whole day. I have also found that the fish don't get nearly as stressed when the temperature doesn't stay constant. Thank you from across the pond in England.
Cory there will always be people who will argue and disagree with you. Just be true to yourself! You are one of most honest people in the aquarium hobby. I’ve learned so much from your videos. Thank you for the time and work you put into spreading aquarium knowledge.
👍
When I first started keeping fish I always ran heaters set to 78F. I’ve had expensive heaters and cheap heaters and they ALL work the same, they all last about 1-2 years depending on your luck. Replacing heaters become troublesome so I stopped using heaters and have never lost a fish due to temperatures
@Transitive Wisdom its cold now in los angeles i know because i live here, how are the fish doing with no heater?
I am new. Like you, I got talked into preset heaters. My plants don't like like the heat. I've been reading that warmer temperatures lessen the oxygen levels. I just got a 55G to give my Community Tank Dwellers more room and allow me to add a few fish that I have been looking forward to getting. Where this is going is this... I bought an adjustable heater... one that I can adjust. I will re-review my fish species and come up with a common setting, but it appears that I can reduce the heat, kill less plants, and retain more oxygen in the tank will using a lesser tank temp. I bought an adjustable heater to warm up the tank water used for water-changes. I will use that adjustable heater now in my new 20G Long that I am also setting up at the same time to move into his current 6.6G Betta Starter Kit Tank. I decided that I'll make 1 mess creating 2 new tanks, instead of dragging this process of setting up one, then the next one... kinda like an assembly line approach. This is exciting for me because I am recovering from very serious spinal injuries and post-concussion traumatic brain injury and I am seeing that I am starting to be able to multi-task again and that I am finally connecting to my old process management ability, again.
Great Review Cory and thanks for helping us tap into our Critical Thinking capabilites and look outside of the box.
After doing a lot of research, I am considering that plants on the side of the tank where the heater is are not doing as well as the other side. The only difference is that they are on the side with the heater.
I decided to build a rock mound on both sides of heater and place the plants on the other side of it. I was using some of the plants to hid the heater. I still can, but just not that close
Some cherry shrimp accidentally got into our pond outside. It freezes over completly in the winter yet it's still crawling with shrimp (they did discolour a lot) and they seem to be doing just fine.
I just love the way you explain things... you keep it simple but don't make it stupid... you don't talk down to us.... Your info is great for experienced fish people and those of us not so experienced. And you use great examples when giving your reasonings etc. Great video as always Cory.... it's why I keep coming back to your channel!!! 💖💖💖
this vid is spot on cory I recently went
to a small local store and through a decent and honest conversation with the owners I walked out with 3 bags of 'tropical' fish which are thriving in my non heated 400 litre planted community tank which is lightly stocked with temperate fish from a big box store. sound advice m8 every fish keeper need to be subscribed to this channel. thanks again from Scotland,😎👍
So glad to hear this. I started keeping fish when i was 9 years old but have been out of the hobby for about 20years. im 63 now, and am getting back in. I remember getting away from heaters after several heating failures and i didnt have issues. i agree that the homes ambient temperature kept my tanks temp regulated well enough for my purposes. I kept at most 6 tanks at one time. I am now getting back into this hobby in my retirement so feel like a novice again but just dont want to use heaters, you have reassured me.
important: fish that are kept in heated tanks become conditioned to living in constant temp. tanks. It's why, for example it's not a good idea to take a goldfish that's lived in an indoor tank for years, and put it in a pond outdoors. This also goes for some plants, some varieties if harvested in the wild will continue to melt annually even when moved to a tank that's kept at a constant temperature year round. Read some aquarium books from the 1950's or earlier and you'll find a lot of info about whether to heat or not heat your tank (plus some pretty creative ideas for heating tanks).
Im sure they can adapt to a 10 degree difference but Im wondering how much solar plays a role in perhaps higher temps in the wild, where doing air temp comparison might not be giving us the full story. Also, back then people (like my father) were using hot incandescent bulbs in a reflector right on the water or even just a sun facing window to heat or grow plants. Plenty of kids, and parents, have cooked their first goldfish by leaving it in a window in the summer.
Agreed. Most habitats these fish live in are fairly constant. Large lakes or constantly moving streams. The water is constant and roughly the same temp throughout the year.
Also, water holds onto hot and cold temps better than air and land, so the throughout the day the temperature of the water doesnt change much except at the very surface. Why just the very surface? Because Water is stratified. The first layer fluctuates a bit, not a lot. The other layers dont. Those layers are where the fish tend to live. Or in the shaded areas for cover and food. This stratification is pronounced and defined. So one layer will be right on top of a cooler later with no buffer between the two.
Ive had aquariums for nearly 20 years now but only recently (3-4yrs) ive tried for breeding and more but, Ive had rams at 74 to 76 for years. Its so cool how nature adapts, as long as it isnt an immediate change they just truck through it. It is still nice to have one just in case in the house to throw in you tank if needed..
love this hobby, and thanks for the videos again!
i dont need a heater bc i live in tropical climate, yay nature :)
👍
Where do you live? The town where I live is on the coast next to the beach and I probably don’t need one either because of that. I also don’t live too far way from the equator where the climate is warmer.
My house gets down to the low 40s inside in winter, so I'll be sticking with my heater but can see how this would make sense for people with warm homes
I'm primarily a tarantula keeper and we have the same issue with pet stores pushing heat lamps or heat mats when they're usually not necessary. Great video, helped ease my paranoia around heating as I learn more about fish keeping
So what im hearing is my 78°preset heater are waste when i keep my house at 72° .
I keep most of my fish at around 72 degrees.
gregg horner me too
As long as the room they are in is actually that temp.
Thank you for your candid comments. Obviously, it takes some courage to acknowledge this.
lights, filters and power heads can all add to the temperature of the tank.
+
I live in upstate NY and havent used a heater in over 10 years. Great post.
what part?
@@bige3290 Rotterdam/ Schenectady area
@@bige3290 cool, i agree
I’m from central New York syracuse area . I only turn my heaters on in the winter time because the room my reef is in gets a little drafted when the wind is blowing hard but all summer no heater on any of the tanks unless the ac is on
Bro we live that close that's crazy
I live in Zambia, it gets into the 50s at night in the cold season the fish in our small streams (Cichlids) survive just fine. Cold season is 5 months It does get into the 80s during the day so the water is probably more like low 60s by the end of the night.
Third generation fish keeper, my family's never used heaters and it's always worked really well!
Agree
Do you keep angelfish?
@@LarryWater yes in a 55 gallon community tank with long fin tetra and a rope fish.
@Jennifer Millsaps I've had up to sixteen tanks and they never go below 70 degrees, my house is set at 80 degrees.
@CHEFF pool double wide with six inches of insulation in the walls
Bravo. I got this advice ten years ago and my fish are doing better than ever!
"Old guy in the back of the room" - woot - he singled me out. Wait a minute.... who you calling old.. oh... right.
There was an article some years back in TFH about this very subject. Only other mention of this I've ever heard/read about. Thank you for talking about this. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I've been feeling like the only broken record for years constantly talking about this in the forums or in the comments.
Please talk about how a smaller heater last longer because it clicks on and off less often. (hot tip - the same is true for your house a/c) Extra side note - my clowns used to get down to 68 every winter before I insulated the garage - they're 13! But did they ever love it when temps hit 93!!!
Did I say thank you for making this video??? Thank you thank you thank you!!!
This is maybe the best video I've seen. 30 years in the hobby and I'm running about 1600 watts in heaters right now. Tanks are 78-84 (Flowerhorn are high temp) I'm going down to the fish room after typing this and turning my tropical tanks down to 72. Is anyone reading this into Flowerhorn? My question is, everything I read on Flowerhorn says 80-86 degrees F. Because they are a hybrid fish and have weakend immune systems. I would like to think this is BS. For now I will keep the Flowerhorn warm. Hopefully someone here chimes in:) Great video Cory!
I think water volume also plays a big part in the whole needing a heater or not
Yeah and material the tank is made of plastic tanks hold heat better
Yeah I’m 7 minutes in and he’s failed to mention that lmao
Thermal mass... pays a part of water changes... depending on where people live, I just fill from the cold tap and pour in the tank, yet others are all de-this and pro- that...
@@wobblysauce yea ive noticed this too. Ive kept fish since i was a kid and since we had fresh spring water coming from our tap i never had to worry about dechlorinators etc because our water was perfect 👌 As a matter of fact for the longest time i had no idea what all the fuss was about with tap/city water vs well vs spring- all i knew is that i never had to do anything special but throw my huge buckets in the bath and fill then carry to my tanks. Never acclimated them either even with 100% water changes, except when adding a new purchase to quarantine. I never used heaters either as i live in western NC and even at our coldest my pet room always stayed toasty and was positioned easternly towards the rising sun. So pretty much after buying my tanks and fish i wasnt having to pay but to feed them or treat new fish as precaution which came out pretty cheap. Only recently since becoming an adult and acquiring tanks at my new home have i discovered the joys of city water and the terrible ranging tank parameters plus adding declorinators etc
Yeah small bodies of water will fluctuate alot.
Kudos for the honesty. That’s what makes you stand out Cory.
Awesome video! I’ve always thought to myself that it seemed weird that people are always screaming about keeping all tropical fish at a CONSTANT 78 degrees, while the temperatures of waterways in tropical areas fluctuates daily to seasonally. I have kept some of my tropicals at room temperature 65-80 depending on the season and time of day, and I have noticed no difference between my heated and non-heated tanks! It’s how temperatures work in the wild, so why shouldn’t it work in captivity?
Yup
Tell that to Marijuana growers. They have that "has to be" mentality. I prove many growers wrong..
Great honest video about heaters. Thanks for the info!!
Cory, thank you so much for your honesty and valuable information. I’m totally on board with not using a heater unless absolutely necessary, and haven’t for many many years. Totally agree that the room temperature should be comfortable for the fish in most cases.
I got so turned off on them due to two major accidents.....once my daughters tank heater malfunctioned and overheated, killing all her fish. She was devastated. 😢 Another time, my massive beautiful gourami attacked his heater (he was just like that) and broke it...electrocuting himself.
Swore I’d never use another heater again !
Now I’m raising corydoras, white clouds and one huge white comet.
Everyone is very happy 😃
Thanks for the great advice!
I don't use one either and my betta is 🙂too
I do something a little different to keep his tank warm all year long
🌱🌺🐿⛄️
Did this w/my past bettas and they survived just fine too
top video Cory.....
I have 12 tanks with all sorts of tropical fish in a room in my house .I have no heater in any of my tanks .I been doing this for years . Only sponge filters .I would never run an internal or external filter ,why you ask ? Well I would not live or sleep in a room with the nose of an engine running 24/7 . I believe it's cruel to do so. Plus I live in the UK.
I'm old school 30 years in the hobby .. it works for me.
Hi Glenn what types of fish do you keep please as I also live in the Uk and trying to do the same
this was cool to watch! I havent had a heater in any of my tanks for about a year now. my place stays 74-78 degrees F and all fish are thriving!
I’m in the U.K. and the weather is so warm, my cold water goldfish tank is now a tropical tank without a heater. Wild
I agree with you! I couple years ago I accidentally left my heater unplugged on my community tank and the only thing that clued me in was that the fish were not metabolizing their food as quick as they would in warmer water. They were probably around 70 degrees when I discovered it.
Thanks Cory. The world would be a lot better place if all business owners cared as much as you do! It also makes rational sense too. Your business prospers when the hobby grows and thrives and people are staying engaged. You could make a bunch of money in the short term selling cheap heaters to people who don't need them (and exposing those hobbyists to the risks of bad heaters) but in the long run that causes people to give up and get rid of their aquariums. Honesty and sustainability is so often lacking in business these days. I feel like I found an oasis in the desert here!
I really appreciate this vid, Cory. I have a 29 gal with black skirt tetras and was wondering why they do so well in my heater free system. Much appreciated as always and thank you.
Did research and found out my house is perfect for some of my tanks. So I ditched the heaters for three of them a week ago and we're all good. Eating good, looking good and the temp is perfect.
I agree 💯 % I keep heaters but have them set at 70°
You’ve opened my eyes Cory. I’ll start switching off the heater now that the summer is coming.
A smarter idea is to put a heater in as a backup safety set below your current temperature. I live in Canada so it's possible it could get too cold. But your point about it failing and cooking the fish is definitely valid.
What a fantastic topic, it's something that has been beaten into me that we keep tropical fish at 78°F but have suspected for a long time that we don't. This winter l set my heater controller at 68 in my 600g SA tank and also in my 200g Frontosa tank, the room temperature did drop slightly below that but with the water volume & powerful pump transferring heat the water temperature never dropped below 72, the Frontosa have bred & my Uaru are thriving.
When I kept a tank, many years ago, I had bought a heater that turned out to be defective. It worked for the first few weeks, and that was it, although at the time I wasn't aware it had stopped working. I didn't figure it out till almost three months later. The fish were fine, so I never replaced it when I finally noticed. Never had a problem.
Thank you for this video. Love how honest you are. I've always suspected this since temps always change.
Great topic. I was just having this discussion with some fellow fish nerds. It's always one of those agree to disagree issues.
For sure, until you experience it yourself, it’s too hard to comprehend all of it. Myself included until I tested it over many years
@@AquariumCoop I am forcing myself to try it with my tanks. It is difficult to comprehend but makes so much sense and heaters are so unreliable. What is finally making me understand is I just bought a 75 gallon with african cichlids used. It didn't have a working heater when I got it and I haven't bought a new one. However I've noticed the fish are thriving even without it and my central heat/air is set to 72 all the time.
One thing I would recommend for your videos, if you're inclined to, is to tell us the temperatures in Celsius as well, because I had to keep going back and forth looking up all the temps you mentioned.
Divide by 1.8 will get you really close
Perhaps Cory could also translate into Flemmish, because Really I didn't want to learn English to hear him.
@@Max-hq2jm
Don't be a dick. It's in English but the majority of the world, including people who speak English either as a first or second language, USE CELSIUS.
@@mastermarkus5307 I use Celsius, and I do dislike that Americans don't adapt on the internet (them being the minority of people who use Fahrenheit), but it's actually really easy. 32 °F is 0°C, so if you subtract 32 from any temperature on Fahrenheit, you'll get its Celsius equivalent.
Sorry we Americans don't care
I have 8 unheated aquariums in my basement (which is significantly cooler than the main and upper floor of my home) and those aquariums all tend to run at about 72*F. Obviously I don't keep German Blue Rams or Discus in those tanks, but I'd agree that the VAST majority of fish we keep can live happily at that temperature.
Finally someone makes a video about this! People would either not believe me when I say I don’t have a heater in my fish tank or say that I really need one.
Cory, you did not mention that in the wild or in breeder ponds, fish live in a much, much larger body of water which will heat and cool more slowly than a typical fish tank. Having a heater not only warms the water, but also helps stabilize the temperature of our aquariums keeping the stress of a quick temperature change from causing illness/death. Probably not as much of an issue aquariums over 100 gallons, but it could be critical for smaller (especially 20 gallon and under) tanks. Thoughts?
I have never experienced having problems in 20 gallon tanks any more than my larger tanks that don’t run heaters. That being said literally every tank and house surrounding it will be different. Find what works best for you.
I think keeping an aquarium in a house is going to insulate the aquarium from major temperature fluctuations providing you have a/c and heat.
@@AquariumCoop Thanks for the quick reply. Interesting. I keep nano tanks only these days and while I've considered the fact that fish are typically exposed to larger temperature differentials in nature than species care guides suggest, I was worried about the rate that the temp may change in an unheated 3-8 gallon tank. Your vid definitely gives us something to consider...
@@benblassingourami984 you are probably right... although the first time a fish is lost or there is a problem, it would be hard not to blame the lack of a heater first.
terrywho22 I have been comparing my losses/breeding across multiple tanks both unheated and heated, so although certainly not a scientific experiment, I feel it has given me the general impression that there is very little difference.
I live in Peru and caught some wild Apistogramma, brought them to cusco where I currently live and put them in a large paludarium. Cusco is somewhere around 10,000 feet in elevation and it gets very cold here. My home Temps got down to the 40's and I didn't use heaters. The fish did just fine. I agree that heaters are not necessary in most situations.
My 23 years of fishkeeping experience says aquariums do better without heaters. I live in India. During winters RT goes as low as 55F and in summer RT can be 96F. But many tropical fish like rainbow sharks redtail sharks bala sharks zebra danios rosy barb pearl gourami honey gouramis albino cory yo-yo loach plecos all lived well without any heater/chiller.
In my opinion 3" or bigger adult fishes generally do pretty well without much problem. Small fishes sometimes can't handle extended period of cold temp.
Thank you for this video and bursting the bubble. Most people look at me like insane if I tell them that I do not run any heater. But my fishes generally live around 10years so I guess I'm not doing something totally wrong.
When I started there was no internet let alone youtube so I learned this the hard way (after frying a few fish) that not having a heater outweighs the risks associated with heaters.
I never used heaters either and all of my fish both past/recent have survived the cold season 🐿⛄️
I do water changes w/warm tap conditioned water to keep my tank that I have now cosy and my betta is doing just fine 🐟🙂
Thank you for sharing your story.
Also I see most people don't use timers on their heaters... my heaters go off at night. It helps simulate seasonal changes. Good stuff Cory!
I like learning all of this before actually keeping fish. This tells me I'd probably still need a heater for some of the fish I want to keep since my house temp is 65 at the warmest so cold water fish would be fine, but that could get stressful for "lukewarm water" fish. I plan on testing the water temp in an unstocked tank for several months to double check that too. Thanks for teaching us all!
65 at the warmest? Geez! Where do you live, your summer electricity bill most be nuts.
@@huntingwolf20 We live on the foothills of the Wasach mountains in Utah. The summer electricity bill is definitely worse, but it's not too bad.
Man, I tried so hard to not like your videos. But, they surely grew on me now I always watch them. It's like listening to a good friend talk.
I work at a LFS, have worked in the industry for many years in Wisconsin, and I agree. In summer we dont really need heaters, but in winter most of us do need to run something especially in drafty old homes like mine.
Also, I unpacked a shipment this week and mixed in with our oto cats was a single little panda garra. I only knew this species because of your videos and snatched him up for an amazing price ($1.80), thank you for educating me otherwise I would have never gotten my hands on this little wonder :)
Aw, man, I'm jealous. I've seen prices for panda garra and they're more than I'm willing to pay.
@@MadCheshireHat Yea, I even let the boss know, he just kinda shrugged and said "it's their loss we only payed x for it, take it home if you want it", my coworker also a few weeks back got three adult royal panaques for the cost of baby royal farlowellas, our distributor recently hired a bunch of new pickers that don't know their stuff it seems
@@colinwinkelmann299 Nice score. 😊
I learn so much from you, it's just incredible! I'm about to start all over with fish keeping after a 15 year break and I'm getting a 170 gallon tank. I read about what heater to get and the online store recommended a 400W heater. I will get a heater, sometimes it gets so cold indoors that I'm shivering (for some reason the thermostat doesn't know what to do when it's 32 F degrees outside). But maybe I won't go overboard after listening to you. (I'm gonna keep African cichlids).
Absolutely agree. Being an avid fisherman I spend alot of time on lakes and rivers. It's not uncommon for water temps to fluctuate 10-15 degrees daily. Fish handle it with ease. Too many in this hobby overthink what's needed for fish to thrive.
Thank you for the critical look at common practice. I appreciate the thoughtfully laid out argument and you explaining your thoughts and experiences!
Plz note I live in hot as hell South Texas. I keep lots of guppies outside in a 500 gallon concrete tank when winter gets here in January sometimes the temperature stays around 50 degrees F and they don't die not even the baby guppies. I start to move guppies inside when the air temperature is gonna be 45 degreesF for 12 hours. I know about 39 degrees F I lose all guppies.
I'm so glad you made this video! I am in the process of setting up an outside pond, and I've been worried about next winter and what I need to do. I live probably 30-40 miles from that fish farm, I'm going to start watching them to learn about keeping fish outside. I'd never heard of them before.
I’ve always wondered this with my fish tanks and turtle tanks. All my turtles can be found where u live, which varies on weather from massive snow storms in winter to hot and humid in summer. I think I might give it a go.
This is great :) I use the smallest possible heaters in 2 tanks and then have an adjustable one I paid 20$ for on my 60g. My husband loves a cold house so that’s an issue for me, and it’s pretty cold in Illinois right now. Only ones I don’t have a heater on are my small Betta tanks because they stay around 78 in the room I have them in (1.5g tanks) and then my Betta breeding tank because they don’t seem to need it, it’s actually at about 78 right now but I have lights on it, and only about 3-5 inches water in a 10 gallon... so roughly.. 2-3g. I keep a heater on my puffers too because I’m afraid they’ll be too sensitive. My Betta fry tanks are under my 60 gallon so it stays cold, I keep a heater on them. At first I actually ran a small space heater under there to keep them warm but I was afraid I’d fry them (no pun intended) lol
Its really all dependent on your ambient temps and which species you are keeping. I agree 100% though that the common thought process of chasing one specific temp 24/7 isn't needed either. Where I live it's very mild and it's usually 45-55 degrees during the day, and anything 70-80 is pretty rare and only during our very short summers.
Thank you for clearing this out,it is true. My house during winter is about 68F to 70 during the night. During the day when the heating is on in the house, its about 75 to 78F.
I am mostly working with Betta and Angel fish. Bettas are adopted and rescues that i try to help out/save and then let them get readopted but not all the time, they are in 6L tanks with Almond leaves and Pothos plant for the leaves. their tank temperatures variates around 71 to 75. Even with my angel fish tanks. i do use a heater sometimes in the Sumps when i see the temps dropping or getting stuck mostly around 71 and that is during the winters.
Agreed. My Corydoras, livebearers, and tetras are all happy at room temperature.
What is your room temp? I have my home at 68 during the heating months 24/7. Summer is at 78.
Im just kind of scared because my 75 gallon tank is sitting on a coffee table (short and closer to the floor) and I have an A/C vent about 1' to the left of it. What do you think about that? I have a heater and keep t at 78 right now. We live in FL so we have the A/C on most of the year.
I think this issue stems and lingers on from the days when central heating wasn't common place, or there are regulations or high costs of heating your house. If you have central heating, you're good for most fish. Most modern built homes in the US should have central heating, at least I think they do.
If you come from a country where central heating isn't as common, and the humans inside are curled up shivering for most of the day, I would assume you'd need a heater for tropical fish.
I like this. I just turned off my 3x heaters. I live in Aus. Summer time now. Even at night the temp is 23c. And maybe 28c at peak time. This will save me electricity. I usto keep bettas and now i dont so i think this is actually good having lows and highs.
Cory, Amazing! Just as with filtration you gave me a paradigm shift in my heating aquarium education. Going on my 3rd year and the first 2 years I lost countless fish following mainstream (Big Box Fish store) recommendations. The constant monthly change of carbon, foam etc so they could sell me more. Since I found you & began following your advice my aquarium is in top notch shape & looks better, and I haven't lost any more fish since I put into practice your teachings so they are much happier & healthier. Thank you for your continuing education in the hobby!
I've lost mollies at 71 degrees before. Maybe it was just a coincidence or I didnt ease them slow enough. I like your vids and you make good points!
@@johnywilliams278 Your Mollies did not die from 71degree temps. Something else going on.
I really, really want green neon tetras to go with my cherry shrimp, but I don't want a heater. So you're saying that'll probably work as long as my house stays above 66F? Nice! Hooray!!!
Love this informative video! What do you think about Bettas? Google says they prefer 75-80 degrees F. Would you say that the range listed there is too small and no heater is needed or would you add a heater when keeping a betta?
I'd say it depends on your location and the season. I'm in Colorado and my Betta's tank has consistently been at 80 with no heater, even with our constantly changing weather. But, my apartment also stays pretty warm since I'm on the top floor. We're already getting frost in the very early mornings and even then his tank is at least 78. When winter comes I'll most likely have to get a heater. It gets pretty cold at 6,000 feet lol.
I'm paranoid about heaters and horror stories though...hence why I'm here
@@sansakitty9650 thank you so much for your reply! I feel the same way about heaters! I have heard so many stories from people at my local fish shop. It’s something I want to avoid all together. Thank you for your help and input! 🙂
@@RaindropsOnLichen How funny you replied, I was just thinking about the original commenter a couple days ago! I ended up getting the jager (something like that) heater and it's been great with the negative temperature. I'm still new too, so my biggest nemesis these last couple months has been algae -_- it seems to finally be balancing out though.
I don't know if you've seen Big Hero 6, but my Betta looks just like Baymax so that's what I named him lol
@@sansakitty9650 I got a tank set up but sadly won't be getting any living thing in there as the water around 31.5°c that about 88. 7°f.
Greatly appreciate your concern for fellow fish keepers 👍😉🇺🇸❗️
I think 'probably' should have been 'possibly'. We don't heat our house overnight and during the day we only heat to 18 or 19 deg C (65 deg F). I know from unfortunate experience that without heating in winter, even the largest of our three tanks drops to 15 deg C (59 F). At that temperature the fish showed distress and we lost a tetra. It definitely makes sense to heat the room if you've a lot of tanks in one room; if however you have a only one or a few tanks, it's incredibly wasteful to heat the house instead of the tanks. I do agree that many fish can tolerate much lower temperatures than the ranges usually given for them.
It is far more efficient to heat just the rest than trying to get the water warm by heating the room :)
Lol you're super correct. I feel like it took me forever to figure out which tanks need heat. Near my thermostat, the ambient temp stays relatively stable. In our bedroom near a window a little less, and all the way across the house from the thermostat it gets much colder by the time the room with the thermostat drops low enough to turn on the furnace. You've saved me a ton of money though with your vids, be it filtration, cO2, or heating. Thank you very much sir! Keep it up
So funny how I was talking about this to my friends the other day trying to explain how in the home depending on how warm u keep it that ur helping to heat the tank. Thanks for covering this topic 👍🏻
You know when I was younger there was a older couple that owned a local fish store and they said the same thing. Not one fish tank had a heater in the store. So I absolutely agree!
That thumbnail is glorious.
WOW! Heaters or not in fish tanks ... heaters or not in the house. I totally like colder weather so I haven't used my central heating for circa. 15 years and always have some windows open.
I always had fish that DON'T need heaters i.e. goldfish and weather loaches. I am starting up again soon and found that your video was more than interesting and helpfull. (My, how things change over the years) Starting with a 30g and already have mosses and plants growing in the kitchen. So now it's go go go,go go...
I'm just watching this video to hear what Cory has to say. I have personally NEVER used a heater - we run chillers here in South East Asia. Temperatures are from 24 - 35 Degrees Celsius all year round.
Very honest guy. Thanks man very helpful video.
Heater malfunction is a very common hardware failure in this hobby. Most of my fish deaths have come as a result of thermostat failure, causing the filter to be on full heat all the time.
Thank you. I'm setting back up my aquarium and was doing research because I think I'll go with a planted tank with very few fish and just plain old fish, nothing fancy. No need to worry about getting a heater.
I'm looking into getting some pygmy cories, and their recommended temperature seems to be often a bit above room temp. Any recommendations in regards to heating or if it's necessary for them?
This was a comfort to hear, I’ve been a bit skittish ever since a heater malfunctioned in the night and I woke to find fish soup 😩
Awww sorry to hear :(. When we are new to keeping fish, we all have our tragedies until we get it right.
I Love this guy Corey so Honest, One day this Canadian will meet with you my friend!
New to the fish game but, am very comfortable at this point to knowing basics and need to knows! All thanks to you at that! I also took up your info on the heaters, you are totally right my fish are doing just fine! My stupid temp didnt even move 2 degrees after removing the heater! Completely useless in my tank at least lol. Thanks for the tips man keep doing your thing! I am learning a lot!
I love watching your videos because I feel like you're not only a passionate hobbyist, but a passionate educator as well.
ive been setting up tanks without heaters foryears, i have a way lower mortality than my friends chasing temperatures, ph etc. plus in some species it increases the exspected lifespan.
great video on a topic thats been nagging me for a long time.
"Just heat your homes"
Or live in constant heat to the point that night is still hot
I have to agree with you, Cory. I have more problems in the summer keeping the tank cool, to the point where a water change was the only option. (it's a 125g and not by a window to heat it up) I have a heater, I just don't use it.
I just may end up unplugging the heater in my 10g for a while. I keep my thermostat for the home set at 78F during the day, and about 73F at night. Planning on Cherry shrimp and a Betta for the tank. Pretty sure they would be okay between those temps, even if the tank got up to 80F during the day.
Thats perfect for the most part. Your tank will be the temperature of your house and that is basically the optimum range
I live in Ontario, Canada. Canada is a place where I think in all four seasons you should run an adequate heater. If it's 30 degrees Celsius in wild heat, tank in front of a window. Maybe evaluate the temperature
Thank goodness you said this! I feel like the fish community wont accept it ASAP... but it is a true statement.
I just get into aquarium hobby because i fall in love with mystery snails, you help me a lot of everything, now I'm turning my simple snail tank into a planted aquarium with shrimps and snails. I love your puffer!
Haha I knew it, not even 1 minute into the video and I already know that room temperature is pretty much ok, unless you have demanding fish. Same goes with plants, you can grow pretty much any American aquatic plant outside, yet alone inside with no heater
I have comets and shubunkin that have been living outside in British weather for 15+ years, they're fine, breed every year and the pond has frozen over many times, also up to 90° in the summer. I think they benefit from seasonal changes
Could you be more specific with a list of fish that need a heater?Specifically like an angel fish 🤔
I mean angel fish can be found in the same waters as neon tetras and he’s saying he thinks neons can probably tolerate lower water temps (mid 60s) so I’m thinking angels can probably survive lowering the temp a bit 🤷🏼♂️ definitely an interesting theory, I keep an angel fish and am kinda curious myself
@@thechosen1161 I had two angel fish that survived an ice storm that left me without heat and electricity for days. I put blankets over the tank and hoped for the best (I had to stay with friends who had electricity). Came back almost a week later and they were fine. Temps dropped SUPER low. I miss those two.
Thank you for your honesty! but what about if I use an air conditioner in summer and the temperature in the room becomes very cool such 22 degree? thank you. i have glofish and 2 Galons tank.
I went on vacation for 2 weeks and left my auto feeder on with my glass barb and the house was left at 50 degreese with no heater for the whole time I came back and he was happy and healthy