most fish dont need a heater but which ones do?

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

I saw @Cory's video on how most fish don't need a heater and his other video at goliad farms and they have temps as low as 65, I get that most fish species we keep will do well in average home temps but which species should I consider adding heat to?

 

Edited November 3, 2022 by Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics

[Andy's Fish Den]

My fishroom in my basement stays in the 72-76 degree range year round due to a dehumidifier running 24/7 and the only tanks that I have heaters in are tanks with discus, L333 plecos and rams in. I have a wide variety of fish, goodeids, shrimp, Lake Tanganyika cichlids, angelfish, corydoras. My tanks are stacked either double or triple stacked so the bottom one will be cooler, top ones warmer so I use that to determine which tanks to put fish in. 

[Robert Keeney]

I haven't used heaters for years by avoiding fish that require them.

[RockMongler]

I haven't kept them myself, but from observing advice across the internet, I figure the fish that need them the most to flourish are some rams, discus, clown loaches, and such.  

I, much like @Robert Keeney, try to avoid using heaters where I can by choosing my livestock carefully (WCMM, hillstream loaches, cherry shrimp, pest snails).  My main 20L is all species who thrive and are happy at my general room temperature (~68-78 throughout the year).  You do get some amount of thermal energy in your tank from things like your lighting, pumps, powerheads, etc, that can help do some amount of heating over just room temperature. 

I have a 10 gallon with a betta, so I have a heater set to 77 for that fish, but in the summer, I will often just turn it off and let the tank make use of the warmer average temps.  It's mostly important in the winter when I let my interior temperatures drop at night.

[SC Fish]

On 11/3/2022 at 9:20 AM, Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics said:

I saw @Cory's video on how most fish don't need a heater and his other video at goliad farms and they have temps as low as 65, I get that most fish species we keep will do well in average home temps but which species should I consider adding heat to?

 

well it depends on where you live, if you live in a warm country , most fish can do just fine without a heater , if you live in a colder area like me (UK) a heater is needed for most fish that are not Coldwater, i personally think that if the fish is hardy and is known for being hardy then it doesn't necessarily need a heater if its just a 1 to 3 degree difference im sure they will be just fine. but mainly for fish that come from places like Africa or at least originate from these warm environments , a heater doesn't hurt

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Personal experience says that Betta require 80-82 degree water to live OPTIMALLY being air breathers needing humidity. So I'll heat my Betta tanks. Like  others I tend to avoid keeping fish that need them because my tanks run naturally from 72-81 (depending on time of year, summer hotter, winter cooler)- and of course this also naturally fluxes. 

I would also say Discus require 80+ never seen a video or article that didn't say that. 

[OceanTruth]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:26 AM, Robert Keeney said:

I haven't used heaters for years by avoiding fish that require them.

I also try to avoid heaters. I research fish that do well in a wide range of temperatures. Out of curiosity, what kinds of fish do you keep?

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/3/2022 at 10:20 AM, Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics said:

I saw @Cory's video on how most fish don't need a heater and his other video at goliad farms and they have temps as low as 65, I get that most fish species we keep will do well in average home temps but which species should I consider adding heat to?

 

Consider adding heat to bettas and such, and to guppies so that they pop out fry super quick, and I'd also consider adding heat to most fish living in the tropics to stem the amount of diseases and susceptibility to infections. Basically try to recreate the natural conditions!

[Robert Keeney]

On 11/3/2022 at 10:31 AM, OceanTruth said:

I also try to avoid heaters. I research fish that do well in a wide range of temperatures. Out of curiosity, what kinds of fish do you keep?

I have variatus, corys (bronze/green, albino, julii, pepper), albino, ancistrus, feeder goldfish, white clouds (outdoors all year), zebra danios (outdoors all year), bluefin killies, least killies, and pigmy sunfish. I kept guppies and platties without heaters, which did well for me.

I have also kept several common tetras without heaters. Black, Black Neons, and serpae that I can recall.

I also have wild caught mollies outdoors.

Edited November 3, 2022 by Robert Keeney

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

On 11/3/2022 at 8:26 AM, SC Fish said:

well it depends on where you live, if you live in a warm country , most fish can do just fine without a heater , if you live in a colder area like me (UK) a heater is needed for most fish that are not Coldwater, i personally think that if the fish is hardy and is known for being hardy then it doesn't necessarily need a heater if its just a 1 to 3 degree difference im sure they will be just fine. but mainly for fish that come from places like Africa or at least originate from these warm environments , a heater doesn't hurt

im in Canada but the coldest my basement tank gets is only about 70 and when I get my living room tank setup it will definitely always be above 70 so im guessing most fish will do fine at those temps.

[SC Fish]

70 should be fine for the majority of fish, ofcourse its not a huge difference between what some fish are recommended to have and ive had fish like guppys in 22 degrees which is just over your temp for months! 

 

ofcourse some fish are more hardy than others , id say 21 is good tho, just avoid fish like betta or really delicate ones and you should be good to go

 

also you can consider putting lids on your tank to trap heat and increase it slowly over time. but this may not be 100% successfull.

Edited November 4, 2022 by SC Fish

[Mr Gumby]

I did experiment last winter with my 245 litre 65ish gallon US and turned the heater off.

Monitoring it for several months I never saw it drop below 20c - 68f at night 22c - 72f which for my fish is perfectly acceptable

There is always the caveat that more water volume holds temperature longer so cooler night time temps have much less affect....plus a decent lid helps a lot

[Flumpweesel]

I have heaters set at 22C in my tanks and they don't come on that much, but they do protect against temp drops as night as I prefer to sleep with the heating off. And I know if I'm away a free days the temps will be stable even if the house gets cold.