How cold

[starsman20]

We lost power for 16 hrs. In single figit temps. We are not used to this here. I have batteries for filters but not heaters and we are only getting 30 mins every 3 hours now for power due to rolling blackouts. My tanks are all around 60 now. I have put a spare 300w in the 36 to try to heat it when we do have power. How low can the temp go before I start seeing my fish and shrimp die??

[Struggle]

I can’t answer your question but if you’re in the North Dallas (Plano, Allen, McKinney) area we have power (for now) and have spare tanks that we could house your fish in until the power situation gets worked out.

[FrozenFins]

It depends what fish you have? Is it cherry shrimp or crystal shrimp? Cherys can live a lot colder then crystals. Is it betta fish or angelfishz? Bettas can live in almost any temp (doesnt mean they will like it though) is it a goldfish or a corycat? Goldfish are coldwater fish meaning that they thrive much colder then most. You can wrap blankeys around the tanks to keep the heat in just make sure there is a hole or to for air exchange.

[starsman20]

We are in justin.

Cherry Shrimp. Tri cories dwarf gourami neon tetras siamese algae eaters guppies rasborras various snails and 1 betta this last go around the main tank came up 2 degrees. The cherrybshrimp are at 64.4 now. I finally get some babies and this happens. Ug.

[gardenman]

I got a fish order through an online seller a few years ago that came in August with cold packs and the water was in the low fifties. One of the twenty fish (a platy) was already dead, but the rest were alive, barely. Everything but one oto died over the next few days. The seller only promised live delivery, so he only offered a refund for the price of the one platy. Suffice to say I never did business with them again. If the temp dips much lower you're likely to have problems based on my experience. Temperatures in the wild tend to stay fairly moderate without big swings. You're already at sixty which would have me pretty nervous.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. You could put candles very near to your tank to add some heat.  Some extra heat is better than none.  If you have an open bottom metal stand, a candle or two (or ten) put under the tank could help warm it also. Not too close as you don't want to shatter the glass but a foot or so under the tank should be okay. Candles can make handy emergency heaters. Back in the seventies/eighties after the first energy crisis, some people built homes with so much insulation you could literally heat the homes with candles. (The air quality was horrible though which is why you don't see it these days.) Heat rises so putting a few candles under a tank could give it a nice boost, or at least slow heat loss.

[starsman20]

Good news is I now have heat. 25 minutes every 2 to 3 hours. Ive added all my extra tank heaters to the tanks with fish and all are back above 70. Crisis averted.

[Struggle]

Just now, starsman20 said:

Good news is I now have heat. 25 minutes every 2 to 3 hours. Ive added all my extra tank heaters to the tanks with fish and all are back above 70. Crisis averted.

That is great news, fingers crossed for y’all!