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Originally Posted by iloveengl  According to this http://www.cichlidae.com/article.php?id=371, their optimal temp is around 74 degrees F.
"In 1894 Dr. Ludwig Slaby wrote, "The chanchito should be kept in water at from 10 to 20 degrees Reaumur (50 to 68 degrees F)[...]. This being said, the chanchito was clearly as hardy as were the people of the 1800's, but as we all live a more 'comfortable' (and longer) life in this, the 21st century, please bear in mind that it would be most beneficial to maintain your chanchitos in a practical range of 22 to 26 degrees C (72 to 78 degrees F), with a raise in temperature of 28 to 29 degrees C (82 to 84 degrees F) for breeding purposes."  It seems that low temps is outdated information; though they can survive it. Amazing fish.
Many heaters come with adjuster knobs; just check the heater before you purchase it. I can't recall the brand of mine, but I got them at PetsMart. |
That is a decent article of the "chanchitos", I have read it a few times. But the low temps really isn't outdated info, these fish come from southern South America, where it is cold. Yes you can keep them around 75*degrees forever and they will not wither away like Gymno's, but you will never bring out their color fully and some think they may not live as long as possible. Also they where they originally come from, they may go through temps swings of 20*C daily during times of the year.
Like said you CAN keep them at high temps, but I would read through as many forums as possible(which is where you will find most of your info, although lots can be found if you dig although most of it is scientific papers) and read what people who have kept them successfully for years)(which in most cases 3-5 is long term for most with these fish) have said, and also learn what many have found out the hard way with keeping them at high temps for long periods of time.
95% of what scientific papers, including the one here, when talking about where these fish are found is actually very cold water, in temrs of what we think of when keeping fish at home. (Yes we have come to enjoy heat in our lives and some
other things we find important, as we have changed and the whole hardy part and being comfortable, where these fish come from has not changed, they are not now found in the warm waters of Mexico)..... most of these fish you come across(chanchitos, australoheros, gymnos species) are not far removed from where they are found, they just havent been around the hobby long enough. Email the people who are collecting these fish and ask
what type of water they are finding them in. Just my thoughts.
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Originally Posted by kacie An update they are doing great but now the temp is 60f in the tank... They are still very active and beg for food. I've been feeding them as much as they'll eat three times a day but they shouldn't be eating that much in such a cold tank should they? I've also seen some glancing...but besides that they are greedy little piggies, exploring the tank and trying to steal food from the 4 inch gymnos... Just hope the tank doesn't get any colder and that they are okay at that temp. |
No they shouldn't be eating as often, which is why I mentioned possibly skipping the cool down with the fry. You should probably be feeding the gymno's 3x's a week in 60* water at most.
Brian
