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Upper Lethal Limit Temperature

TCMontium

Active Member
5 Year Member
Messages
179
Location
Germany, Kassel
Summer slapped the aquariums with heat again this year. :eek: My aquariums are between 26-28 degrees celcius, I have no problem with summer, an apisto owner I know has 33-38 degrees celcius at his aquarium! His aquarium temperature goes up and down between these degrees.
I think it normally is 34 degrees celcius and drops to 32 when he changes some water, then goes up to 34 or higher again.

My main question is: How are his apistos and guppies are living at these temperatures without any visible problem? They seem to eat and roam around swimming just as usual.
Is the lethal temperature limit for apistos higher then 38 degrees celcius? Are they not supposed to show some unhappiness or get sick, even if it is not as hot as "the lethal limit"?
Maybe they do just fine because there is still enough oxygen in water? I really am surprised with the fish and plants being fine at 34-38 range. I could not find any information about "the upper lethal limit temperature" of apistos or any other aquarium fish on the internet?! :confused:
 

Mike Wise

Moderator
Staff member
5 Year Member
Messages
11,202
Location
Denver, Colorado, U.S.A.
Interesting question. I don't think anyone has studied upper/lower lethal limits on apistos. My guess is that it depends on the species. Savanna species, like many of those in the macmasteri-group, probably are more tolerant of high temperatures than many of the rainforest-cover species. If the fish are still behaving normally, eating well, and breathing normally, the they haven't reached their upper/lower lethal limit. At upper/lower lethal limit temperatures the fish become lethargic, stop eating and eventually vital organs shut down.
 

dw1305

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Messages
2,755
Location
Wiltshire UK
Hi all,
Maybe they do just fine because there is still enough oxygen in water? I really am surprised with the fish and plants being fine at 34-38 range. I could not find any information about "the upper lethal limit temperature" of apistos or any other aquarium fish on the internet?! :confused:
I think you are probably right, it is to do with keeping the oxygen level as near as possible to saturation levels.

As the temperature goes up the water can hold less dissolved gas, and this will lead to inevitable fish death at some point. High temperatures will shorten the fishes life span, because higher temperatures lead to quicker metabolic rates.

I had a heater stick on recently in a tank with a male Apistogramma agassizii and Copella arnoldi. The temperature got to at least ~38oC before I noticed. One of the Copella was already dead, and whilst the remaining ones recovered immediately afterwards, two months down the line they have all died.

The Apistogramma didn't show any sign of distress at the time, or subsequently, (it was still at the bottom of the tank) and hid when I started fishing the Copella out.

cheers Darrel
 

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