temperature sensitiveness?

[champak]

How does lower temperatures i mean range of 60 to 70 fahrenheit have health effect on semi adult discus?

[tcyiu]

How does lower temperatures i mean range of 60 to 70 fahrenheit have health effect on semi adult discus?

For how long? If only temporary (just a few hours) slowly bring the temperature back to the normal range and there should be little ill effect. Most people here feel that the temperature can only go up by about a degree an hour. In my experience, I have raised the temp from 70deg to 86 degree over the course of 1/2 hour and the discus were fine.

If they are kept at the low temperature for a prolonged period, they will eventually die. As cold blooded animals that have evolved in warmer waters, this low temperature will cause their metabolism to slow down tremendously. Over a long period, it means that they will not be efficiently digesting food and absorbing nutrients (if they have any appetite at all), they will not be able to fight illness.

Tim

[champak]

Thx Tim for reply,
Tim have you been through experience of fish dieing at low temperatures for prolonged time ( 2 to 3 months)?

[tcyiu]

No I do not have direct experience, because that would be torturing the discus. Why do you ask? Do you intend to keep your discus at these low temperatures?

The fish might survive during that period, but it would definitely not be thriving.

On the few occasions when I forgot to re-connect the heater, and the temperature dropped overnight to around 70 deg, the fish looked very slow. After replacing with warm water, the fish "came back to life" so to speak.

I would imagine that after a month or two of inefficient digestion (because of low temperature), the fish would be malnourished and very susceptible to disease.

Tim

[exv152]

My concern with colder water is you begin to compromise their immunity to disease. Discus are genetically developed for the warmer waters of the amazon, and its tributaries, a few hours of cooler temperatures will not kill them, but long term they would sucum to illness brought on by a lowered immune system.

[champak]

Definately sudden shocks of ph,, temperature, ppm/tds is dangerous. Tim my fish are not on low temperatures, but i am trying to gather info on low temperatures, I would like to know whether anybody has kept there fish in such low temperatures?

[Eddie]

Definately sudden shocks of ph,, temperature, ppm/tds is dangerous. Tim my fish are not on low temperatures, but i am trying to gather info on low temperatures, I would like to know whether anybody has kept there fish in such low temperatures?


You will find close to zero people keeping discus at those low temps. Sometimes a person will post in the disease section and I'll notice the temps were low. Simply bringing the temp higher, fixed the problem. Also, not IME but the wife keeps a few of my culls in her community tanks and the temp is in the mid 70s. All of them are very sickly and poor looking. :o

[boxters]

what effect would it have on you if i put you in a room and slowly decreased the temp or pumped the room full of co2. Would you be happy, would you feel well? I hope this makes my point

[Apistomaster]

Discus will go into a decline if kept at temperatures of less than 80*F, 81*F would be the lowest I would keep Discus but they actually should be kept at 84 to 86*F.
I reserve the option of keeping some sick discus as high as 90F for up to 10 days. Discus are a warm water fish.
Keeping them cooler than 82*F would be like keeping Goldfish at 86*F. Why on earth would you subject Discus to ware less than 84*F?
If you are trying to accommodate cooler water tank mates then you have chosen unsuitable Discus tank mates and need to decide which fish you value the most.