# can malawi cichlids survive in 68 degree water?



## sangi1a (Jan 11, 2009)

its getting cold now and *** run out of heaters. i have one 30 gallon that is not heated and stays at room temp which is at 68 degrees. it this okay/


----------



## j.jarman (Aug 29, 2009)

75-81 is the proper temp range for most malawis afaik. I think thats too low, at least if you want them to be happy. Why can't you get them a heater?


----------



## Wolffishin (Sep 9, 2009)

IMO, that's way too low even for most common tropical community fish.

I think that low temps like that will effect the immune system of the fish making them more prone to disease like ick etc.


----------



## steelers fan (Jun 26, 2009)

get a heater they are not that expensive. open the curtains and let the sun heat up the room during the day. yeah i think thats way too low for africans...htey will lose some color become lethargic since there metabolism will slow dramatically. so if it stays this way you need to cut back feedings big time since their digestion will be slowed big time.


----------



## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

low temp is the best way to stress them out and get ick in my experience


----------



## sangi1a (Jan 11, 2009)

yea i guess ill just buy another heater. im really cheap and usually don't like to spend on unneccessary things.


----------



## MCKP (Aug 17, 2009)

Um.... keeping the fish healthy and happy is kind of necessary.....lol Either that, or maybe it is time to sell those fish and get down to a more manageable number of tanks??


----------



## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

Will they survive, yes they will. For the longest time (several months) I ran no heater in my big stock tank - during Wisconsin winter time. The tank maintained temp. in the mid-60's and the fish survived - but growth and reproduction slowed dramatically. As long as the temperature is consistent they could live (not prosper).

I wouldn't go back to running a tank at that temperature - the long-term effects on growth and development are too negative. The whole experience was educational.


----------



## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

10 to 20 bucks isn't going to kill you. Think of your fish


----------



## iCichlid (Sep 21, 2009)

Use the money from your ads  Warmer water would mean happier fish = more babies to sell!


----------

