seasonal tempeture variations

[crazy loaches]

This is really no big deal I was just wondering if anyone happened to know. Take for example the habitat of the clown loach. How much does temperature vary there through out the year?

Reason I ask is since I purchased a Neptune Systems AquaController for my new tank project, one of the features is seasonal tables for sunrise, sunset, moon rise, moon set, and temperature. I forget exactly, but its based of a certain latitude common to a reef environment and the temperature changes about 5* across the year. If there really was a similar temp variation among the clown loach habitats it would be easy for me to include that, not that its a big deal though, just curious.

[andre]

Borneo and Indonesia have very little seasonal air temperature variations throughout the year.

Approximately 2 or 3 degrees Celsius between the coolest and the warmest month.

Water temperature however may change during heavy rains.

If you know where your loaches come from you may look for the weather charts of the closest town.

[Diana]

Loaches from smaller streams, higher in the hills are likely to experience a greater temperature change through the year than Loaches from larger rivers in the warmer lowlands.

[crazy loaches]

Borneo and Indonesia have very little seasonal air temperature variations throughout the year.

Approximately 2 or 3 degrees Celsius between the coolest and the warmest month.

Water temperature however may change during heavy rains.

If you know where your loaches come from you may look for the weather charts of the closest town.

Well 2-3*C is about what I was expecting. 3*C change is a 5.4*F change which is exactly what the seasonal temp variation is pre programmed into the controller. For example its tables show Feb 1 at 75* and Aug 1 at 80.5*. It does interpolate the heater control point accross the whole month, changing only a fraction of a degree each day (not like the same number for the whole month then the next month it instantly changes 1 or 2 degrees).

The programming is pretty flexable though, I can set the control point to the the seasonal table data plus add a constant, like 3, so it would go from 78* in Feb to 83.5* in august. or I beleive I can re program the data, but just adding a constant is easy so long as the 5.5* variation is appropriate (if I even do it at all).

[andre]

Hi Tristan. Water temperature is more stable than air-temperature. The bigger the volume of liquid and the more stable is its temperature.

So I am not sure that 2-3 degrees of air temperature would necessary affect the water of a river at the same rate.

As Diana mentioned if it is a small mountain stream its temperature would fluctuate more than a large slow river.

Somehow three degrees fluctuation in water temperature in the fish tank would make me uncomfortable.

I am not 100% sure that it is a good thing.

[janma]

I was wondering about the temps for Gastromyzon loaches and there where so much different info about it, varying from 19°C to even 28°C. So I e-mailed Dr Tan Heok Hui about it, thought he would now for sure. He said he didn't carry a thermometer with him but the water temp is generally 2-3°C colder than the air. And that at some places a bag of stream water would condensate when taken out of the stream, sounds hot. Elevation played a big role too. And when told him I had mine at 24°C he wrote it too a bit cool but the way the fish behaved was most important.

So I think the temp recommendation for keeping Gastromyzons should be lifted a little. I found out that temps on Borneo are within the range of 23°C to 32°C throughout the year, so water temps should in theory be between 20°C to 29°C. An air pump is recommended as higher temps though.

But who knows best?

A: The Fish

[crazy loaches]

Hi Tristan. Water temperature is more stable than air-temperature. The bigger the volume of liquid and the more stable is its temperature.

So I am not sure that 2-3 degrees of air temperature would necessary affect the water of a river at the same rate.

As Diana mentioned if it is a small mountain stream its temperature would fluctuate more than a large slow river.

Somehow three degrees fluctuation in water temperature in the fish tank would make me uncomfortable.

I am not 100% sure that it is a good thing.

I am talking stricktly water temp (not air temp). The 5* seasonal temp variation I've refered to is based on a common reef environment in the ocean... so I cant amagine a more stable temp really.

And the variation isnt that much, a max of 1 degree across a whole month. Its not like 5* overnight lol.

But as most botia originate from streams and rivers I am thinking there is a lot more variation from week to week or day to day compared to seasonal. But what worries me is that my main two species, clowns and zebras, seem to have a wider temp difference. For example, zebras are indicated 73-81, while clowns are 78-83. To stay in both those bands would be a range of 78-81, or 3* max.