Fish for a cool water tank

[stackdeck]

Hi,

I am considering setting up a cool water tank (between 15-18 degs) and was wondering if there are any occasional imports to SG that have fish that can tolerate this temperature range.

Those I know of are Catalina gobies, Bigeyes (Pristigenys) and possibly pinecone fish.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[dnsfpl]

interesting setup

keeping the tank in server room?

[stackdeck]

Nope, planning to have it in my room actually. Have gotten a 1/7 HP chiller and the noise level is tolerable.

[Ahhyi]

Is the tank going to sweat?

[kenyee]

Do share pic after setup.. I m wondering how it look like for a 17-18degC water tank..a lot of power will b consumed to maintain that..cheers

[stackdeck]

I've got a 1/2 inch thick acrylic tank, but it isn't enough to prevent condensation when my air conditioning is off.

[stackdeck]

I'll have to check the power bill at the end of the month to find out how much more the chiller adds. I am slightly worried about the chiller overworking though.

[Martian]

I'll have to check the power bill at the end of the month to find out how much more the chiller adds. I am slightly worried about the chiller overworking though.

Wow... You're right... Your power bill will be very high... If your chiller is built for that range it should be fine...

[flo_reeftank]

Hi, I am considering setting up a cool water tank (between 15-18 degs) and was wondering if there are any occasional imports to SG that have fish that can tolerate this temperature range. Those I know of are Catalina gobies, Bigeyes (Pristigenys) and possibly pinecone fish. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi bro Why cold water fishes ? First not a lot of choices of fishes, second your chiller will be running almost the whole day will cost you a lot , not very worth it..think twice Cheers

[ASHWIN]

Catalina Goby! ..Is A Good candidate!

[stackdeck]

The chiller would probably be running more than it would for a regular reef tank, but I've seen many interesting temperate species over the years (mostly when travelling) and it would be great to be able to maintain some of these in the aquarium.

[Digiman]

15 to 18 deg is really not viable long term

If you are really keen in a coldwater setup, i suggest raising it up to 20 to 22 deg. Many subtropical species can adapt quite well to slightly higher temperature, so you dont actually have to run that low at 15 deg.

Lastly, there are a wide variety of sub-tropical species available here through our LFS.

I would recommend species like hulafish, whitebar boxfish, ornate boxfish, shaw boxfish, catalina goby.

If you like the more aggressive species, you can try catalufa bigeye, blue devilfish, garibaldi damsel.

I would not recommend pinecone because they need a dark tank and is slow in feeding and fighting for food.

[stackdeck]

Thanks for the advice Digiman. Have you seen the Catalufa bigeye or Hulafishes in SG recently?

[FuEl]

Depends on the fish some fishes can tolerate higher temperatures. If the Acrylic is thick enough or if your tank is in air-conditioned room the tank may not sweat at 20 degrees. I've chilled to 23 degrees in normal climate on 6mm glass and experienced no sweating. If you want to save power invest in a drop in coil chiller, these are more efficient. We chill around 1.5 tonnes to 12 degrees recently and electrical consumption went up by about $200. For smaller tank volumes I doubt the increase in bills will ever reach that high.

Pinecones are not that hard to keep as long as they are kept by themselves or with peaceful fishes and temperatures in the low 20s. You can consider flashlight fishes too.

[flo_reeftank]

The chiller would probably be running more than it would for a regular reef tank, but I've seen many interesting temperate species over the years (mostly when travelling) and it would be great to be able to maintain some of these in the aquarium.

Definitely, they were one of the first fish that came to mind. Also considering ORA bred

Trachinops taeniatus.

The chiller would probably be running more than it would for a regular reef tank, but I've seen many interesting temperate species over the years (mostly when travelling) and it would be great to be able to maintain some of these in the aquarium.

Definitely, they were one of the first fish that came to mind. Also considering ORA bred

Trachinops taeniatus.

Understand your point of view

[stackdeck]

Depends on the fish some fishes can tolerate higher temperatures. If the Acrylic is thick enough or if your tank is in air-conditioned room the tank may not sweat at 20 degrees. I've chilled to 23 degrees in normal climate on 6mm glass and experienced no sweating. If you want to save power invest in a drop in coil chiller, these are more efficient. We chill around 1.5 tonnes to 12 degrees recently and electrical consumption went up by about $200. For smaller tank volumes I doubt the increase in bills will ever reach that high. Pinecones are not that hard to keep as long as they are kept by themselves or with peaceful fishes and temperatures in the low 20s. You can consider flashlight fishes too.

Great to know the bill won't be exceedingly high. Thanks! Finding some of these fishes seems like the hard part though.

[Digiman]

Thanks for the advice Digiman. Have you seen the Catalufa bigeye or Hulafishes in SG recently?

The coldwater fishes are seasonal imports. You should go to the respective LFS and pre-order them so that the next shipment they will order and bring in for you. Most of the cold-water species come from aussie shipment and can be obtained through Iwarna if you pre-order them.

Bigeye catulafa - LCK

Hulafishes - LCK, Iwarna

Blue Devil fish - Iwarna

Various Boxfishes - Iwarna

Also to introduce two very cool-looking subtropical aussie species Iwarna has brought in:

Enoplosus armatus (Old wife fish)

Chelmonops Truncatus (Eastern Talma)

[bane]

Ornate Cowfish if you can !

You would be the 2nd person with one in your tank other than SEA Aquarium !

[Digiman]

Coral farm just came in old wife fish and flame boxfish.

[stackdeck]

Coral farm just came in old wife fish and flame boxfish.

Thanks! Will go down to have a look.

The Bigeye is still top on the list now though. The P.niphonia at ML looks great but out of budget.

Ornate Cowfish if you can !

You would be the 2nd person with one in your tank other than SEA Aquarium !

I wish, price would probably be high!

[Digiman]

Thanks! Will go down to have a look.

The Bigeye is still top on the list now though. The P.niphonia at ML looks great but out of budget.

I wish, price would probably be high!

Niphonia does not qualify as coldwater fish.

It is deepwater, but found tropical.

[stackdeck]

I see. Well, maybe a fish for the future then. I've been told that the blotchy anthias can also be kept at relatively cool temps. Maybe one to consider?

My tank is now set on 20 Degrees and runs roughly 7 hours a day. How long do chillers in the typical reef tank run in Singapore's warm weather?

[Terryz_]

Get a higher hp chiller, it will help save on power consumption and lesser running and temp fluctuations. It depend you want coolwater or deepwater or fishes that can do well in cooler waters.. Deepwater fishes does well in cool water setting as at the depth they are found, the temp is quite low too. If you are not too particular as in whether they are found temperate region there are a few deepwater fishes you can consider.. For real coldwater tank, it is still not done in sg, although we are able to get lfs to bring in fishes from uk, we just dun have enough interest, expertise and experience in them.. Most of the problem is the cost of the tank setup and long term upkeeping of the setup..

[stackdeck]

Currently using a Daeil 1/7 HP chiller for a sump-less tank less than 40 gallons. Will probably purchase another chiller as backup due to the temp needs of the potential livestock.

I understand there is little or no interest in temperate setups in SG, and that will probably not change anytime soon. That being said, undertaking unique projects like this is what keeps the hobby interesting.

Thanks for all the advice.

[Tony Gill]

I think with some of the species, you could go a couple of degrees higher than 20oC. Trachinops taeniatus, Enoplosus armatus, Cleidopus gloriamaris and Chelmonops truncatus all range up into southern Queensland (though only just for some!) ... so are warm temperate to subtropical species. Water temps in my area (on the central coast of New South Wales, just north of Sydney) range from about 17-26oC. The temps are highest between about January and May, when a lot of juveniles of tropical species turn up (carried down as larvae on the East Australian Current).

Tony