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I don't think the 50 gallon can swing fast enough with a daily 10F difference. You might see a 2F drop over a 12 hour period, but that's fine.

I would take 4 readings during a 24 hour period over a 7 day span or at least on the days when you are home. See how the tank is fluctuating. I'll bet, despite the 60F house temp at night, you are still hovering around 65.

What is the actual tank temp right now?

I don know that Dr. Erik Johnson recommends low-mid 70s for goldie tanks on the basis that it's optimal for beneficial bacteria. I woudl say that feeding should be reduced if the temp is lower which would cut down on part of the ammonia.

Why 60? Couldln't you just turn it up to 64F and up to 70 when you're home?

Just in the bedroom, I sleep much better in the colder air, and it is much healthier. I do have 1-3 quilts on me though, very comfy.

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There is always a bigger fish...

And you keep your windows open all day long .

Hey Di, I am only a few hours south of you, in Cincinnati, OH

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There is always a bigger fish...

Nice back-up plan.

Boy, you guys make me jealous (windows open year-round, and such ).

Today's high is probably about 42F. Tonight it will be in the upper 20's, low 30's. I have it better than most since I'm in Southeast Michigan and will likely see very few days at zero F or below. Just a few hours north of here and those temps are regular .

I keep my house at around 69-72F during the day (varies), and around 67 at night. My betta tanks still manage to stay around 70-71 and the bettas are fine with it. I keep my community tank at 73.5-74.5 and my 36 gal goldie tank, wherever the house temp takes it, which isn't much of a swing.

My bones couldn't handle 60F temps at night (hereditary arthritis), and it does drop that low during the winter months easily overnight. If you guys are down south, your house temp probably never gets as low as 60, if you have heat set on 70 for daytime.

Yep I was able to dump the filters, my sister knows to call me If I can't make it home I have her unplug them, one of these days I'll get a UPS.

I've added a small ammount of java moss (which managed to find the filter >.&lt I'll try to add some more (tied to wood this time) and see if that might help with ammonia levels. Other than that I'll moniter and reduce feedings as well.

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Sounds kinda like my house Babel. My thermostat is set at 68F, though the only time it reaches this low, it has to be like under 40 outside, because my tanks and fish room, heat the whole house usually. I also sleep with the windows open all year round, so my bedroom is never heated, except by me and my dog.

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There is always a bigger fish...

If the power was out, were you home at the time to be able to throw out the stagnant water in the pump? Good bacteria consumes remaining o2, then bad bacteria develops. Marineland suggests cleaning out pump with outages of 1 hour or more. Seems to me that nitrites can also build in such water at a certain stage too.

Yeah, I think the best thing you can do is check the "behavior" of your tank's temp. Other than that, would you consider installing a 100w heater. It's smaller than normally suggested for a 50gal, but if you set that temp at 67-68, at least the bacteria could work a little more efficiently. Sure, it uses electricity, but there's going to be some balancing between what is best for the fish and efforts to conserve energy. Goldies certainly like it cool and that temp suits them just fine. However, if it causes them long term exposure to even low levels of ammonia or nitrite, then they suffer, despite their reputation for being cycle-hardy.

Its' 60F cause unlike some people I care about the environment. It's actually suggested to keep your house @58F at night and 68F when you're home...with my funny heating I'm lucky if I manage to keep it around 60 (it was 48F when I came home from a trip last year)...

Anyway.

I'll have to stick a thermometer in there and run some tests for a week or so. Power was out for over an hour sunday morning, but the ammonia smell is @least gone.

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Just a quick one, what temp does the bacteria start to die off @

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IMO the bacteria don't actually die off
it's the enzymes in their body that are affected by the temperature
low temperature causes the rate of reaction to slow down
to a rate that will affect the normal metabolism of the organism
so the organism appears to be "dead" but still carrying out life process at a much slower rate
while high temperature denatures the enzyme therefore permanently damaging it

it's just something i learned in year 12 biology

No power outage...House is @ 60F nights, 70F during the day, but not often since I'm not @home often enough for th house to heat up enough.

It's a 50 gallon stock tank, 1 goldie 2 rosie barbs.

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Why did the house temp drop to 60? Power outage?

Watch for ich or velvet. If the temp dropped more than say 2F daily, there is a risk. With bigger tanks, they usually don't drop that fast. Sudden rises are equally bad. Fish are highly susceptible to temp shock because they don't self-regulate their body temps. It is governed by the environment. From what I have read, the good bacteria is also sensitive to sudden swings.

What is the issue that drives you to ask the question? If power went out, there could be other or additional reasons for the mini-cycle.

Will read it all the way thru later (t'anks cory_di )
But.."Growth rate is decreased by 50% at 64° F (18° C)." that would explain why I had a mini cycle (noticed ammonia smell from the pond)...the house temp had dropped to 60.... Not sure how I should feed the 2 barbs, 1 goldfish in it thru winter....temp is likely to stay close to 60.

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Babel, I think this will answer many of your questions. I have found the same kind of info from other sources as well. I searched with google and typed in "nitrosomonas and growth rate". I knew there was at least one article on how fast or slow it grows, but it goes much deeper. If you want to skip the long reading, you can cut to the chase by skimming the bullets at the bottom. But, I think the entire article is interesting.

Nitrifying Bacteria Article Link

Edit: I skimmed it again and can't find which one eats ammonia : Nitrosomonas or nitrobacter. If someone spots it in the article or knows, please post it here.


Last edited by Cory_Di at 18-Nov-2004 05:21

I belive it's 55-64 degrees fahrenheit

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I know human beings and fish can co-exist peacefully.

Good question- I'm not sure, but I think I read somewhere around 55-50 degrees fahrenheit. I'd love it if someone could give us the EXACT temperature...