Post #717891 by swizzle on Thu, May 22, 2014 6:03 PM

I'm just posting this to clear up any misconceptions people seem to have about the chances of Rufus surviving if he WAS put into a pond.

Tropical fish should ideally be kept at a temperature of approximately 24 degrees (75.2). A few degrees either side of that, 71.6-78.8, is not an issue provided that the temperature stays stable. It is the not the high or low temperatures that will kill fish, it is the temperature fluctuations, as these cause stress in the fish and that's when the they break out in disease.

At higher temperatures a fish's metabolism increases so that means they are more active, they eat more and their bodies work harder. As their bodies are working harder this can decrease the fish's lifespan. The opposite is true for cooler temperatures. The fish are not as active and don't eat as much. I'm not 100% sure how cooler water affects their lifespan.

Now when it comes to a pond the larger the body of water, the longer it takes for it to change temperature. So as an example, if the ambient temperature outside drops drastically overnight but increases back to the same temperature it was the day before the water in a pond will most likely not be effected, however, that does depend on the size of the pond. A pond the size of a bathtub will be affected a lot more than a pond the size of an Olympic sized swimming pool.

I don't live in California so i am not aware of the the way temperature changes but if it's 78.8 for a week then drops to 71.6 for to two weeks then climbs back up again for a few days and then drops again, etc. THAT is what causes stress in the fish and can kill it, the fluctuations, NOT living in a temperature a few degrees different to what it is used. Provided it is introduced to the different temperature slowly.

I hope that clears things up for people who think that IF Rufus was thrown into a pond it meant certain death, because that is not necessarily true.