Coldwater Livestock Options For Your Aquarium - 5 Fish That Don't Need a Heater

Is a coldwater tank for you?

Are you looking to keep fish without the hassle or extra cost of needing a heater? There are a variety of fish which thrive at average room temperature. Some of the species in this article you may be familiar with but some of these species may surprise you! Keep in mind you will need to monitor the temperature inside your home.

 

Why no heater?

Aquariums need equipment in order to keep water quality in check for our fish. All aquarium setups need a cycled filter, cycling your filter is a very important process which takes at least a month. Once cycled you can add your first fish. Some fish keepers may want to keep their setup simple and rely on as little equipment as possible. There are some benefits to not having a heater in your tank. The main benefit being that you will have one less piece of visible equipment distracting viewers from your aquascape, hiding heaters can be tricky to do unless your aquarium is heavily planted. Lastly, it is best practice to replace heaters each year as they are not very expensive and regularly fail but with an unheated tank you will not need to worry!

 

Fancy goldfish:

Fancy goldfish grow big and are messy fish but they do make fantastic pets! They will need a very large aquarium with strong filtration as they can grow over 8 inches. Beginners assume the young goldfish available at most shops will stay small, this is not the case! Provided your tank is large enough, these big colourful characters are best kept in an unheated aquarium. They make great pets!

Beginner tip: Fancy goldfish are not a good choice for beginners, due to their adult size they require a very large aquarium and will need a lot of maintenance. Mountain cloud minnows are a far better option for beginners as they stay small and will not create as much waste.

 

Cherry Shrimp:

Colourful cherry shrimp can be kept and bred in an unheated aquarium at room temperature. I always suggest keeping your shrimp with live plants such as moss, cyrptocorynes and microsorum. Nano tanks as small as 5 gallons can be a great tank size to start breeding these stunning little critters. Cycle your planted tank and then aim to add around 10 shrimp to start with as this will ensure you have a mixture of male and females. Cherry shrimp can be mixed with peaceful nano fish such as mountain cloud minnows, just keep in mind larger fish will try to eat shrimp if they can fit inside their mouth!

 

Endlers:

Endlers can thrive and breed at room temperature. These tiny, colourful livebearers make a great choice for an unheated aquarium. These fish will happily breed even without a heater. Just make sure your room temperature does not drop too low.

 

Mountain Cloud Minnows:

Mountain cloud mountain minnows are an underrated fish species, these fish stay small and look amazing! They will thrive and breed in a planted 10-15 gallon. These fish naturally come from coldwater streams in the wild so always keep them in an unheated aquarium.

 

Variatus Platy:

Variatus platys are a great choice for a medium or larger unheated aquarium. These fish are very colourful and known for giving birth to live young. Just make sure your room temperature does not drop too low.

 

My favourite coldwater stocking suggestion:

If you are a beginner or a seasoned hobbyist looking for a new challenge, I have an idea for you to try! The mountain cloud minnow and cherry shrimp community tank! If you have a tank of at least 10 - 15 gallons, get some live plants in there such as moss and cryptocorynes, installed a simple sponge filter, cycle you tank and then consider keeping cloud mountain minnows and cherry shrimp. This setup can be a fun breeding project and in no time, you can have both and cherry shrimp and mountain cloud minnows breeding in the same tank! A great desktop planted tank option for sure!

 

Please note:

Please keep in mind that although these fish will generally thrive at room temperature you must ensure the room is warm enough in the winter and not too hot in the summer as this will dictate the water temperature for your fish. Monitor your water temperature and aim for a temperature of around 68F.

 

AQUAnatur

AQUAnatur was created by an established UK aquarium installation and maintenance company near London which has been running for over 25 years! Our team are very experienced and happy to help offer advice with any aquarium questions. We are always available via phone or email Monday-Friday, feel free to contact us, we would love to help! If you have a question, please leave a comment or contact us via phone or email.

By Alasdair McPhail