When the temperature drops outside, every degree inside counts. Your aquarium notices the cold much sooner than you might think. As autumn sets in, houses become cooler; the heating isn’t always turned on, and living rooms cool down even further at night. Consequently, the water temperature in your aquarium fluctuates along with it. For tropical fish and shrimp, this causes stress, making their colors fade and leaving them more vulnerable to diseases.
Winter months
The winter months bring even colder weather, such as snowfall or severe frosts. While you might enjoy going ice skating outside, the temperature inside your home can drop rapidly during a cold night. When it freezes hard outdoors and the indoor temperature falls, an aquarium can become a major energy consumer. After all, the aquarium heater has to work significantly harder to maintain a constant and safe water temperature.
Save on your energy consumption
- Cover the aquarium completely
Close the light hood or glass covers: an open aquarium loses a massive amount of heat through evaporation. Ensure that the cover plate or light hood is completely closed. - Adjust the temperature (safely)
Lower the thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees: many tropical fish that usually swim in 25°C water can easily be kept at 22°C to 23°C temporarily. Every degree you drop immediately saves about 5% to 10% on the heater’s electricity usage. - Optimize equipment and flow
Place the heater in the water flow: make sure the aquarium heater is positioned directly in the filter’s outflow. This distributes the warm water efficiently throughout the entire tank, meaning the heating element won’t need to switch on as frequently. - Reposition the aquarium in your home
Move the aquarium if possible: is the tank sitting close to a drafty window, a cold exterior wall, or the front door? The falling cold air will chill the glass incredibly fast. If feasible, a central, warmer spot in the house is a much better choice during the winter.
What you should absolutely not do
- Add warm tap water
Never just pour warm tap water into the tank to heat it up. This causes temperature shocks that are too sudden (resulting in stress for your fish), and warm tap water can also contain harmful heavy metals. - Turn off the filter
Never turn off the filter. Some people think they can save electricity by switching the filter off, but doing so kills the beneficial bacteria within a few hours. This results in a dangerous nitrite spike, making the water toxic.
