White Cloud Mountain Minnow
(Tanichthys albonubes)

(© Mark Owen - 1995)

Cool Tropical Fish!

Tropical Fish for Cool Conditions

(For a quick overview of this site dial up Species List.)

This page is about aquarium fish which, though usually thought of as tropical, will also tolerate cooler conditions. The highlighted words in the body of the text are all local links with more information.

The white cloud mountain minnow, shown above, has long been sold in the trade as a "tropical". It originates from the cool, flowing mountain streams of China and actually seems to do better at lower temperatures, between 10° C and 20° C, rather than at true "tropical" ones. It tolerates as low as 5° C. It is peaceful, easily bred and lives a long time (over five years, if kept in cool conditions). The white cloud is a good community fish and an ideal "cool tropical"!

Other "cool tropical" community fish are: the Lemon Barb, which adapts to much the same conditions as goldfish, the Ticto Barb, an old favorite, and the Rosy Barb which is slightly less low temperature tolerant than the preceding two. The Blind Cave Tetra is a mild mannered community fish which also adapts to lower temperatures, and the Medaka, Blood Fin, Dwarf Rainbowfish, American Flagfish, Sucking Cat and Zebra Danio are other possibilities. Finally the ideal scavenger for a cool community tank is the Peppered Catfish which seems to actually prefer living and breeding at lower than "tropical" temperatures.

There are several more species that adapt to cool conditions but which, for one reason or another, are not ideal community residents. Amongst cichlids the Texas Cichlid has the most northery range of its genus and so is known to be low temperature tolerant. The Paradise Fish will happily summer outside in temperate areas, as will the Buenos Aires Tetra. The Black Banded Sunfish is really a coldwater fish. It will tolerate community living but perhaps does best in a single species tank. And it seems that the Black Shark will accept slightly lowered temperatures. Livebearers, although hardy in most ways, don't generally tolerate low temperatures; though one non-community livebearer that does is the Mosquito Fish. The Leopard Fish is a similar, but more peaceful species well worth considering as an aquarium subject.

A centrally heated house will allow you to keep most of the fish listed on this page through the winter without additional warmth. A safe way to ensure that they don't suffer from a chill is to include a heater in the tank with the thermostat set at 15° C or even 12° C. Then, if one has a large tank or a large number of tanks, one can sleep peacefully without the fear of an outlandish electricty bill. This is where the economic advantages of keeping cool tropicals comes in.

If you have experience of keeping the fish listed on this page, or others that are suitable for cooler temperatures, please share your knowledge by sending an email to: mark@aquaria.net so that these pages can be updated and improved.