Tropical fish outdoor during pmb winter??

Hi all,I'm just curious,I've visited a friend down the road who has huge pond with gold fish,koi ,swords, guppies and even danios ,is it possible to keep some typ of tropical fish like mollies,guppies ,swords ,platies and danios outside during winter?I'm just so curious to try it,I have a 50L tub sitting in the garage and wanting to put some fish in it not like Lou or goldfish but like liverberear,is it possible during winter with a heater at night to keep the temperate stabeld ?in the day the temperature is like 18c and night drops to 12c 14c.plz let me know what you think?,thx

 

This will all come down to the species you're working with (as well as the strain), as well as the particular environment you will be putting them in.

Many species of your common "tropical" fish actually do well at lower temperatures - this includes platies, pepper corys, some danio and minnow species, certain plecos etc. You need to do your research first to see what temperature range tolerance is for each species you plan on doing. Remember, of course, that when you reach the extremes of a fish's tolerance, this isn't an optimal environment, even if they do survive. In many instances you'll see decreased appetite, no breeding, slowed growth, little activity, and sometimes even increased prevalence of disease. Also remember that this lower-end range of temperatures would be experienced very short term for many tropical species, not necessarily a whole winter.

The environment plays a big role too. Exposure to sunlight for a good portion of the day will bring the temperature to a better range for at least a portion of the day, while a shady area exposed to wind and rain might plummet way below what is ideal for your fish. Test potential areas over several days to see the range of temperatures and exposure to elements you might see.

Finally, yes, you can heat your tub... but that can become very costly. If your heater is constantly trying to fight the weather to bring the water up a few degrees, you will see it on your bill. You can help it along by insulating the tub (with blankets or polystyrene), and providing a cover for the top. But at the end of the day it is an uphill battle for an outdoor tank.

Many people can and do do this, but plan well and choose your species carefully. The best successes I've seen in SA in pretty cool places are with white cloud mountain minnows and platies (as well as goldfish and koi). Most other species people keep outdoors for summer and spring (sometimes autumn too), but then move indoors for winter.

Regards,

 

Hi thank you for your reply,I was think..that my friend that has mosly tropical fish outside he has glow n eons,the colour full ons,but his guppies are mksly endlers and I've heard they can handle more colder temperature, as well as platies, but you right keeping a heater outside will pull a lot of power,I will have to think of another way