Mike’s Fish Tank – Cold Weather

As we approach late Autumn and Winter, a lot of people worry about buying fish in cold temperatures. Shopping for fish in cold weather, not a problem. Just follow a few simple rules. Buy the fish just before you go home. You don’t want to buy fish and then go shopping elsewhere. Tropical fish like temperatures near 80 degrees. Once you purchase those fish, the temperature in that bag is dropping fast. If it’s in the 20’s, or 30’s outside, then the water in the bag will get really cold really fast. It might not kill the fish right away, but a chilled fish is more at risk to get ick or other fish related diseases. If you do have to make a quick stop, take the bag of fish into the store with you. Better safe than sorry. Now a small exception to the rule is goldfish. They like cold water. They could handle a trip where the temps are colder. Obviously that doesn’t mean leaving the fish in the car while you shop an hour. If it’s really cold, even the goldfish could get sick if chilled too much. But they could handle the cold a bit better. If it’s really cold and you want fish, shop local. Don’t take the chance of driving 30 to 60 minutes to purchase fish. Another tip, when you get home, only float the bag of fish for 5 minutes. 

The next step would be to make sure that the cold will not enter your house through your roof. Consider getting the service of a roofing contractor to inspect and repair your roof. The little bit of water in that bag will only take 4 to 5 minutes to  equalize. Floating too long will just cause more problems. We sell a lot of fish in cold weather and most people have no problems. Pets A Plenty is located on Rte 281 Cortland, across from Tops Market in the TJ Nails Plaza. 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com [mappress mapid=”2″]