# how big of a factor is temperature in planted aquariums?



## Dave-H

It gets really hot here in the summer and the tank has been around 83 for a few months - it really seems to correlate to some poor growth in some of the plants. Not all, though. So, I suspect that the some plants are sensitive to temperature but I'm not sure.


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## im2smart4u

I know some plants are sensitive, although I don't know which ones. I have read that a lot of discus keepers use certain plants because they can handle the higher temps better. A lot of the mosses aren't supposed to do well in warmer water.
_
Water temperature

Before placing your plants in the tank ensure that the water is not too cold as this will shock and stress aquarium plants. Most plants do well in water that is between 72 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit and it is important to keep the water temperature constant, as many plants will not react well to sudden changes. A heater can help keep the tank water at an optimum temperature. Aquarium plant care also requires the proper water hardness and pH level. Check the specific requirements for the plants you have purchased. _

http://www.catalogs.com/info/pets/aquarium-plant-care.html

There is also a thread about this here:
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/8530-How-Does-Temperature-Affect-Plant-Growth


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## wetworks

Dave-H said:


> It gets really hot here in the summer and the tank has been around 83 for a few months - it really seems to correlate to some poor growth in some of the plants. Not all, though. So, I suspect that the some plants are sensitive to temperature but I'm not sure.


I think that your suspicions are correct, but I am not sure where to look to confirm that. Thanks for your reply.


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## wetworks

im2smart4u said:


> I know some plants are sensitive, although I don't know which ones. I have read that a lot of discus keepers use certain plants because they can handle the higher temps better. A lot of the mosses aren't supposed to do well in warmer water.
> _
> Water temperature
> 
> Before placing your plants in the tank ensure that the water is not too cold as this will shock and stress aquarium plants. Most plants do well in water that is between 72 and 81 degrees Fahrenheit and it is important to keep the water temperature constant, as many plants will not react well to sudden changes. A heater can help keep the tank water at an optimum temperature. Aquarium plant care also requires the proper water hardness and pH level. Check the specific requirements for the plants you have purchased. _
> 
> http://www.catalogs.com/info/pets/aquarium-plant-care.html
> 
> There is also a thread about this here:
> http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/8530-How-Does-Temperature-Affect-Plant-Growth


Thanks a lot for both the info and the links. I had read the same thing about discus, and also about goldfish as well (cold water).


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## mountaindew

I have not used a heater for many years. My home stays around 70 deg and above for 80% of the year making the aquariums I have run well above that temperature. The pumps and lights all add more then enough heat to system. If your home is below 70 deg most the time I would use a heater.
On the subject of heaters and temperature stability, I guess that can be debated. In my experience if the system is healthy it could care less and the average temperature of your home is fine.
Also from my direct observations of nature the tempature is always changing and is not stable or constant.
md


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## BBradbury

*Temperature and Plants*

Good morning wet...

Aquarium plants are tropical, so do best in warmer water. If you keep the tank temperature in the 76 to 82 degree range, then your plants should be fine. I keep my tanks' temps between 76 and 78 degrees. It helps to have A/C going in the summer.

B


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## wetworks

BBradbury said:


> Good morning wet...
> 
> Aquarium plants are tropical, so do best in warmer water. If you keep the tank temperature in the 76 to 82 degree range, then your plants should be fine. I keep my tanks' temps between 76 and 78 degrees. It helps to have A/C going in the summer.
> 
> B


Thanks for your reply. I live in Florida, so my A/C is always on. Typically, the temp in my tanks runs from 74 to 78 degrees F based on my indoor temperature of 70 to 74 degrees F. It seems like most plants do well in this range, so I will probably be OK. I just wanted to know if commonly kept aquarium plants had a clear temp preference, and it looks like they do: warmer water.


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## chicken

A couple years ago, when my daughter was in 4th grade, she did a science fair project on this topic. She set up three 5.5 gallon tanks under shop lights in our basement. One was 60 degrees (the temp of our unheated laundry room), one was 70 degrees, and one was 80 degrees. She chose 5 species of plants, I can't remember all of them off the top of my head, but I know both anacharis and hornwort were chosen. 

She found that the plants grew faster in warmer temperatures. I was surprised that the anacharis did so well at 80 degrees, as I'd heard and read that it did better in cooler temperatures. All I know is that after 4 weeks, that was a scary amount of anacharis in the warmest tank!

She won an Honorable Mention for her project. (Yes, I'm bragging  )


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## offpath

I keep discus in my display tank, and when I first cranked up the temp to 82F, I saw significant melt on pretty much all of my plants, but most of them recovered after a month or two of adjusting. I do find that there are some plants that I just can't keep alive at that temperature, though.


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## JRMott

I kept my tank at 81F this summer, it would hit 85 some days if there was a heatwave. I was thinking to drop the temp down a bit now that fall is here (and soon winter), mostly in an attempt to keep the heater from working more than it has to.

I'll probably drop it to 76F next time I'm digging around in the tank.


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## wetworks

offpath said:


> I keep discus in my display tank, and when I first cranked up the temp to 82F, I saw significant melt on pretty much all of my plants, but most of them recovered after a month or two of adjusting. I do find that there are some plants that I just can't keep alive at that temperature, though.


Thanks for your reply. I thought that this would probably happen. What plants did you find that do well at Discus temperatures?


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## wetworks

JRMott said:


> I kept my tank at 81F this summer, it would hit 85 some days if there was a heatwave. I was thinking to drop the temp down a bit now that fall is here (and soon winter), mostly in an attempt to keep the heater from working more than it has to.
> 
> I'll probably drop it to 76F next time I'm digging around in the tank.


At 81-85F did you notice that your plants died? Did any of them do very well at those temps?


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## plantbrain

Search Q10 in metabolism. For each 10C rise, you get a doubling of metabolism rates. so from 20-30C........

Also, search to see what the ambient ppm of any gas is in water as the temp rises(it will be less with higher temps in all cases).

So at cooler temps, the plants will grow slower, but this will mean it's easier to add CO2 and provide non limiting levels of CO2/ferts.

Warmer temps = less O2 in all cases.

So you start running into higher levels of ferts/CO2 required and less O2........

Cooler would be better than warmer given a choice for the plants/management. with some species of fish, 82-84F works quite well, Discus cards etc..........and a wet/dry filter set up for a planted tank(does not degas CO2 but adds O2).


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## JRMott

wetworks said:


> At 81-85F did you notice that your plants died? Did any of them do very well at those temps?


They seemed OK. I planted them at that temp, so i didn't notice anything dying but perhaps they will grow better a bit cooler.


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## rmsalaysay

that is why in the outdoor the plants are faster because of the warm atmosphere. 
and if I have a planted tank inside the house and maintain its temperature to cool level like 28 the growth will be slower but it will be easy to maintenance even though i am dosing estimative index.


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