Highest temperature for planted tanks

[atolylica]

Hello guys,

Just wanted to find out what is the highest temperature that a planted tank, with high light and injected CO2 can thrive in?
The recent weather in Singapore is crazily hot. Trying to beat the heat with a fan requires constant topups. Chiller is out of the question.
Instead of trying to beat the heat, I would like to find out if plants can thrive in tanks up to 32-33 Degrees Celsius?

My aim is to allow the tank to be as independent / low maintenance as it is, hence exploring all possibilities.

Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

[Urban Aquaria]

My current outdoor test tank has been running at 32-33°C during the hot afternoons over the past few weeks and so far the plants in the tank (HM, staurogyne repens and monte carlo) are still growing without issues. Even the cherry shrimps and nerite snails in the tank are okay with the high temperature, all healthy and actively foraging (i keep the overall bio-load very light though, so the livestock are less affected by the reduced oxygen levels).

I guess if you are expecting your tank to hit higher temperatures (and you're not going to use fans or chillers), then just steer towards keeping hardy plants and livestock.

Btw, my indoor tanks only hit around 30°C during hot afternoons though (they are in rooms with shade, away from windows and sunlight), so if possible you should try your best to place you tank in the coolest place in your home, it'll make a huge difference in naturally moderating water temperatures.

[atolylica]

Thanks for the response.
wow you can keep cherry shrimps at such high temperatures eh? Your outdoor tank has the same temperature range of as my indoor tank.

Currently I have mosses (java, christmas, fissidens), java ferns, hairgrass, and anubias nana 'petite', are they considered as hardy plants?
I tune up my CO2 injection considering the fact that warmer water hold less gases.

[Urban Aquaria]

Yeah, i guess for cherry shrimps, as long as the temperature is gradual and they are acclimated to it, they can adapt to higher temperatures for short periods of time. When it rains and during the night, the temperature drops down to 28-29°C (sometimes even down to 27°C on rainy nights), so there is at least some respite for them.

When i measured the outdoor tank temperature peak at 33°C, the surrounding ambient temperature at my balcony measured 35-36°C... it was so hot and humid that i couldn't even stay around outside for long, almost got heatstroke. The weather nowadays is really crazy!

The plants you have should still be able to tolerate higher tank temperatures, though if its constantly at those high temperatures, then better find ways to cool it down abit or relocate the tank to a cooler area.

Btw, do check that the thermometer you are using is working properly too, i've found that different brands and types of thermometers can deviate their measurements by up to +/- 2°C. I have 5 thermometers currently (2 glass type and 3 digital), and all show different temperature readings, in one test with all the thermometers sitting in the same tank, the lowest set measured 30°C while the highest set measured 32°C! So if you happen to have a thermometer which is showing higher than usual readings, then you'll end up panicking even more.