# Winter housing in no light aquarium



## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

In order to control the minnows in my parent's water feature in the spring-summer weather, I've kept feeder minnows in the water and brought them in mid fall and housing indoor in a spare empty aquarium in the basement. I've repeated the cycle for the last 3 years with growing number of minnows. Now I'm removing the light. And looking at this article, I don't know if the circadian rhythm applies to fish the same way the do to us. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22877658>

I'm wondering if anyone has tried keeping fish in a completely dark tank for the winter. What are the results from doing so? Were there loss in fish during winter keeping or loss of fish in summer months? Or was there no effect on fish in general?


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## PPulcher (Nov 17, 2006)

I've kept plenty of fish that get only ambient room light. They've done fine.


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

I'm referring to specifically no light. Not even ambient light


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

Is there a window in the basement room?


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

I'm planning to make it complete darkness with no light at all. So like a darkroom for photography but with aquariums instead.


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## ksimdjembe (Nov 11, 2006)

May I ask why?


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## PPulcher (Nov 17, 2006)

I don't have any direct experience, but I think that would mess with the fish over the winter months. Lots of fish feed by sight, so I'm not sure how they'd fare without being able to see.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

It might really mess them up. Light is one of the primary governors for the release of hormones, which control growth, reproduction and pretty much every other bodily activity. I suspect they would not do well over the long term in total darkness. Some fish have adapted over millennia to live in darkness, blind cave fish come to mind, but for most fish, it wouldn't be a good situation, I think. Might even be unkind.


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

Agree with the sentiments above, maybe you're asking this just theoretically, but for the cost of even the cheapest clip on desk lamp, or the effort of moving the tank closer to a window, why remove something that is such a fundamental part of their daily life?


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## AquaticPulse (Jun 19, 2011)

I'm curious to see what would happen, but I don't want to knowingly harm them. There's a lot of possibilities for future winter keeping if this is possible.

Since the cold weather does suppress hormone production already, I don't think there would be too much effects in the medium term of winter housing. In the study i noted earlier, it showed that some fish have the ability to switch to a nocturnal habit without any harmful consequences. Also the heightened electroreception abilities during short term blackout conditions helped some fish catch live food more efficiently. It is partly theoretical, but the knowledge can help me take on different projects in the future.

I want to know the effects of a medium term (4-5 months) blackout - and in this term - fundamental is lighting, are there any detrimental effects, any additional positive effects, and how will they adapt when light is returned.


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