# Too hot for crystals?



## lll (Apr 29, 2014)

Hey Guys, 

I've been looking around online, and I've heard 25degrees Celsius (78F) is too hot for crystals. Unfortunately for me, my heater won't go lower than that (it says 22c on the side, but it's giving off 25c). I have a few crystal shrimp in that tank and I've had them for around 2 weeks now, and for the past week, I have been lowering Temps from 27c to 25, the lowest I can get it. 

My house temp is around 19c (64-68F), which seems a bit cold. Any suggestions on what I can do, aside from get a new heater? Should I just unplug it or will they be OK? 

Just some info on tank if needed- 20 gal, pH 6.4-6.6, 12 ss to sss crystals, 50W heater from some Asian brand

I have a few 300W eheim Jagers that work, but that is a bit overkill for a 20G tank

Thanks guys!


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## jumpsmasher (Oct 1, 2012)

25C should be fine as long as it does not fluctuate to go any higher. 24-26C I find is the sweet spot for my CRS. Any higher than 26C and they start to get stressed out


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## darkangel66n (May 15, 2013)

Mine are in an unheated basement and do just fine with no heaters.


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## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

I run heaters to encourage breeding but they are off 90% of the time


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## bettaforu (Sep 6, 2009)

I have kept them in unheated tanks with no problems. This winter however I did have to turn on a heater because my temp dropped to 65F and I thought that was just too cold for them. These shrimps live in cold water rivers in Asia so they can adapt, but many people keep them in heated tanks which does help with the breeding.

If you can find a heater that is adjustable locally (auctions are a good choice)
maybe try one that you can set lower. I can't adjust mine either, and will be
getting a better one this year as it does help to be able to drop the temp down when you need it.

I turned mine off and let the water cool down slowly to room temp without having any problems with my shrimps.


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## jumpsmasher (Oct 1, 2012)

bettaforu said:


> I have kept them in unheated tanks with no problems. This winter however I did have to turn on a heater because my temp dropped to 65F and I thought that was just too cold for them. These shrimps live in cold water rivers in Asia so they can adapt, but many people keep them in heated tanks which does help with the breeding.
> 
> If you can find a heater that is adjustable locally (auctions are a good choice)
> maybe try one that you can set lower. I can't adjust mine either, and will be
> ...


That is partially true; yes wild type shrimps like tigers, wild bee shrimps, paracaridina thrive in cooler temperatures (20-22C). With shrimps like Crystal reds / taiwan bees etc; who are raised / developed only in capacity, i find that if you keep them in low temperatures (i.e under 22C) long term not old do their breeding slow down but they tend to have issues like slow/stunted growth, molting issues etc;

For neo's, while they can withstand a while range of parameters; i find they do best in temperatures over 24C.

Heater's are greatly misunderstood element of the hobby; people forget that most modern heaters have built-in thermostats and that they only turn themselves on when needed so it is not like they are on all the time. They are there to keep temperatures stable; that is why you have them. Of course if you have a warm house, than cooling is also something you want to look into (and unfortunately there is not too many expensive options for that here in north america - at least with a built in thermostat)


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