any fish that would survive in 55 gal tank in unairconditioned room?

[kaytlu]

I have an older house, without central air & I have done some "summer conditioning" to it (like that heat reflective film on the windows & awnings, & fairly largeish roofed porch down one side) so it does not get as hot indoors as it is outside, but the difference is quite noticeable between airconditioned vs non areas.

Mind you, that part of the house is also shaded, and it actually posesses a window unit airconditioner, it's just what with houston area summers & how high my energy bill is already, air conditioning another large room is kind of costly.

Especially when temps are up around the 100F+ (outside) mark.

So, since I have a very good deal on a 55 gal being waved at me, and the only place I could put it would be in that part of the house, I'm wondering if there is anything that could live & be healthy under those conditions.

Also, the tank would be heavily planted, (probably mainly swords & crypts & other "hearty" types).

I remember, (from my childhood back when the dinosaurs roamed), fish tanks kept by various freinds and realatives that did not either possess airconditioners (fans & swamp coolers mainly) or only ran them at night.

The only clear memory I have of the fish in those tanks, however, was an uncle who raised fancy guppies...

They'd be kind of lost as being the only fish in a 55gal tank.

[ptran]

I think as long as you can keep water temp below 85F, you should be okay in the summer time. Most fish should do well. However, you will need a heater in the winter time.

[Ken B]

What is the room temperature where you want to put the tank? I have tanks in a steel building and the inside of the building can be 85 to 90 and the tank water stays low to mid 80's and the fish are fine. They seem to like 80 to 85.

[Ken B]

I would raise the lights off of the top of the tank though. The lights can drive the water temp up. So raise the lights or use led lights.

[kaytlu]

Well, it tends to fluctuate some, according to time of day and what the temps are outside... my inside/outside electric thermometer is reading right now at 92F outside in the shade and 80 inside. It's around 4:30pm right now & that tends to be about the hottest time of day inside (house holds onto built up heat over the day) Mind you, if I had the windows open on the shady side of things & ran a fan in there it would be somewhat cooler.

I guess if I did run a fan over the prospective 55 gal, & used "waterfall" type filters it could be kept in the 80's even during 100+ days. I'd just have to up water changes to keep up with the evaporation & deteriorating water conditions.

What with using tap water here in La Porte, just topping off a tank tends to lead to TDS buildup and hard water scale. Scale seems inevitable in this area anyway unless you go with ro water. I've got ro & co2 & dosing setup on a smallish tank in my bedroom, (new to the high tech end of things all my previous tanks were low tech with maybe DIY co2 for plants) and so far it seems like a whole lot of extra work & a touchier tank, stability-wise.

Anyway... thanks for the input. I guess I'll get the tank & try to find local fish & plants for it.