Whats the chances....

My power just came back on after being out for 5 days. the tank is 52* F. Would this be to short a dip to promote a spawn from my black nosed dace or some of my darters (banded or orange throat)?

Can't speak to the dace but I'd say to short and not quite far enough for the darters

Depends on how fat they are and where they're from. Sometimes the more southern species only get a week of cold. A species from the deep South that in the wild only ever sees temps drop down to 30 or 40 once or twice a winter that is very fat and in the right setup could seize this chance to breed. Especially if they're young and very well fed and wanted to anyway.

If you really want to breed your fish, an easy way to chill the water during the winter is to pump water in a tube from your tank, out the window, then back into your tank. That would be an easy way to decrease your tank's temperatures, and for only the cost of a pump and some PVC tubing, too. And I guess the cost of insulating the partially open window (probably some insulation and styrofoam and a really really nice spouse).

Here are some videos with information on how to rig up pump + PVC lines:
youtube.com/watch?v=65yVr7DiDls
youtube.com/watch?v=7DFk4bnIxEg
Then you just run some tubing out a window and voila! Winter chiller.

Edited by EricaWieser, 03 November 2012 - 10:49 AM.

Thanks alot!