whats up this is my first post but im going to the point....how cold is too cold for a native fish tank? i live in nyc so i get some crazy winters and im looking into setting up a outdoor tank but am worried if i would have to take it down and bring it inside because of being too cold? someone mentioned to me the fish go in to a hibernation mode after a certain water temp..

Tank size: 125 gallon
fish: minnows and darters mainly maybe some others not too sure
substrate: mix of sand and pebbles
decor: mix of med to large river stones/rocks
flow: stream manifold or power heads and circulation pumps
filter: 1-3 odyessa cf500 i think is the fx5 knock off...depending on the fish stock

the tank will be in my back yard under a tree and will be shaded unitl the leaves fall off

i have seen my water temp drop to about 50 degree Fahrenheit in the middle of Nov

Well you would want to avoid the tank freezing solid, an open tank that big would be hard to keep from freezing solid where you live. Here in NC near the ocean I still get 360 gallon vats frozen solid..

Well you would want to avoid the tank freezing solid, an open tank that big would be hard to keep from freezing solid where you live. Here in NC near the ocean I still get 360 gallon vats frozen solid..

I agree, freezing solid is going to be a big problem unless the tank is heated. You can purchase "stock tank heaters" online or at a farm supply store. They are not designed to heat a tank, instead they are made to keep it slightly above freezing. They are not terribly expensive. I have found them somewhat prone to failure, they just quit working without warning. I would use 2 of them in the tank just in case one fails.

Well you would want to avoid the tank freezing solid, an open tank that big would be hard to keep from freezing solid where you live. Here in NC near the ocean I still get 360 gallon vats frozen solid..

thats crazy i was thinking about using that pink insulation with some 1inch insulation board and box the tank during the coldest of colds

I agree, freezing solid is going to be a big problem unless the tank is heated. You can purchase "stock tank heaters" online or at a farm supply store. They are not designed to heat a tank, instead they are made to keep it slightly above freezing. They are not terribly expensive. I have found them somewhat prone to failure, they just quit working without warning. I would use 2 of them in the tank just in case one fails.

i will deff look more into this