Tropical fish farmers bracing for any impacts from cold temperatures - FOX 13 Tampa

Cold snap could impact local fish breeders

Briona Arradondo reports

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Tropical fish farmers are paying close attention to the cold weather temperatures ahead of Christmas to brace their business for any impacts.

The Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association said Florida produces 70 to 80% of ornamental tropical fish in the country. Farmers are covering their ponds, using well water and heaters to keep the fish alive through the frigid air.  

Daniel Conner is the second-generation owner of Consolidated Fish Farms in Riverview.

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"This is my family's business. We've been doing this a little over 30 plus years we'll say," said Conner. "At first I didn't understand the whole complexities of 'We sold to pet stores.' When I started talking to more retail, you see the joy it brings people in their fish tanks and how much it means to them. So that's meant a lot of me over the years."

He said his business produces around a quarter of a million tropical fish, mainly angel fish and 13 other species as well. Those are the aquatic lives he will protect as temperatures dip lower and lower ahead of Christmas. He said anything below 65 degrees is not good for the fish.

"Fish are ectothermic animals, meaning they get everything they need from their surrounding environment. That temperature controls every bodily process they have, so how much they eat, how much they reproduce, how much they move," said Conner. "The colder they are because they're typically warm water, tropical animals, the more they're dependent on that temperature. So, if it drops below a certain temperature say 65 or so, that's when those processes will stop shutting off."

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So, he's one of many Florida fish farmers taking some steps to protect his business.

"The main thing we do is we run propane heaters through a lot of stuff. That helps elevate the air temperature of it which stops the water from dropping as low," said Conner. 

That paired with well water is a good recipe for heating up their 55 vats inside, and the well water also helps the ponds they keep outside.

"Well water from the ground is the same temperature year-round no matter what time of year. So it's always going to be in our area 72 degrees. So as long as we run enough of that water through our systems, we can generally maintain a tank temperature of at least 72," said Conner.

He said losing any fish could set them back, so the next few days are crucial.

"All the dropping temperatures overnight will be a concern, so we'll be monitoring probably through the night," said Conner. "It can definitely impact our production. So it depends on what percentage it takes out, it will take us, let's say to gain back that percentage, at least six to seven months of production time we'll have lost during this time."

Conner said he will likely check the temperatures every four hours, but he said they dealt with cold like this several years ago and didn't lose any fish.