Durban — With South Africa hit by cold fronts over the past few weeks, one has to wonder how the drop in temperatures affects fish in the aquarium.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research’s Ann Kunz said that the recent cold fronts had seen us diving into our cupboards and hauling out our winter jackets, the cats and dogs have stayed inside, and the wind howled relentlessly.
Kunz said that these cold fronts combined with strong onshore winds had led to quite natural lower sea temperatures along the KZN coast.
“So how does this drop in temperature affect the resident fish in the aquarium?” Kunz asked.
Explaining, aquarium curator Justin Hart said: “With these seasonal conditions in mind, we have been keeping a close eye on the temperatures, and, quite remarkably, the average exhibit temperature was 21.1ºC, a mere .1ºC lower than the average sea temperature.”
He said that the aquarium operates on a recirculating semi-closed system with a continual supply of fresh seawater.
Hart said that while the ideal temperature range for optimal fish health typically fell between 21 and 24ºC, all of the 514 different species of fish could comfortably endure temperature changes within the 20ºC range for a limited period. So, the answer to the question is it has not affected them at all, they have just kept swimming.
He added that on the opposite side of the scale, during the hotter summer months, they made use of large seawater chiller units which cooled the water.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News