Top 10 Coldwater Fish That Don't Need a Heater

[@AquariumCoop]

Buy fish at geni.us/LiveFish from our preferred online retailers with the code _aquariumcoop_ to save 5%. (As an affiliate member, we earn a commission from this link.)

[@bigmoose7]

Whats your opinion on 6 cpds and a peacock goby in a 4 gallon planted paradise.

[@Angel-gm1zv]

Hey quick question do you think I can put these fish in a pond

[@aliciagreen7098]

@@bigmoose7 I’d say no but 4 cpds I’d say yes.

[@aliciagreen7098]

Hi Cory I live 2 hours away and I’ve always wanted to come and meet Murphy (and you.) I really want one of your beautiful bettas.

[@JasonSouthSoundSound]

Pls check the hyperlink

[@Love.Cook_Sanji]

0:00 - Intro to coldwater fish 0:24 - Sunset variatus 1:07 - Celestial pearl danio 1:47 - Rainbow shiner 2:43 - Hillstream loach 3:40 - Endlers livebearers 4:26 - Clown killifish 5:09 - Cherry shrimp 6:05 - Yoyo loach 6:52 - Rosy barb and gold barb 7:43 - White cloud minnow

[@gabrielm7032]

Dojo loach

[@troydowns7748]

Thank you!!

[@JustBaileey]

Weather loach

[@JustBaileey]

Golden tench

[@christopherstaples4222]

thanks

[@michellebrouellette]

While the rainbow shiners might not make it to aquarium stores, they are ridiculously common at bait shops. They might not be the best stock, but with quarantine and deworming they should be adaptable.

[@Myoldaccount-mu7of]

I've been considering getting back into the hobby after 15 years and your videos are very inspiring.

[@Serenity-rp8is]

Did you get back into it?

[@JustBaileey]

Mmm, did you?

[@kennykenny5273]

Same. Getting back into it. Things changed a lot in terms of accessories and tools. Now it seems like it’s easy to handle things and lot of problems were solved. Aquascaping is a new thing for me and very interesting.

[@andrewsmith3512]

Zebra danios are so cheap and so energetic. They’re some of my favorite fish and are so fun to watch.

[@joshszooofanimals5416]

Andrew’s College Aquariums Agreed

[@dmc4365]

Make the most out of your 10 15 gal

[@kpNov23]

They are hyper

[@theultimategod1060]

Zebra danios fish: hjjjhjjjj so happy to be here eeeeerreeee

[@deborahfuentes8305]

My zebra danois killed each other until there was 1 :( idk what happened

[@darkrogue8102]

Cloud minnows have to be my absolute favourite coldwater fish. I had a school of around 20 a few years ago and they were so gorgeous! Cheap and cheerful little guys! Also the males flaring and dancing looked awesome :D

[@nathananderton8546]

Do you mean White Cloud mountain minnows?

[@22RosesGrow]

@@darkrogue8102 I'll have to check those out

[@Warren_Williams]

Everyone loves a top 10 list! Makes me want to set up an unheated water tank

[@jonisolis9645]

Great info. Some of these I didn't know could go without a heater. Please consider adding this list to the video description. Thanks.

[@jennifergardner1445]

Yes there should be a list!

[@tristinlegacy]

Celestial Pearl Danios will always be my favorite fish. Very pretty and peaceful

[@ilyaelric9539]

They are a mini version of Arctic Char

[@avataryasuo6414]

I come into here to watch if Gold fish need heater and my question was already answered in 0:03

[@johnnyBOutlier]

Love this list. I have all unheated tanks in the basement. 29g with WCMM and Gold Barbs. 20g with variatus. 65g with Kentucky natives. Rainbow Shiners are cool, but so are Redbelly Dace, Cyprinella Shiners and darters.

[@johnwood738]

Gold white clouds one of my favorites. Have some in a black water Betta tank.The color really pops when they come to the front of the tank.Great video!

[@VolcanicProtectorMan]

White clouds are the best because they can also be used to clean tanks that get planaria from over feeding. They will eat all those small white worms up in a few days.

[@jase123111]

Weather Loaches are GREAT. I used to keep them when I was a kid, in my fancy goldfish aquarium. They are really interesting to watch, coming up to the water surface to gulp air, burrowing in a sandy substrat, swimming around like at eel, and they have nice patterns like a snake. They even have albino ones theses days that are a gold colour. Mine used to love a treat of a live earthworm... they went CRAZY for one. I miss my weather loaches... can't get them where I live now.

[@udeejay31]

Well said...and very accurate. They are fantastic fish to watch...one of my all time favorites 👍🏾

[@unofficialzoo]

Those Celestial Pearl Danios look so cool. And with the cherries, IME they'll actually live longer at cooler temps because they naturally grow more slowly. I've had some survive 3-4 years at 65, when they'd only live 2-2.5 years at 72-74.

[@AcrylDame]

Thank you, I planned on getting some cherries and now I know I won't use the heater for them. Do you think they are suited for a 60l tank?

[@AquariumCoop]

*For more top 10 lists of our favorite fish, check out **geni.us/Top5Fish*

[@policyoftruth8881]

A little off topic but I have goldfish in a 35 gln. tank and they seem to have what looks like a fungus on the head and sides doesn't look like ick but more like cotton... please help love them and do not want to lose them at this point its a 911 moment

[@Aquatic_Amigo]

How about rainbow dace

[@anif.8946]

policy of truth if you don’t have a planted tank, marine salt will clear up fungus. A water change will help.

[@teachmebooks]

Do you sell your endlessly anglers (live bearer) online?

[@Andrew-qn8fu]

Here's a few that I find work great : Pseudomugil paskai Apistogramma borelli Egyptian mouth brooders Green fire tetra Wild type honey gourami Odessa barbs Geophagus balzini Gymnogeophagus Norte Widow tetra Flame tetra Horsefaced loaches Bulldog plecs Pepper cory Botia robusta I could go on, there's tons of temperate species you can find with a little research.

[@gbjanuary]

Andrew Llewellyn I have researched but normally cones back with usual suspects. Thanks for the list will look them up.

[@Andrew-qn8fu]

@@gbjanuary if you need any more suggestions, feel free to ask 👍

[@Andrew-qn8fu]

@@gbjanuary a lot of the temperature data on the internet and in books is either assumed what they need or data taken from peak season when weather is good.

[@SomeJustice19k]

A Sturgeon with those Rainbow Shiners?! I absolutely love that tank (whatever/wherever it is)!

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Sturgeon get huge, up to around 4ft for some of them. Probably only good with goldfish or Koi.

[@aliciagreen7098]

Idk anything about sturgeon but they get big hopefully a grow out tank.

[@YourMajesty100]

@@BlatentlyFakeName bigger

[@CroatiaSurvival]

@@YourMajesty100 Depends on the species. A starlet sturgeon will rarely get over 3ft in captivity

[@YourMajesty100]

@@CroatiaSurvival oh I didnt know this. I thought all species of sturgeon got enormous

[@richleebruce]

The platy variatus, sometimes called the northern platy, is a fish. The most common color variety is the sunset. But this is just a color variety. The fish is platy variatus. It comes from farther north than the normal platy which is why they can take colder temperatures.

[@4ndy123]

Youe first sentence killed me... 'is a fish' hahaha

[@sailfinaquatics]

I had no idea the Variatus didn’t need a heater, great video Corey 🔥

[@dmc4365]

So thankful for tetras, i only have 10 gallon but the fact they school makes my tank so LIVELY. Zebra danios near the middle top and some shell dwellers near the bottom.

[@01lexus]

The Buenos Aires tetra is a beast in cold weather, it is one of the better survivors in a ponds in the winter, Golden Barbs survive well, Rosy Red minnows survive, Paradise Gourami's kind of as long as it doesn't get below freezing too long, weather loaches survive well too. I want to try as many cold water non goldfish/non koi in our ponds, I find them more interesting and they are more affordable.

[@ceaz475]

@@01lexus How cold did you have the pond? I'm in an area where winter nights get no colder than 40° F or 4.4° C. I want to put something other than gold fish or koi for a smaller pond, and I already have done gold white cloud minnows and platinum medaka rice fish with great success. What others could you suggest for something small like say, about 20 gallons

[@thesilence6543]

I tested the platy thing this spring, put them in a 30g inside an unheated greenhouse and after they adjusted they did just fine all the way through the summer to fall

[@DavidJHarrisonEssex]

"GROUP of ONE!" 😆 I love the Bumblebee Killi fish

[@mastemamuijs498]

its clown kili fish

[@antoniowyckoff2]

The rainbow shiner looks great! I may have to add that to my tank of Cory's, and celestial Pearls!

[@jessicapaigewilliams5985]

Thank you for inspiring this new aquarium enthusiast

[@rosemarydudley9954]

Aaaaah, at last. THE video I have been searching for! COLD WATER fish. I love the selection you have shown and has given me some good ideas on buying them. Many thanks. Some I have had before but now there seems to be more selection. Can't wait to get started again.

[@Abovethesoil801]

Hey Cory. I love the fish that you picked for this top 10 cool water tank ideas. I have golden white cloud minnows in my 20 gallon shrimp tank.

[@kathleenmurphy2379]

As a kid and an adult I love the sunset variatus... And the goldfish swimming in the background the one with the white fancy tail and the other one is swimming beside it they are beautiful

[@christianjones1834]

I was honestly surprised Longear Sunfish or some of their cousins weren't mentioned. Absolutely the prettiest species of fish that are native to the USA and can survive harsh winter, I have a half dozen in a "koi" pond with a Bullhead catfish and what not and they are amazing

[@kiwiblue1606]

I successfully kept Platys outside year round for over 2 years. 40 gallon tub, coldest it got was 34 Farenheit or 1 Celsius. I suppose water retained some heat and was warmer but it still hurt to put my hand inside.

[@polarablues64]

I had a dojo loach that lived for like 8 or 9 years and was over a foot. One day he died out of nowhere, maybe old age? Anyway we named him Dr. Zoidberg

[@AquariumCoop]

That's decently long lived, and had a perfect name.

[@scissortailz4044]

My tanks drop to around 58f in winter. Paradise fish, Odessa barbs, garra rufa, white clouds, variatus plates and Murray River rainbows have all done well. Also ramshorn snails. 👍

[@construct3]

Ooooo! I forgot about paradise fish. They are beautiful. I like the color better than bettas! And yeah, they like cooler water.

[@kerrypitt9789]

Since I lost a tank of shrimp to a defective heater I have been avoiding heaters as much as possible. I keep my fishroom up close to 80F and I am now stocking to suit. Yes I knew I didn't need a heater with my Neocaridina but I had a couple of fish that I felt needed heat and well the rest is bad history. So None of my tanks have a heater that is in use. I have two with heaters that are not plugged in, just in case, I really like your list. I am up in Canada as you know, we can keep White Clouds in a couple of Provinces here, Alberta where I sadly live and anything east of Quebec though you may not carry them through the restricted provinces via truck or you may not fly over those same provinces with these fish as cargo. Too much danger of invasive species that can tolerate our weather. weather loaches are in a similar state up here. Thanks a lot for this Cory, I really enjoy your shows, videos etc. One day I would love to make it down there to meet you and share a Taco or six. Cheers sir!

[@DrawerFullofRocks]

Great suggestions. I'm wondering if you will consider doing a video on live plants that will do well in colder tanks. A lot of us wonder this, at least in the Facebook groups I am a member of. I have been curious about this topic fr a long time. Of course, I do research the individual plants, but you are our guru. We bow to your knowledge! Thank you, Cory!

[@elijahculper5522]

I’m not an expert, but my dads a botanist and I asked him about cold water plants for my aquarium. He kinda laughed at me and said that most of the plants would “prefer” subtropical temperatures and to not be fully submerged. But if they grow and are the right color, the plant is fine. In my cold water tanks I’ve had no problems with the basic aquarium plants from big box stores. I don’t do the fancy specialty plants that get temperamental. But any beginner plant should be fine. BUT moving a plant from a warm tank to a cold tank or vice versa is gonna cause a lot of leaves to melt. Crips are the worst for it, but it can happen with anything. It’ll grow back though.

[@DrawerFullofRocks]

@@elijahculper5522 thanks for replying since so any KZbinrs never reply to the people who ask them questions. they just put out content and move one. My question was from 3 years ago. Lol. Anyway, Your dad is correct. I studies botany ,myself and worked in a botanical lab at a university, but it never hurts to ask the questions so that we may potentially learn something new. Hope you're enjoying your aquariums.

[@carolineeppler5768]

Great list Cory thank you for the suggestions. I love white cloud minnows.

[@TheZenGinger]

HOLY CPD... FIRST let me say, I REALLY found a lot of useful info in this video... I've been looking for cooler fish... HOWEVER I know this wasn't the point, BUT I couldn't figure out what Celestial Pearl Danio looked like, and you said trout. OMG THAT'S IT... it's a tiny speckled trout! THANKS FOR THAT! LOL.. Again great vid as usual... gonna rewatch your "hot rod your filter" video, and go set up a new tank! 😉 😍😍

[@josh.kaptur]

late to this party, but would love to know which fish you've overwintered outside like you said with the cherry shrimp. I have an outside aquarium and have the heater set on 38 in the winter.

[@faizahmeds1137]

Nice 10 top Coldwater Fish 🐟🐠👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍

[@jacklandismusic]

Another cool group of cold water species: Darters! There’s a whole huge list of darters that are native to the US and Canada, and they pretty much all look rad. They’re fast-moving bottom dwellers that like a relatively strong flow. A lot of them aren’t that colorful, but most have pretty interesting patterns. If you’re interested in an especially colorful one, though, check out the rainbow darter.

[@MrGates-yk3ij]

White clouds are a must have!!!

[@CoffeeTimeBrian11]

Thanks for showing Native American Aquarium fish. If people had stuck with native fish we wouldn't have so many invasives taking our waterways over. I've found some really unique shiners in freshwater springs in Mississippi and Florida that'd make many exotics look plain.

[@jodymaley3674]

Great list, made my 125 gallon long tank cool water as it sit on a north wall, during winter I have had bad luck with heaters, so its live plants and cool water species now, definitely want some celestial danios to mix with the bloodfins and white clouds

[@napoleonhardin7954]

@Cory: “They’re not killing, they’re peaceful fish”. Lol😂😂😂 Love it!!!

[@Cgraseck]

Great Vid! Just a note on Epiplatys annulatus. The species name annulatus means ringed. It doesn't refer to an annual life cycle. Cheers, Chris

[@DLoCTheCreator]

WOAHHH YOU HAVE A BABY STURGEON IN YOUR TANKKK

[@falcolf]

Wow, rainbow shiners look like teensy salmon!❤ When I kept Chinese Butterfly Plecos them and zebra danios were my absolute favourite species to keep.❤

[@crzrck]

You should have mentioned paradise fish. I live in the Upper Midwest and I have an 8000 gallon pond that I put some of these species in in the spring and remove them in late fall I've had wonderful success with the sunset variatus, paradise fish, and believe it or not peppered Cory cats. The gold barbs are exceptionally cold tolerant and so are the paradise fish. I put three and 8000 gallons of water and I got a million of them by the end of the season

[@kitfisto1827]

I would include Darters and Florida Flagfish to this list as well.

[@GARAGEIdiotS]

Awesome video man, keep it up

[@catfishm.1361]

Thanks Corey, good info. My problem is even when fish are cheep the shipping kills it. One $3. fish but $30. shipping. 🤦‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️

[@luisgonzalez8423]

Then save up and purchase multiple at the same time to take advantage of the options and pay for shipping once think long term

[@c1cm131]

Cat&Fish M. Just go to a petstore 🙂

[@pressplay1703]

Haha $30 shipping

[@aliciagreen7098]

He should do a cheap fish list.

[@catfishm.1361]

@@pressplay1703 Look up shipping from California to anywhere for any live fish or even snails, it is that high because they have to send overnight or next day!

[@goonch7956]

Buenos Aires tetras are my favorite, very underrated, they're like piranhas.

[@gbjanuary]

Great cool water fish my tanks have no heater but the house is heated. Pearl Diano I like very much but they are not cheap in UK. The sunset varitus I have tried but they didn't last. I have male endlers but cannot find females can I use regular female guppy to breed ?

[@nathanial_summers]

One little note about Hillstream loaches is they need a good amount of water movement which goes well with some fish (White clouds) but not with others (Endlers).

[@AquariumCoop]

I haven't found that to be true. I've had great luck with just a sponge filter, have bred them a few times. They definitely like current but I haven't found it to be needed.

[@Warren_Williams]

Mine does fine with endlers. It does full on battle with my SAE though.

[@akfr83]

Wow man those ar the most beautiful fishes I ever saw. Definitely will set cold weather aquarium now.

[@nickrafuse984]

it's like you knew I was planning an unheated tank... hmmmmm

[@acfun176]

I've been thinking the same thing for the past week or so myself. One for my office that has 2 large data towers in it that need to stay cool so i was worried about a heater malfunction when I'm off on weekends or holidays. I think I'll go cpd with some cherry shrimp. maybe a hill stream depending on the size tank I decide on. I was like YES when I seen the headlines!

[@ayunkhan2395]

I have 6 African Cichlids (mainly Malawi), 6 Tiger Barbs, 2 Kois, 2 Common Plecos, a Dojo Loach, 2 Malaysian Trumpet Snails and a Black Ghost Knifefish. They pretty much get along so far. I keep the temperature at 20° C (dunno how much that is in Fahrenheit). They're in a 105 gallon table aquarium. Lots of hiding places. The Dojo Loach has just made a single appearance ever since I added him into the tank. He used to hide inside the rocks but now he's missing and im suspecting he's beneath the gravel and only surfaces when I turn off the lights at midnight

[@TedH71]

The dojos that I had def liked their water heated. They started to die off when the heater was off. Oh the Japanese rice fish are cold water fishes. They come literally in 500 different color varieties along with all types of fin shapes. Bad news? You won't get many of them here in the USA compared to what the Japanese have.

[@22RosesGrow]

Howdy, do you have any suggestions for a three gallon tank? My beta hated it so I put him back into the glass vase he loves (I thought he'd like the extra room but he's more lively in his vase.)

[@johnsonjohnson6919]

You are a great teacher👍

[@yusra1519]

Is red colour platy with black back fin a SUNSET VARIATUS PLATY??

[@joshszooofanimals5416]

Great video like always 😁

[@vivalavivarium]

is the sunset variatus a molly or something completely different?

[@Cougar139tweak]

My Favorite Clickbait free Aquaguru!! Thanks again for the info I need.... Nitrogen cycle video was the tops! M&Ms Layman's explanation (how I learned Radar jamming Theory in USN...not with M&Ms though)

[@gammacrush3351]

Helpful ! 👍🏽

[@paulveenvliet9130]

you miss PEPPERED CORY, which makes a great companion fish with zebrafish (another one you overlooked), white cloud minnows, variatus platies and actually most of the species you mention.

[@darthbader6506]

This was great, thanks Cory

[@PhillipItaliano]

Great information, I'd love to see something about cold water plants as well.

[@Rocksteddy0]

Most aquatic plants do best at room temp around 70 degrees I believe.

[@aliciagreen7098]

Most are pretty flexible unless there from a hotter country.

[@catfishcave379]

My hillstream loaches (Sewellia) are breeding like rabbits! The babies (when I can see them) are soooooo cute! And my longfin whiteclouds completely ignore them. They seem to have started after I added a beautiful green auto-feeder. Nice top ten - all those fish deserve more respect!

[@charlescalthrop2535]

Was that a sturgeon!?

[@flocarter2017]

how many sunset variatus can i keep in a 5 gallon tank?

[@HomnixHD]

My personal favorite not based on color or personality, but based on hardiness is mollies they are live bearers, not picky eaters, can be converted to saltwater which most fish cant, and on top of those they do have the color and personality if you like that to, i mainly like how easy to care for they are, but if i had to pick based off of color and personality my favorite in my tank is the zebra loach, but i have a tropical tank not a cold one

[@Flickofdawristwoo]

I just added a guppie in a 50 gl plus in cold Canada pond and it’s still alive can’t believe it and the pond also has no maintenance they adapt well

[@AndrewPiorkowski]

Wish goodeids were listed! Almost the entire family can be kept without a heater & thrive in temps in the 60s. They need more love & people breeding them in captivity!

[@construct3]

You didn't mention rosy reds. They're a naturally occurring color morph of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) that has been bred true, and they're available wherever feeder fish are sold. Be sure to quarantine them and fatten them up before introducing them into your tank. I'd also mention the mosquito fish (Gambusia spp.). There are two common species that are impossible to tell apart without counting the fin rays or knowing which part of the country they originated from. They're live bearers a little larger than a guppy. They're very aggressive in an aquarium, so it would have to be a single-species tank, but a tank full of mosquito fish is loads of fun to watch.

[@MiguelG0690]

You should visit Angel's Hatchery in florida. I think you'll love it.

[@jeanniechristy3885]

Cory can you please tell me what is the name of the plant in your aquarium that is behind you? I love the simplicity of it!

[@AquariumCoop]

Crunum calamistratum

[@SailingSquib]

We keep Macropodus ocellatus, Fundulus julisia, Tanichthys albonubes, Enneacanthus chaetodon in our Outdoor Ponds in Austria with freezing temperatures during the winter

[@666IRONMAN666]

Can confirm on the Endler's guppy. Been raising them for 6+ years. They don't care about any water parameters.

[@austinb5516]

I bought 2 silver dollars and put them in my pond at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They almost died and I have them in a container of room temp water. Is there a way I could acclimate them other than Setting the bag in the water for 15 minutes?

[@BenOchart]

GREAT list, thank you Cory!

[@Skitzsosis]

Hi my name is shaun im 33 from the uk. I am really interested in starting an aquarium, i have a tank, filters, ect, this video has helped a lot. I am exploring cold water options as i am far too nervous and inexpereinced to start a tropical aquarium. I would love to eventually set a tropical aquarium up but in the mean time i will focus on my cold water tank. I am hoping to be able to breed cold water fish in the future too, you did mention this topic in the video but i was wondering, how hard is it to breed fish? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your informative video!

[@christopherseilaff8665]

I would like to see you do a cold water plant list.

[@joppek77]

Great list! Up here in chilly Scandinavia, cold water or temperate fish makes more sense anyways. =)

[@brendaenns853]

This was a very informative video. I have been heating a lot of fish that didn’t need it. Lol Do you think that you will ever sell products to Canada?

[@AquariumCoop]

Just wanted to let you know, we now ship to Canada on our website with restrictions on electronics, foods, meds, and plants. www.aquariumcoop.com

[@roasty4400]

I'm only a little shy of 4 years, but a couple questions lol. Can Denison Barbs live in cold water? Also could a Denison Barb live with Rainbow Shiners or would they grow too big for them?

[@djcdub3712]

I have said it before but damn that blue snap back is amazing.

[@scott3065]

What's the name of the air streamer in the background tank with the Goldfish? The air bubbles are awesome tiny! 😊

[@unitnippynipz]

Cherry shrimp are so hardy. My house got down to 7 degrees C and a lot of my endlers died but all my cherry shrimp were fine

[@VincentVader]

The rainbow shiner is native to Alabama where I live. I'm hoping to find some.

[@construct3]

Did you have any luck?

[@captainsukycannon1167]

I live on a sailboat and only can have a small tank... or large goldfish bowl. But I read a goldfish bowl is not good. I'd love to have a few fish that are small. What the smallest tank I can have ? I could have a battery or rechargeable airator. Thanks

[@OutlawMenace82]

Excellent information, thank you

[@flocarter2017]

Can mollies be kept in coldwater tanks with variatus platys?? pls reply

[@flocarter2017]

@@Booneville2024 huh?

[@billripley1877]

I like the originality of this top 10 video. Great information. Now where is the top 10 fish that love Vibra Bites video!

[@AquariumCoop]

Lol, I think that'd set the internet on fire, still like 50% of people say vibra bites suck, yet we love it at the store, my fish room and deans fish room so I dunno what to tell people other than I love em :P

[@tsitsu8345]

The Cherry Shrimp is a great fish indeed. ^.^

[@jeangorn4617]

Are sunset variatus really that color? Striking! Whereon earth can you findthem?

[@MacHamish]

I had a weather loach years ago and it was a tank jumper. The slightest gap on the hood and it would escape.

[@laszloszocs7477]

nice selection Cory thx for the ideas again :)

[@tiffanyclark-grove1989]

always love your show.. you taught me how to gravel vac lol

[@arachnidsoftheweb194]

I have White Cloud Mountain minnows and bronze corydora in tank .can I add zebra danio and any barbs? Thanks I’m advance

[@blazymon90]

Koi fish be like:👁️👄👁️ have you forgotten about me??