South African Association for Marine Biological Research shares how cold fronts affect aquarium fish
uShaka Sea World shares how the recent cold fronts, and the cold seawater coming into their aquarium, affects the aquarium’s fish.
THE recent cold fronts have seen us diving into our cupboards and hauling out our winter jackets, and the cats and dogs have stayed inside, while the wind howled relentlessly.
But how have these cold fronts been affecting the fish in the aquarium at uShaka Sea World? The aquarium at uShaka operates on a recirculating semi-closed system with a continual supply of fresh seawater, and the staff at uShaka recently shared how the freezing water coming in from the ocean affects the aquarium’s fish.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research released a statement on their Facebook page explaining that these cold fronts, combined with strong onshore winds, have led to quite natural lower sea temperatures along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. So how does this drop in temperature affect the resident fish in the aquarium?
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“With these seasonal conditions in mind, we have been keeping a close eye on the temperatures, and quite remarkably, the average exhibit temperature was 21.1 degrees Celsius, a mere .1 degree lower than the average sea temperature,” said aquarium curator Justin Hart.
However, the fish that uShaka Sea World is home to are quite resilient. “While the ideal temperature range for optimal fish health typically falls between 21 and 24 degrees Celsius, all of the 514 different species of fish can comfortably endure temperature changes within the 20-degree Celsius range for a limited period. So, the answer to the question is, quite frankly – it hasn’t affected them at all – they have just kept swimming,” said SAAMBR in their statement.
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SAAMBR went on to say that during the warmer months, the aquarium’s water must be cooled to keep the fish in ideal conditions. “On the opposite side of the scale, during the hotter summer months, we make use of large seawater chiller units which cool the water.”
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