How cold can plecos live in?

[rochelle]

Hi all,
We live in Florida and have an outdoor pond. Obviously, the pond never freezes, but in the winter, we can get below freezing at night, for several nights in a row. Last winter was a cold one!! We had plecos in the pond, and they all died over the winter - we assume from the cold. The goldfish, however, loved it.

My question is - what is the lowest temperature a pleco can live in? And would a large aquarium heater used on very cold nights be enough to keep a 450 gallon pond warm enough for the plecos? We don't want to warm it up too much, just enough to keep the plecos happy.

Thanks.
Grandma Pfaff

 

[DrDave]

Plecos are not a good choice for ponds. Their temperature range is 73 to 82 degrees F. When you had freezing temperatures, your pond probably dropped below 50 degrees F.
High Fin Sharks are a much better choice and I think you might find thye cost less.