TAMPA -- Tropical fish farmers in the Tampa Bay area are prepared for several nights of chilly weather. The Tampa Bay region is one of the centers of tropical fish farming and ships fish around the nation.
Sandy Moore, the president of new business development with Segrest Farms, a wholesaler in Gibsonton, says they cover fish ponds with plastic to take advantage of the greenhouse effect. "As long as the sky continues to be clear, we're good. If it gets cloudy... that's when we start to suffer some losses."
Moore says tropical fish start to have trouble when the temperature gets down to around 40 degrees.
Ironically, even though cold weather threatens the supply, demand for tropical fish increases in colder weather. Moore says that drives people to concentrate on their indoor hobbies, like fish. Consumers may find their fish under threat if they lose power during a cold snap. If the power goes out and you lose the heater on your fish tank, Moore says, don't touch the fish or do anything to stress them.
Find out more about Tampa Bay's tropical fish and aquaculture industries by listening to our Beyond the News podcast below.
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