An alternative, low-cost method to chill water for critical thermal minima trials

Water temperature is an important abiotic factor that impacts physiological processes in fish. Attempts to quantify thermal tolerance of fishes exposed to various temperatures have been performed since the 1800s. A common approach to test the thermal tolerance of fishes is the critical thermal method. Traditionally this method has required access to large and expensive lab equipment. However, many individuals may not have direct access to such equipment, making critical thermal studies difficult-to-impossible to conduct. We present a simple and cost-friendly alternative device to use for critical thermal minima trials. This device uses a cooler with a copper line and copper coil to chill water within an aquarium. A pump and valves control the water flow as it passes from the aquarium through the copper. This allows the user to lower the water temperature in the aquarium from 28(o)C to 0(o)C at a steady rate of 0.23(o)C min(-1). The device allows those with limited funding or without access to traditional lab equipment the ability to perform critical thermal minima trials, expanding our collective understanding of life histories of fish and their potential vulnerabilities to increasingly altered thermal environments.