Tank Temperature
Bettas require a stable, warm tank temperature between 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature should not vary more than a degree or two from night to day. It is important to keep your betta warm enough, otherwise you may find that your betta becomes lethargic and prone to illness.
Since temperature plays such an important role in your betta’s health, a thermometer is essential to have for your betta’s tank. There are several types of thermometers: stick-on liquid crystal strips, or floating and submersible alcohol-based glass thermometers. While the liquid crystal stick-on type is beneficial to have, these are placed on the outside of the tank and may not be as accurate as a floating or submersible thermometer that is actually placed in the tank water. You can also use a hand-held thermometer to take a sample of tank water and measure the temperature. This device is particularly useful to make sure new water is the correct temperature during water changes.
Heating: Heating a tank under 1-gallon with a tank heater is not recommended, but other options such as waterproof heating pads can be used. One of the downfalls of using a heating pad that you place beneath your tank is that it stays “always on” and will keep heating until you turn it off. If the air temperature is stable however, this method will usually work if you place a towel between the heating pad and bottom of the tank. Heating pads get hot and may be a fire hazard, so test your setup to make sure it appears safe and use at your own risk. It has been suggested that using a 25-watt adjustable heater can be safe in tanks as small as 1-gallon if keeping a consistent, warm temperature is hard for you to acheive otherwise. Since this “technically” is not recommended, use at your own risk and be sure to monitor temperature stability of the tank on a regular basis. Make sure the temperature is correct and stable before adding the fish to the tank as it is never wise to mess with the temperature by more than a few degrees with fish in the water. If you do have to alter the temperature, do it gradually (1 degree each time) over the course of a few hours.
A 2-gallon tank can easily be heated with a 25-watt tank heater that is well-monitored. Anything above a 5-gallon tank can be safely heated; just be sure to monitor for occasional temperature spikes, especially during changes in seasons.
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2 Responses
Winter is Here...Check Your Aquarium Heater | Healthy Betta
December 14th, 2008 at 11:15 am
1[...] more information on keeping your betta warm view the following articles: Betta Care: Tank Temperature Heating Options for Small Fish [...]
Doug Lone
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 am
2I have an idea that I think would work for those who have large spawns of babies that are in individual containers. I plan on trying this the next time I am gone for a few days:
Get a large plastic storage tub which are on sale usually after Christmas. Place your individual 1/2 gallon containers, preferably heavy glass, into one of the tubs. You could place quite a few in each tub. Fill the tub with water maybe half way or so and place a high wattage submersible heater in the tub and maybe a powerhead to cause the water to flow around the containers. Adjust the heater in the surrounding water so that you can attain a temperature in each container a constant 78′ - 80′ by using a thermometer in each glass container. When you achieve the correct inner temperature of the small containers, then you can add your fish. You would not have to use a dangerous space heater while you are away and you could seal the storage tub to keep the air humidity temp high. You would only need one submersible heater so get one that is higher priced with safety auto-off features. This is great for those of us who cannot convince our significant others for a heated fish room and still be able to raise baby bettas!!
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