Bettas need heat!!!

C

ChilDawg

Math is sexy.
Dec 26, 2002
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Byron and Normal (IL)
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Yeah, that's a "No, duh." I noticed this morning, though, that Patriot wasn't doing so hot...he was less active than usual. I figured that it might have been the lighting or maybe the decreased amount of food, but I went straight for one place in the room. Sure enough, the thermostat was low (71*F).

College kids and people with roommates, if you have a Betta in a small, unheated tank, make sure that that thermostat isn't being moved down! My suitemates and I are going to have a talk about that, as I can't easily put a heater on my 2-1/2 gallon. (I can, however, turn on the incandescent lighting for a bit daily, but that might heat it too much.)

That is another reason why I'd recommend heated tanks for Bettas. It just happened that I was forced into getting one cheaply and quickly because of his belligerence. I'm getting a thermometer for it on Sunday, and then I'm going to talk with my roomies when they get back on Monday.

I just thought that you should know...learning from my negative experiences has helped a few people this week...hopefully, since this experience wasn't hugely deleterious, people can learn from it, too!

~Matthew
 
Thanks, anonapersona, but those are really overpowered for a 2.5 gallon since they're at 10 or 20 W/gallon.
 
I should ask, though, if anyone has used these for a 2.5 and, if so, if they have had any problems...
 
The 10 watts will work, but they have to be montiored. I use one in my tank, but have it on a timer so it's only on during the night. The light keeps the tank a pretty steady temperature during the day, and I've only seen the heater come on at night maybe once or twice.

There are very small heaters, that say they are for 2.5 gallon tanks, but I don't recommend one. Most of these are not adjustable, and tend to stay on all the time--bad news in a small tank. I tried one, and it got my tank up to 90!
 
If I'm dealing with a thermostat, do I need one?

If the thermostat dies, there won't be power in the rest of the room anyway, but should I have a backup heater like the Drs. Foster and Smith model anyway?
 
That's adjustable

Clink that link and you'll see that this an an adjustable, submersible heater, with accuracy of +/- 0.5 degrees.

My daughter has them in her 2 1/2 gallon tanks, but a new addition so not tested thru the winter. Recommended from another betta board.

I think there are smaller heaters than this, but they are not adjustable and as OrionGirl said, would need to be monitored pretty carefully.

As for overpowered, well, you want the heater to keep the fish warm even if the room is cold, which is harder to do with a tiny tank. Still, failure is a bad thing, whether failed on or failed off.
 
I understood that part, but I am cautious about using heaters that are rated to a number of watts well beyond what the tank is supposed to be able to take...the fact that it is recommended throughout boards and by you...and used in your tanks...is helpful and tells me good things about it. I appreciate the suggestion and corroboration, and I will be purchasing one of them soon after the consultation. Thanks for your help, anonapersona! I apologize for questioning you.
 
Childawg, I've had the 25w Hagen in my 2.5 gallon beta tank for more than 6 months. It works great, never had a problem with it overheating the tank, and Milo loves it. I think you will too!!
 
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