Is 74 too cold for a betta?

Thanks again, everyone. If I do decide to get a betta, I will definitely get a heater. As for my 55 gallon, I've been debating this for a while, and I've been on the verge of buying a heater many times. But I keep track of the temp, and it stays quite consistent. It stays right at 80 from April to October, sometimes climbing to 81. I add bottles of ice if it starts to get higher.
And from around November to March, it stays at 74 during the day, and drops to 73 overnight.
After thinking about this thread (and getting more advice from jpappy and 7itanium, whom I pm'd) I'll be buying a heater for my 55 to use next October, so that I can have some more control over the period from late October to early November, when the temp initially starts to shift from 80 to 74. That way, I can make sure the shift happens smoothly and gradually.
And, like I said, if I get a betta, I'll get a heater for the 20 as well, and keep the temp above 78.
 
my bettas tank was always around 80 or so, seemed to be his optimal temperature. my community tanks are around 78 or so as this seems to be a happy medium for most of my fish. The amazing thing about heaters is that they turn off when the tank gets too hot :) so for those hot months, you wont need a heater.

I have all my tanks in AZ and in the summer it gets pretty hot, my heater on my one tank almost never kicks on, but its also a matter of keeping the ambient room temp constant too.
 
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents even though you already made the right decision. At first, I didn't have a heater on my betta tank at work. The temp during the day was 76, but at night it would drop because they lower the heat/air depending on the season. So, it would drop sometimes to as low as 70. My poor betta was always sluggish and faded. Once I added the heater, which kept it at 80, he colored right back up and became the king of the tank (even though he was the only one in there, lol). He was much more active and just seemed more healthy.
 
SuBXeRo said:
but its also a matter of keeping the ambient room temp constant too.
Click to expand...

That's the thing, my apartment (like many others here) has no heating or air conditioning. All I have are lots of windows :). So my home's ambient temp is whatever the temp is outside--although fortunately the temp outside is tropical. :evil_lol:

We have two seasons here: rainy and dry. Even though my tanks are quite stable, there's a period between late October and early November, when the tank shifts from its dry season temps (80-81) to its rainy season temps (73-74). The temp them shifts back up in late April/early May.
After reading this thread, I may get a heater for my 55, and set it at 73, and then I guess it will never kick on, but it will be there just in case. Plus I will use it in late October to help regulate the seasonal shift.
And, if I do get the betta, I will definitely get a heater and set it at 80, and I guess that it will only run during the rainy season.
So, thanks for all the advice! I don't have the betta yet--I have to rehome those platy fry first, and buy the heater. But I'll post pics once I get him.
 
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