BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Betta Heater

Hi all,

Im a new mom to a lovely Betta. I have a small plastic Betta tank but the water temp is 72 and I think hes cold, he doesnt swim much and he likes to hide away. He looks listless. So I have read that the water needs to be warmer, I have seen light units that fit my tank that warm the water but they are only from petsmart online. I need to warm him up now, how can I do that? please help! Thanks

An easy way to increase the temperature of your small tank is to see if you can move them to a warmer part of your home. This also works if the temperature gets too warm. For instace, my beta's water was getting too warm on the bathroom counter, so now he is on the living room table.

In moving your fish though, be carefull not to put them in direct lighting. While more light will increase the temperature of the tank this is not a good idea.

If this does not work you can always get the heater you found online.

Hope this helps.

Fantails and Betas

Dont use lights as a heat source. They only warm the water when they are on. And you can't leave it on all the time for several reasons, the two primary ones being stress to the fish, and increased algae growth. The hydor mini is a wonderful heater.
https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_heaters_hydor_mini.asp?CartId= (this is the only place I have found them.)

Hope this helps!

Also, there is another heater called the junior heater by jr. aquatics, but I have had trouble with those in the past, as far as over heating.
http://www.jraquatics.com/ (available at walmart)

Of these, I suggest the hydor mini. Its better for smaller tanks, and worth waiting while it ships rather than going to wallyworld for the easier, less reliable model.
What size tank is he in? He may just not have room to swim. IMO (once again, lol, and others may disagree), bettas need at least 2.5 gallons. Also, he should be in filtered water, that helps keep yuckies at bay between water changes. A good filter for the smaller tanks, in my experience is the whisper 3i.
http://www1.shopping.com/xPO-Tetra_Whisper_3I_In_Tank_Power_Filter (available at petsmart)


Hope this all helps!

Hi, thanks for all your advise. I have my little guy in a 1/2 gallon Betta tank. Its plastic so can I still use the hydor mini?

I would be concerned about it. It says it can be used in bowls, but I would really recommend uping it to a 2.5. That is what I have mine it and it works great! Here is one that looks pretty good. I would go for the 2 gallon.

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