BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish How do you heat your Betta Fishes' water?

<img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" />Hi! I'm the new Fish editor! Nice to meet all of you!

Now that it's almost Christmas and Old Man Winter is breathing down our necks....

Tell us about how you heat your Betta Fishes' water! What type of container, bowl, tank, etc., do you keep them in and what size is it? <img src="/images/graemlins/beamedup.gif" alt="" />

Do you use a heater and if so - what type? What is the weather like where you live and what temperature do you keep your home air temperature? These are things that can effect your water temperature! <img src="/images/graemlins/heart.gif" alt="" />

What kind of thermometer do you use to check the water temperature and at what temperature do you keep your fishes' water? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

How is your whole keeping the fishies' water temperature situation working out for you and your fishy babies? <img src="/images/graemlins/music.gif" alt="" />

-Mary <img src="/images/graemlins/fish.gif" alt="" />

I have a Hydor mini heater and really like it. It's a fixed temp heater, so it's only to be used in a small tank when the room temp is under about 75 degrees. I have a 2.5 gal tank for a single male betta (Claude Monet) and it keeps his tank at a comfy 78 at night, then with the light on during the day it goes up to about 80. I have it under the gravel, under the filter - one evening I saw Claude hovering between the heater and the filter intake (maybe he thought it was his own hot tub! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm in FL, so we only use it periodically but it's also great for heating up a changing bowl when cleaning the tank, then heating the tank water to assure a good match on temps before putting Claude back in the tank. I check the temp in the tank multiple times a day as well.

Keeping a small tank toasty is a challenge, but worth it to keep our babies happy!
Cheryl

I get pretty creative when it comes to matching the water temps during water changes. What I normally do is fill one or two empty 2 liter soda bottles with filtered water. I then put a floating glass thermometer in one of the bottles then put one or both bottles into a large bucket filled with hot tap water. After about 15 minutes the water in the bottles will be warm enough for it to be poured into the tank. I do this before I start draining the tank so when the bottles are ready I just drain and refill the tank. I have small 2.5 gallon tanks that's why I use the 2 liter bottles instead of 1 gallon plastic containers.

I only have two tanks right now and am using a 7.5W Hydor Mini in one and a 25W Stealth in the other. I'll be adding a couple more small tanks soon and will probalby just stick with the Stealth heaters.

Wow! I've also heard that some refrigerators are warm enough on the side to heat a Betta tank 5 degrees warmer than the air temperature! So depending on your refrigerator and your room, for some people, that can be just right for their fish's water temperature. You'd have to monitor it soooooo closely and carefully, though. I'd say that would only be o.k. for a short time until you figure out just the right method and equipment for your particular fish and situation.

Exactly! We don't want our babies too cold, but we also don't want to poach them! <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

A lesson in what not to do...for everyones holiday shudder... <sigh>

I have a bad situation heater wise here. The heater that came with the 10 gal TopFin starter kit is what I've been using...it's 50W.

I've ordered a 25W stealth and it's on its way. I'm not comfortable with the 50W since the ambient temp in the room the tank's in is always over 75. If the heater malfunctions by chance, fried fish and NOT the kind I care to eat. For me, a 50W heater is too high wattage for a 10 gal. tank in a warm room.

Worst...the 50W heater is in the 2gal container that Zen's in right now!! I know that's WAY too much for that size. I check the temp on the inside mounted thermometer all day, everyday. Can't wait for the 25W to get here to change that situation.

I'm in Florida so it's plenty warm here and I keep it warmish in my office where Zen's tank is.

Welcome to Fish Editorhood <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

What's the update on your 24W stealth? Did you receive it and install it? How is it working out for you? How is Zen? That's a wonderful name!