I've been wondering, just randomly about Betta's and heaters.

So many people keep them without them, so many people wouldn't recomend it.

Whats best?

Either way, for now I'm sticking to my Goldfish, my 5 cats, and my 2 hamsters.

But, I've been considering looking into a betta, that is, after I perfected and or upgraded my current 10 gallon tank.

I think it mostly depends on your betta and how cold it gets. If some one is keeping their betta in less than two gallons, it is hard to find a reliable heater that is safe for a tank that small. That is why I generally advise a 2 gallon minimum...heaters, and most filters won't fit in the tank. Without a filter in something that small, you have to do multiple waterchanges a week. Anyways... it is best to keep a betta between 75-81*F. If it goes below that the betta will become uncomfortable, its immune system could drop and it could get sick, and its metabolism slows so it could get constipation or blockages. I live in AZ so it stays fairly warm for most of the year. My first two bettas lived in bowls (pre-Kokos) and I don't think they ever showed signs of being too cold. However, I bought a betta last year, and a very sensitive one at that One thing I learned he could not stand was cooler temperatures because he would become constipated. He was in a 3 gallon so buying a heater was no problem.

So.... I recomend buying a heater for a betta.

i would recommend a heater cos they originate from tropical temperatures

I agree, I think most people recommend using a heater because after all Bettas are Tropical fish from tropical climates.

Some people do successfully keep their betta at room temperature but that all depends what room temperature is, Bettas really don't like flutuations in temperature and are quite sensitive to them.

Like Kissy says, the main problem with heating is finding the correct size and wattage of heater for tank the betta is living in. In very small tanks like less than 3 gals heating can be difficult and in some cases unsafe, another reason to give your betta more room to begin with.

I bought a little tiny Hydor heater for my 2 gallon betta tank that seems to work well and hardly takes up any space. It has no thermostat though so you have to have a thermometer and keep an eye on the temp. My water was at about 75 before adding the heater and stays at a consistent 81-82 now. When it got really hot here though I had to turn it off for awhile, it almost got to 90. But during the cooler months it has been perfect and my betta is much happier with it. The model is called a Hydor mini 7.2 watt recommended for minimum 2 gallon, max 5 gallon (not sure how well it would heat a 5 though?) Anyway, just thought I'd mention it, and the heater is totally flat so it takes up hardly any space. I think I pais $12.99 for it at a chain store. Good luck!

Here's a picture of my tank, the heater is on the left, it is about as thin as a plastic placemat and can be pressed up against the side of the tank even if it is plastic.



The only thing I don't like about it is that the cord is not detachable and
since the heater and the cord plug are too big to fit through the holes in the lid of the tank I have to bend the cord and cram the lid on over it. But that is more of a problem of my tank than of the heater...

I have two bettas. One in a tropical community tank that has a heater and the other in a 2.5 gallon tank with no heater. The light in that tank does a very good job of keeping the water warm, I've found. And because I live in a good climate, he's doing fine.

If you live in a place that is relatively warm, you can keep your betta without a heater, if you have a tank light, and it will be just fine.

FYI, I live in Southern California.

Good point about it depending on where you live. I live in Seattle where the winter can be pretty mild.

I think all bettas are different too...the one I have just did way better with the heater-he likes to live at 80-82. Before the heater he ate very little and either lay on the bottom of the tank or "hung" at the top like a ragdoll, But I know people who live in colder places than I do and their fish do fine with no heater.

I would maybe say if you have an inactive betta that lays around all the time you might try warming up their water and seeing if it makes a difference. But if your betta is fine and active and eats with no heater, then heck, why mess with a good thing?

Just saying I am not an expert...just things I have learned from experience.

Yeah. Right now, I don't even have the heater on in my tropical tank because the water is at 85 degrees without it. I don't need to heat it up.

3469, the same's going on in in all my tropical tanks. My bigger tanks are all a bit cooler. Still though, my current betta was too sensitive for the cold of Phoenix, AZ winter

I just realized that my betta practically looks dead in that pic above...he was actually darting around the tank and was coming up from the bottom...little bugger would never pose for the camera!

I agree, if you live somewhere with a warmer climate you may not need a heater to actually heat the water.

However, most modern aquarium heaters are heater-stats - they have a a thermostat, so for a lot of the time they will not even be heating the water, but will only kick in when the water temperature drops below the set range. This stops wild flutuations in water temperature, between warmer days and colder days and day and night, that can stress your fish. As we know, bettas are sensitive to environmental changes.

Like you said if you live in a climate where the room temperature is pretty much the same all the time, you will not need to heat the water as such but you still won't want the temp to flutuate too much.

I think it all depends on the individual betta, the environment he's living in and the climate of the area and a bit on your own personal preference on fishkeeping

It may have just been the store I was at, but I was not able to find a heater with a thermostat that was suitable for a 2 gallon tank, most of them were for at least 5 gallons. I would've liked to jhave one that just kicked in if the water got too cool! Do they make heater-stats for very small tanks?

Not that I've ever seen.

I saw one at a nnnnnn once. I think it was made by tetra.

Not sure about whats available where you live, but Vistherm do a 25 Watt heater-stat, but like you said it depends on the tank size you're putting it in as to whether its suitable and safe

I'm contemplating a two gallon set up.
Its a plastic fish bowl with a small, pathetic sponge filter.
I'm not sure about heating for this.

Either way, if I was having problems without the heater, I could move the bowl into the warmer rooms of the house, I just wouldn't be able too look over and see the fish.