# Heating a bowl? O.o



## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I recently got a male betta fish for myself after my gerbil had passed on. Right now he's in a big... Trifle bowl? Either way, it needs to be heated because it is COLD and winter's coming up. Thing is, how do I heat this?:










I know the picture isn't the best, I had to resort to using my phone. To give you an idea, the small blue plant is five or six inches high.

Thanks in advance :3


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

I would just get a tank.... I'm not fond of bowls. They heat awfully. Because most bowls are glass, almost impossible to heat. Not to mention just a plain bad home for Bettas. He could also jump out..

So yeah. Best bed is to get an easy-to-heat acrylic tank.


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## LaLaLeyla (Aug 17, 2011)

I'm sure you could find some bowl heaters at petsmart, but I agree with Miah. Upgrade to adleast a 1 gallon tank. Those will be much easier heat.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

:3 Kritter keepers are awesome. You can get very spacious cheap ones that are 3 gallons. Easy to heat. Honestly I think it could be heated with a lamp if the lamp got hot enough and you left it on all day.


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## LaLaLeyla (Aug 17, 2011)

Yep I have a heater in my bettas 1 gallon kritter keeper. Works wonderfully.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

thanks for the opinions, guys. This home is temporary though, just until I can afford a proper tank (I'm soooo broke D or convince my mom that yes, one betta can have a 10 gallon all to himself. The ten gal was a gerbil tank before, so it would need a filter, heater, and just a plain old scrubbing. Actually, is there any way to convince her? She really thinks I need an indoor herb terrarium -_______-"


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

BORRRING! Herbs. Lamo.

I would just tell her that you could also get Tankmates for the betta to make it cooler and that he would thrive in that tank. Do some research and come up with some facts about why that tank is too small, and tell her he'll freeze to death in there! 

Good luck.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I WOOOON! My brother still has the filter for that tank, and I have a temporary heat bulb in the tank lamp. YES!


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Yaya! Remember to cycle it. He can last a little longer in that bowl. Maybe you can get something to jump-start the cycle so he doesn't have to freeze his ass off when its winter. Cycling takes a long time! Lol.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Is it a good idea to nab some of the gravel from my brother's 20 gal? It's been up and running for a while so that would be seeded ^______^


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

A very good idea. If it is cycled THAT with kick start the cycle. Also if you could get any used filter media that was in a cycled tank. Don't rinse the gravel out unless one of the fish is or was sick and it wasn't already cleaned.


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## valleyankee (Oct 21, 2011)

Go to a Home Goods store. They have lots of big glass vases that you can use. I found one that is about 2 gallons that is perfect. You can get one for about $12.99. I added a heater from Petco called the 7.5 watt Hydor heater. It's only about $10. Petsmart has one like it from Zoo Med for $15. 

Here it is - http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=84774

Add a bag of gravel, a small ornamet and a bushy plant. If you want to get fancy get a bag of large rocks and add a few. 

You can do all this for under $50.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Is there a way to cycle without a test kit? I'm very broke and my mom is not exactly *ahem* willing to donate to my cause. I only start working in March, so I'm getting a teensy bit desperate. I just want Comet to be happy.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Cute name. Comet. Lol. 

Well, you could try it, but its risky. I used to get free ones from Petsmart. They will also test your water for free. So if you have a PetSmart or PetCo, just go there and it gets tested for free! They also usually give you some to take home if you tell them that you have none.


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> :3 Kritter keepers are awesome. You can get very spacious cheap ones that are 3 gallons. Easy to heat. Honestly I think it could be heated with a lamp if the lamp got hot enough and you left it on all day.
> +1
> 
> 
> ...


I agree with all that's been said so far. Hopefully you can get a better tank soon


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

True. True. Lol.


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## jman828 (Aug 15, 2011)

Just a guess.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Wouldn't be surprised.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Thanks guys ^w^ So a recap of what happened on my end:

- Old 10 gal gerbil tank is getting Comet put in it.
Which means there's a lot of cleaning ahead.
- I am broke but my brother, who has been into fish longer than I have, can pull momma's strings because she trusts his judgement more than her crazy vegetarian teenage daughter.
- My mom thinks the nitrogen cycle is pretty much made up -______-" but petsmart people are yay! Too bad we don't go often enough...


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

So you can't cycle it? 

Nitrogen cycle is the life source of a thriving tank!


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I definitely *will* cycle it, but there will be very many melodramatics and heavy sighs and complaints from the 'rents. Nothing out of the ordinary ^__^" it's better to do an "imaginary" cycle then to risk killing my bud. We're going to Big Al's fish place thing so I'll just get a master kit or something of the sort.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

If you are going to buy a kit, get a liquid one. Pretty darn expensive, but SO accurate.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I'll do my best, but if I get one at all I really can't complain >__> strips are really annoying, but I'll just taunt them with the thought of driving to petsmart every other day to get the water checked lol


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

If you can't get a test kit, I wouldn't worry too much over it. As soon as you put the filter in, it will begin to cycle anyway. The solution? Daily 25% water changes. It will slow the cycle down but it will also keep the water safe enough for your betta. If you can get a test kit, great, but don't kill yourself over it. If you can get a good water conditioner like Prime that detoxifies ammonia, it will be fine. Bettas are hardy. I'm not saying it's fine to deliberately expose them to high concentrations of ammonia, but they will quite happily deal with a cycle in a 10 gallon tank with daily water changes. 

I would prioritise getting a heater over a test kit. Lamps are all well and good, but there are two problems:
- you can't control how much heat they are giving off, so you could cook your betta
- you have to turn them off at night to allow your betta to rest. Leaving the light on will exhaust it.

A 50 watt heater is a much more important purchase than a test kit, if you have to choose between them.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

True.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I can afford to cycle without the fish in, which would probably be best because I definitely can't guarantee that I could have time to do the daily 25% change. I might be able to get a heater, hopefully soon, but my best bet is Christmas, which is not exactly great. I'll monitor the heat best I can at the moment, and get a thermometer. 
A heater shouldn't be too big of a deal, though. I'm just worried that I don't have enough decorations for the poor little guy, considering the two plants he has now required a little pleading. I'll probably just take one or two of the plants from the 20 gal that my brother has, and that'll probably help with the cycling.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

By Christmas will probably be when the tank is almost done cycling fishless...


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## jessiepbg (Nov 13, 2010)

Will a Betta put enough ammonia in the water to cycle a 10 gallon within a reasonable amount of time? If I were in this situation, I would try to get a heater(and a floating thermometer, they're like $2) and some sort of test kit for that 10 gallon, get it up to temperature and put him in it. Keep an eye on the ammonia levels and just do small water changes if there's measurable ammonia in the tank. If I'm wrong and it does start to cycle, you'll start seeing nitrite and then nitrates on your test kit, at which point you'll just want to make sure the nitrites don't get too high.

I keep my bettas in 3 gallon kritter keepers and they really only need a good percentage water change every week, so I can't imagine you'll really need to do a ton of water changes in a 10 gallon. If you ever want to add tank mates, like Corydoras, you'll definitely want to complete a cycle before introducing them.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Now that I think about it, I probably won't be able to even set up the 10 gal until Christmas. We barely have enough substrate for his bowl as it is, so I need to get the supplies *before* I can consider cycling. I'll keep you guys updated, but for the time being he's stuck in his bowl :c He's a WalMart rescue, so he's doing a lot better. He was pale when I got him, but he's purple and blue now  he'll be fine for a while, at least.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

You don't need all that substrate and stuff now. The most important thing is getting it cycling.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Alright. I'm cleaning out the old gerbil things today, and hopefully it'll be up and cycling by Monday. At least it'll be kickstarted by the time I get a heater or a test kit. I'm really stumped as to what to use for an ammonia source, though o.o


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

You can put fish food in it and just it rot. It'll make ammonia.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Sounds simple enough  just feed the tank at the same time I feed Comet. Thanks so much for your help, guys! I'll be around


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Lol. Yep! I wouldn't put too much in though. Like 10-20 pellets should be good.


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Oh, alright. Haha, I feel like Comet's is going to get quite spoiled having a big 10 gallon all to himself. Maybe I'll rescue my brother's poor betta and divide the tank. He's been living in a little bowl with no heater, filter, water changes or anything, poor dear ;c


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

O.e yeah, that would be good. then you could have 2 spoiled little bettas!


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

Yes  Although, he seems a tad sick. I'm sure that if I "adopt" him, and start doing the water changes etc. he'll get better. He has pale spots on his fins, but we'll see what happens.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Pale spots? He could just be stressed and losing color..


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

True. It looks like the plant he's with is shredding his tail... But I have a problem. There's no way to get him out of the bowl, because the opening's too small to get a net in. He's not exactly happy, either, because he just flares at me and glares whenever he sees me.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Then fill a cup or jar or something with water and pour him into it. 

If you can't get a net it, THAT is insanely small. How many gallons is it?


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## Mikkisaur (Nov 11, 2011)

I'm not sure, but the neck of the bowl is too small to fit a net in. Looking online, it looks like a half gallon, so that's no good. He just got cleaned, I ended up picking him up in my hand. His plant was way too rough, so we traded it out with another in one of the other tanks. I'll try and keep him happy the best I can until he can move to the ten gallon.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Cool. Make sure he stays warm too.


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