# Is 82F too hot?



## kirstian (Jul 29, 2014)

I just bought a small heater (the Marina mini betta heater) for my office betta tank, but when I bought it I wasn't aware that it does not have a temperature control. I turned it on yesterday and by the end of the day the tank water was registering at around 82 degrees, which is right at the cutoff of the "perfect range" for tropical fish marked on my thermometer. I didn't want to fry him overnight so I turned off the heater and when I got in today the water was around 72 degrees, so I turned it back on and now four hours later it's back to 80. 

I'm pretty scared to leave it on over the weekend in case I fry him, and I'm also super surprised that this heater is so effective considering the fact that it's rated for 1.5 gallons on Amazon and I have it in a 3 gallon tank. But I'm wondering if once it reaches 82 it'll just even out and stay there, in which case--is 82 too warm for a betta?


----------



## BettaStarter24 (Mar 24, 2014)

82 degrees is on my high range of where I keep my boys, but it's not too warm for them. I try to keep my boys at 80 degrees. 

I'd recommend getting an adjustable heater when you have the chance as that will relieve most of your worries about overheating. I'd watch it for a few hours, if it evens out at 80-82 and doesn't change it should be fine. The unadjustable i had kept the tank at 80-82 pretty consistently, I think those work at heating 5 degrees above room temperature but i could be wrong. You could also put it on a timer I think but again, I could be wrong there. 

Amazon and dr. foster and smith's site has the Hydor Theo 25W adjustable heater for relatively cheap. I have that one in all but two of my tanks, it is in a 3 gallon tank now and holds it at a steady 80 degrees. 

petsmart has a 50W heater that works well in my 2.5 gallon, the Marineland 50W submersible heater. Visi-therm I think. It would work well in your 3 gallon.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

No. It's on the upper end of the ideal range. Definitely do look into adjustable heaters. They're much better.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

As Matt has said, 82 degrees is towards the upper end of the ideal temperature range for these fish.

What would concern me more is how great the fluctuations in temperature are. 72 - 80 degrees in a matter of hours is quite a jump in temperature. 

The whole reason for using an aquarium heater is to maintain a constant, and consistent temperature. Having to turn a heater on and off to avoid freezing or overheating your fish defeats the purpose of having one in your tank. I would definitely recommend replacing your existing heater with an adjustable one that has an inbuilt thermostat. I would personally never trust a heater that I can't control the temperature of.


----------



## RockstarTrua (Mar 4, 2015)

Definitely do NOT leave that heater on. I bought one of those as my first heater without realizing it wasn't preset; the first night I left it plugged in overnight and when I checked it the next morning it was 86(!) degrees in that 2.5 gallon tank. I had to quickly do a partial water change and immediately bought a preset heater. I tried the mini in my 5 gallon also just for curiosity's sake and the temp made it to 82 in that one. Scary heater.


----------



## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

I don't know why they even sell heaters like that. For a few bucks more get one with a knob.


----------

