# Keeping bettas outside?



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

I live in an apartment therefore space is limited inside. Really we can only hold the (2) 2.5 gallons and a 10 gallon tank. Of course, I could *cram* in more but this already is crowded.

Also, water changes can get messy. Water drips on the floor and such and my mom is paranoid about "fish disease" spreading to us making us ill. Not to mention because the apartment is so small the few tanks I have now make it so hot and humid. The negatives just pile up... :-?

So I was wondering, can I keep some outside?? The reason I'm concerned is where I live in summer it isn't unlikely to get to be 110*. How hot is too hot for them? Because I can see about getting a screen &/or some kind of fan to put out there with them. 

Any input welcome!!​


----------



## Canuck Fins (Oct 5, 2010)

The optimal temperature for a betta is between 76* and 82*. I don't know about keeping them outside because in my climate it's just not an option. The other concern outside is that in direct sun, you will get more algae growing in the water. 

I'm sure someone will chime in who has experience with outdoor bettas.


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

They won't be in direct sun ever. Even without a shade screen the patio never gets direct sun.


----------



## gmd1800 (Feb 19, 2011)

You could talk to OFL - I'm pretty sure she keeps bettas outside (growout and otherwise). I THINK, but am not positive, that MrVampire does the same. These are people you could ask.


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Thanks! Some have informed me 90* and so are perfectly fine as long as it doesn't jump up to that. So I'm wondering how hot is too hot and what precaution measures I should take before doing so. I've also (I don't know if this is correct or not) been informed by other members that Thailand bettas are good for this because they are kept outside already in warm climates.

A question for anybody; in the winter it definintely gets chilly at night-time. Should I just put in & remove the heaters as needed, or is this stressful to the fish?


----------



## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

In the winter you would need to bring your fish inside. I wouldnt do it. :/ There would me so many temperature swings, bugs getting in the water, ect. The fish would just be stressed. Even a Thailand betta would be.


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

"Cold" I mean to be 70*, by the way, not like 50*. 80* is cold to me, hahah! <-- NIGHT TIME TEMP! In the winter day time temp is around 78* or warmer. And the temperatures stay pretty regular unless we have a storm coming through in which I would bring them inside. (We have a couple weeks of "monsoon season" in July but we didn't last year.) Our weather is pretty predictable. We never get rain (except a few times a year), never snows, etc. We do get wind spells but I figured because it's completely covered and sheltered plus the screen the wind wouldn't bother anybody. 

All their tanks would be fully covered, be closely monitered, and I'm obsessive with water changes. :S 

Also, the door is a sliding glass door. The patio is completely visible by where I sit in the living room. So if something were going on I could see. Nothing can get on the patio, we're two stories up, except birds which I figured the screen would prevent them from getting in. 

More opinions? :3


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

In my area we get extreme weather changes form day to day...week to week...etc....laffs.....

I have been successfully keeping Bettas outside in the warmer months for many years with water temps ranging from 50'sF at night and 100'sF during the day and the past month we have had a cold spell and the water temp has dipped down to the low 60'sF and the Bettas have tolerated it fine, however, some guppies died and thought they would have tolerated the cooler water better than the Bettas...guess not....lol......anyway....

I use 5gal buckets with oak leaves in the bottom with floating plants and rooted plants that I leave floating...I not only keep the Bettas in these buckets but I also spawn them, usually 2-3 females to 1 male-multi spawns and fry all spring/summer into early fall get moved either inside or to other buckets or the 250gal I have outside......water temp from day to night can vary 20-30 degrees especially if we get lucky and it rains...lol.....have never lost a Betta in these outside setups.....I keep most of them on the west and north side of the house/shed so they don't get direct sun for more than a couple of hours if any...depending on how full the trees are with leaves....

When keeping Bettas outside-monitor them and the water temp...but don't stress too much unless the fish is stressing....the gradual temp changes from day and night and the slow rise in temp as the outside temp rises is usually tolerated by a healthy Betta...I stress Healthy.....an already compromised fish may not do well.
Try to avoid too much direct sun as this can heat the water up pretty fast......but you know this already....make sure the container has some type of overflow with a strainer of some type so if it does rain and the container fills with water it doesn't wash the Betta out

I don't use lids or screens of any type on mine...I want bugs to lay eggs in the containers for fish food.....if you are spawning as long as you keep the adults in the containers with the fry the adults should tank care of any predator type bugs like dragonfly/damsilyfly nymps that can wipe out young or small fish.......this can be a problem but usually the adults will eat the nymps before they get big enough to do much damage...that said...dragonfly nymps can still get big enough to take out even an adult Betta......

I don't do water changes per se' on my outside buckets as long as I am getting rain-if no rain for a week I will add water due to evaporation or from the animals that drink from the buckets.....but I also use lots of live plants and they function as natural filtration of sorts to keep the water safe.....usually the water is so dark you can't see further than an inch or two due to the tannins from the oak leaves....lol.....and the Bettas love this......

In one of the outside containers I use..its an old sandbox shaped like a turtle-about 10 inches deep that I keep multi males and female in-I placed a couple of logs with bark from the wood pile I use in the fireplace and the dogs get in this one to cool off and the Bettas tolerate it fine and still reproduce, however, not as well as the other container I use.....

Around my house if it holds water it has something aquatic in it...be it fish, plants or bugs being grown for fish food.....lol......

My Bettas don't get sick or die un-natural deaths, they don't get disease or parasites-they grow fast and reproduce all in dark tanned water full of bugs with varied water temps....if at any time they look to be stressed or having problems that will be taken care of and treated...but this rarely if ever is needed......

Watch the fish and they will tell you by their behavior if they have a problem........


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

Oldfishlady said:


> In my area we get extreme weather changes form day to day...week to week...etc....laffs.....
> 
> I have been successfully keeping Bettas outside in the warmer months for many years with water temps ranging from 50'sF at night and 100'sF during the day and the past month we have had a cold spell and the water temp has dipped down to the low 60'sF and the Bettas have tolerated it fine, however, some guppies died and thought they would have tolerated the cooler water better than the Bettas...guess not....lol......anyway....
> 
> ...


Wow!! I want to live at your place, LOL!

How does the no lid/screen work? Have you ever had any jump out?? Because it not I'd probably just stock up on some 10 gallons from PetCo or something to use... 

All my tanks would be filtered, by the way. If that makes a difference?

Also, my temperatures never fluctuate by that much. I've lived here 11 years of my life and barely seen any extremes. 

I'd like to ask about first receiving a fish. Should I keep that fish inside for a couple weeks to moniter? Then with a health clear send him/her outside? How long would you suggest I do this for? I will most likely have a couple tanks open at a time inside so this won't be a problem at all.


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I don't having jumping out problems-but I also don't fill the buckets up all the way...usually an inch or so from the top and I have floating plants that help to make them feel more secure-the plants cover the entire top of the water surface...give or take...this also provide shade of sorts as well as nesting sites.....

I don't use filtration on any of my outside containers and very few in the house for that matter...well except for the live plants...they do most of the filtration.....

I would keep them in QT under observation in the house for a week or so to make sure they are healthy and eating....but, if you keep the lid off the outside tanks and turn off the filters- you will get mosquito larva and a great food that will help to build a strong immune response and if the fish is a picky eater...99.9% of the time they will eat the larva.....this is a great natural food source that is relished by Bettas.......and really great for a sick, weak, compromised fish to help get them on the road to recovery.....not to mention spawning condition......


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

So basically a 10 gallon tank without a lid or a filter unit with live plants is good? I'd probably cover the top with something like duckweed or anacharis... What do you use?? 

Should I go for an inch and a half of water from the top for good measure? I have a known jumper in my hands, therefore is a mesh lid with holes about an inch wide work? Will mosquitos still lay their eggs?? Also, I think having a protective lid will keep the birds away when I have the screen up for light.


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

I use water lettuce, frogbit, duckweed and clipping from my rooted plants in the house that I leave floating

Inch and half should be good along with floating plants.....

For mosquito to lay eggs they like/need calm water-if you want lots of larva-setup the tank-just water for a week or so before you add fish, plants etc.....this will get it seeded.....

I have never had bird problems......but I have lots of cats that keep them away...lol....what kind of birds??? pigeons...maybe.....I live in the woods so apt second story- don't know much about the wildlife....laffs.....


----------



## laughing (Mar 12, 2011)

No like... Hmm... I don't know what they are! More "finch" like. I don't think they'll eat the bettas, but rather be obnoxious. The pigeons stay on the ground!


----------

