# The Importance Of a Heater



## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

First off, *I will not argue with you about heaters*, I have better things to do with my life.
A heater is very important to the health of your betta. Small tanks (under a gallon) are nearly impossible to safely heat. Breeders that keep fish in cups have heated "fishrooms". There are a few heaters out there that are rated for under 5 gallons. *These are unajustable and must be watched incase the heater dies or overheats.*

Here are a few heaters that I know of:
1-5 gallons:
-Hydor mini heater (7.5 watts)
-Aqueon mini heater ( 10 watts)
- Zoo Med betta bowl heater (7.5 watts)
- Deep Blue Pro mini heater (7.5 watts)

5-10 gallons:
-Tetra Submursible heater (50 watts)
-Cascade Heater (50 watts)
-Top Fin 10 gallon heater (50 watts)
-Bci Ht10 (50 watts)

10-20 gallons:
-Top Fin Submursible heater (100 watts)
-Cascade Heaters (100 watts)

Bettas are tropical fish. *" Tropical Fish" does not mean cool or exotic, it means they need a heater. *Bettas will become lethargic and stressed without a heater, resulting in illness. 
Lastly this is just a post, if your betta gets sick and/or dies after you get them a heater *IT ISNT MY FALT*, I didnt put the heater in your tank, did I? Thanks for your time.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

I completely agree with you on the need for a heater. In fact I believe that all fish tanks (with the exception of true coldwater fish) should be heated. I even have a heater for my goldfish tank. I would like to add some very reliable heaters to your list. They are expensive but worth it. 

Aqueon Pro 50 watt for 10 gallons. I have one in a betta tank, another in my 29 gal community, and a third in my goldfish tank. 

Fluval Submersible Glass M50 for 10 gallons. I have one of these in a betta tank. 

Both of these heaters come in models up to 300 watts (for significantly larger tanks).


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good information.


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## Wolfie305 (Jan 31, 2012)

Great info on heaters. I use "Elite Submersible Pre-Set Aquarium Heaters" for my bettas (5.5 gallon and 2.5 gallon tanks) and they've worked great so far. They can be adjusted.

Izzy - you have one for your goldfish? Is this something you would recommend? I thought they generally liked cooler waters; or are you using it to keep a consistent temperature? 

I know that whenever I do water changes, their water is pretty warm. I put coldish water back in to keep my bacteria levels down while my tank cycles, but I also thought they liked it cold 

O_O


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I don't know if I would suggest the tetra pre-set heaters. I have a 50 watt one in a ONE GALLON and it can't even heat it above 74. 


I got most of mine off ebay since the local selection was lacking and WAY overpriced.

If suggest these if you happen to come across them on ebay - I don't think they actually make them anymore. Out of all the ones I have, they are the best at keeping the water at the set temp. The drawback is they are both quite long so they may not fit into smaller tanks. I have them in petco petkeepers - XL? The largest ones they make with blue lids.

Marineland stealth shatterproof 25 watt heater
Marineland Nepture 25 watt heater

Also, the Hagen Elite 25 watt is a good one too. I have several and have no real issues other then you are guessing when you set the temp since there are no numbers on the dial. Plus they are short so they would work for smaller tanks. I had one in a 1 gallon but set it quite low so it wouldn't fry the fish. it stayed at about 79/80

I also have a top fin 50 watt heater in a 5 gallon. It works fairly good but its not as spot on with the temp as some of the others are. I also got it off ebay 

NOTE: if you do get one off ebay, there are several sellers in Hong Kong/China. Make sure you get one that uses the correct voltage for your country. Alot of the Asian sellers carry both voltage systems.


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## Emmahlee (Feb 28, 2012)

My heater is stuffing up and I have a 3.5 gallon tank. how many watts would be suitable for the size of my tank? :s


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Wolfie305 said:


> Great info on heaters. I use "Elite Submersible Pre-Set Aquarium Heaters" for my bettas (5.5 gallon and 2.5 gallon tanks) and they've worked great so far. They can be adjusted.
> 
> Izzy - you have one for your goldfish? Is this something you would recommend? I thought they generally liked cooler waters; or are you using it to keep a consistent temperature?
> 
> ...


Heaters are really only need with fancies. Commons are much more hardy and can take lower temps (all the way down to freezing in fact). I only have my heater on in the winter and when the temps are changing in the summer. My house is pretty cold during these times, so I need a heater to keep my tanks around 73F. For your little Ro I wouldn't get a heater unless your room temp fluctuates wildly. 

Common goldfish like the temp at basically whatever you set it as long as they get fed lol! One of the reasons we keep goldfish at lower temps is because at a higher temp we need to feed the fish more to keep them from loosing weight. And of course more food means more waste. And at a higher temp, the fish takes more oxygen which competes with the BB. To make it even worse, at a high temp water doesn't hold oxygen as well. This whole mess can lead to a fish death catastrophe. So it's just best to keep goldfish in the lower 70's and upper 60's. This sometimes means getting a heater if you have fancies and don't like to run the heat.


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## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

Tikibird: to be honest I've never had that heater... I have two 2.5 gallons and use the Zoo Med heaters. 

Thanks everyone for the heater recomendations! I'm on an iPhone so sorry for any typos.


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## happypappy (Apr 5, 2012)

Heaters!
I am looking for one that works in 2 gal. So far I am not satisfied. My last try was the Marineland mini heater 10w. I unplugged it after the temp reached 85 and was still climbing

I heard the hydro 7w is good -- any opinions?!


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## Matilda (Apr 25, 2012)

Deep Blue also makes 15, 30 & 60 watt heaters like the 7.5 one. They are non-adjustable so it would depend on the ambient room temperature as to how hot they will heat the tank. I know people who have them on timers so it doesn't get too hot.

I have a Cascade 25w in my 5 gallon that works great. I bought it in December & I haven't had a lick of trouble with it.
http://www.kensfish.com/product117.html

I just bought one of those Tetra 2-10 heaters from Wally World for my little 2 gallon hex & I'm not happy with it, it won't go over 76 degrees. So far my new betta baby seems happy & very active but I dunno.


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## Wolfie305 (Jan 31, 2012)

Izzy - Always learn something from you  Great to know


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

Hydor Theo, cannot recommend them enough! I've got two, and will probably order a third this fall. I've got one of the Fluval M series, and once going it is quite reliable.

Hydor Theo 25W, will keep my 2.5 at a steady 81 degrees, he's happy as a clam.

I would be cautious about listing top fin, I've heard of a few people getting "bad" ones that cause chemical burns.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

Wolfie305 said:


> Izzy - Always learn something from you  Great to know


Glad to help! ^-^ Never stop learning!! It's a philosophy I live by. 

Good to know the Hydor Theos are good. DrsFosterandSmith have them on sale right now, and I think I need to get one as my ZooMed heating pad has gone out on me. 

Anyone heard anything about this heater: Aquarium Heaters & Water Temperature: Mini Aquarium Heaters ?


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> I would be cautious about listing top fin, I've heard of a few people getting "bad" ones that cause chemical burns.


Hmmm....I didn't know that. I haven't had any problems with it. The only one I had issues with was a 100 watt that SHATTERED inside my 20 gallon. It was some random brand. My tank reeked for like a month


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## shadowpony (Apr 15, 2012)

I've only had one Top Fin heater, but it worked great for me. I used it until the fish died and I was to sad to restock it. Thanks for the warning!


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