# What temp should I keep my betta at?



## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

What temp should I keep him at, Currently the heater is set to 26c.
the LFS said he should just be at room temp. which is around 18-20c

The ones they had in the store looked rather lethargic and dull, hen I got one from there and he is now in his tank he has perked up allot and doesn't just stay in one place.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

I would turn it up to 27 C, bettas are tropical fish and they definitely need water warmer than room temperature to thrive (gotta love LFS advice)


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

babystarz said:


> I would turn it up to 27 C, bettas are tropical fish and they definitely need water warmer than room temperature to thrive (gotta love LFS advice)


I agree, 27 C is a good temperature. I wouldnt let it go less than 25.


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## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

Thanks guys, I will turn the heater up then 
Did seem odd to me that they recommended by not heating the tank so I just heated it to what my community tank is.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

jimbob said:


> Thanks guys, I will turn the heater up then
> Did seem odd to me that they recommended by not heating the tank so I just heated it to what my community tank is.


Did they give you any other "advice" reguarding say, tank size, water changes, feeding, etc.?

Pet store employees are typically clueless about proper betta care.


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## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

What they said:
feeding: once every other day with betta flakes.
water changes: 20% - 30% weekly
Tank size: 6 litres minimum so about 1.5 US gallons
Temp: room temp

I am battling fin rot at the moment as he was in a 1 litre tub which was unfiltered and looked quite dirty. I got did get him at a huge reduction for it, I paid £1 for him instead of £9.99 which is about $15 usd, so I paid $1.50 instead.

How I am keeping him:
feeding: once daily, 4 days of the week 5 betta flakes once daily, 2 days of the week 3 defrosted blood worms.
water changes: 30% weekly
tank size: 33 litres (8 us gallons) and filtered which doesn't cause a big current, With bio media from a cycled established tank.
temp: 26c now 28c as heater doesn't do 27c


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

jimbob said:


> What they said:
> feeding: once every other day with betta flakes.
> water changes: 20% - 30% weekly
> Tank size: 6 litres minimum so about 1.5 US gallons
> ...


He should be fed twice a day for six out of seven days a week. I'd reccomend pellets instead of flakes. With pellets it's easier to ensure he eats the right amount, since flakes can't be properly portioned. I reccomend new life spectrum pellets- you can feed 4 NLS pellets twice daily because the pellets are small.

What are your ammonia, nitrite & nitrate levels showing? If the tank truly is cycled (0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and small levels of nitrate) then you will need to do 1 weekly water change of 25-50% to keep your nitrate low.


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## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 10ppm

did a test with API liquid test kid and waited a few mins and that's my results.

I will have a look for new life spectrum pellets or something for bettas tomorrow as its too late to look today since the shops all shut at 4pm and its 8:20pm now.
Hopefully some of the bigger pet stores will be open tomorrow as its a public holiday.

I do need to do a water changed today but I cant find my syphon so I will have to get another one tomorrow if I don't find it.


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

Ok sounds good 
If you can't find NLS pellets, omega one is another good brand.
You can feed 3 omega one pellets twice daily


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

It sounds like you're doing well, I also recommend the New Life Spectrum pellets. The defrosted bloodworms are excellent too. I just got some myself, along with baby brine shrimp for my fry (who are almost 3 months old now!). Keep an eye on the fin rot, if it gets any worse be sure to post, but it should clear up nicely now that the poor guy is in a bigger tank with clean water. You may want to consider upgrading to an even larger tank later if you have the space. I have successfully kept bettas in 1.5 gallon tanks but it seems to me they have more fun when they have a full 3-5 gallons to zoom around in


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## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

Ive had a look around the pet stores which where open today and none of them sell any betta food.
One store tried to sell me some standard tropical pellets and said they are fine for Bettas. (Nice try mate)

so I am still stuck with Tetra betta flakes from the LFS where I got him from.

I will check at this aquatics store tomorrow after work to see if they have it or if they could order some in.


The blank gunk has gone from his tail so hopefully it will start re-growing soon. Any recommendations on what I can do to help?

I use API stress coat as my conditioner since it removes chloramines which my local water company uses


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## deso (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm assuming you're located in the UK, so if can't find NLS after you visit the aquatics store, I have a great website for you where you can order it. I buy my jars of NLS Betta Formula from them, since the NLS company has no distributors in France. They post quickly and their customer service is brilliant: http://www.ta-aquaculture.co.uk/

Just keep the temperature at a steady 26.5 - 27 degrees and make sure your betta's water is spotlessly clean at all times. That's the best thing you can do to help with his fin rot.


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## jimbob (Jul 8, 2012)

You do assume correct.
I will have to order from there if Maidenhead aquatics doesn't have any


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## deso (Apr 24, 2012)

A post on another forum I was reading says that Maidenhead Aquatics stocks it, but that thread was from 2009, so no guarantees, unfortunately. It's possibly the best commercial pellet food ingredients-wise on the market at present, and I do think it's worth the slightly higher price (as compared to Tetra) and trouble of finding it.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

jimbob said:


> The blank gunk has gone from his tail so hopefully it will start re-growing soon. Any recommendations on what I can do to help?
> 
> I use API stress coat as my conditioner since it removes chloramines which my local water company uses


Since it is improving well on its own, you don't need to do much. Just make sure you're doing frequent water changes and his tail will re-grow well. Dirty water is what got him into that condition, so really all you need to heal him is consistently clean water. 30% water changes twice a week until his tail is well on its way with growing back, then you could probably reduce to one water change weekly. Live plants help with water filtration too, so if you're at all interested you might want to buy an anubias or two.

API stress coat is good, I prefer Prime myself (Seachem products across the board tend to be the best) but if it's not available where you are continue with the API


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