# Does my betta tank need a heater?



## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

I just recently have a tank and I don't how many gallons but its about 5 buckets of water anyway i'm a lil' bit broke:shock: but does my tank need a heater
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if anyone could tell me where to buy a cheap heater
I really appreciate it
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!:-D


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## BettaGirl290 (Jul 29, 2010)

no, but i would HIGHLY recommend one, or at least a thermometer, i understand if you don't have enough money.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

Any pet store will have heaters, but a good one that will actually work for you will be anywhere from 20-30 bucks. It has to be adjustable. If you give us the dimensions of the tank, we can tell you how many gallons, which will tell us the wattage of heater you need


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## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thank you for your advice I will try to tell you the dimensions as soon as i can


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## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

Okay
Its length is 24 inches, the width is 12 inches, and the height is 13 inches high. I'm only a 12 year old kid that's why I don't know much about them. I sometimes research about them but in each websites they have a bit of differences that counter each other


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

do your parents have an ebay account? sometimes you can find them on there for cheap


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

So you have a 15g tank (approx) First question: Does your room stay at 80*F all the time? If no, then the answer to "do i need a heater" is yes. An adjustable heater is not an absolute. While it's very nice to have, a preset can and does work ok. 

Tetra makes a preset heater that goes for around 20 bucks at walmart. Grab the Tetra 30. It's a 100w heater and would work fine for this tank. 

Other than that, the hagen and eheim jeager heaters are excellent choices.


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

I agree with Jodah. 
If you have betta(s) or other tropical fish, they thrive in temps in the 76-82 range. A preset heater will typically heat the tank a few degrees higher than the surrounding room temp. An adjustable heater will work a little better if your room temp is lower than 73+ (which it tends to be especially in winter)


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## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

Oh so I really need a heater here in baguio(philippines).here in baguio we have approximately 9-12*C this month


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## Brian10962001 (Nov 1, 2011)

mjoy79 said:


> I agree with Jodah.
> If you have betta(s) or other tropical fish, they thrive in temps in the 76-82 range. A preset heater will typically heat the tank a few degrees higher than the surrounding room temp. An adjustable heater will work a little better if your room temp is lower than 73+ (which it tends to be especially in winter)


 
This is one of the biggest misconceptions I see floated around here. A preset heater SHOULD heat the water to its preset temprature, it has no idea what the outside temprature is, only what it's thermostat tells it to shut off at. An inadequate heater will only heat the water to a few degrees above the surrounding temp because its internal thermostat never makes it to the temp required to shut off. 

That being said, your betta should have a heater, but he will certainly won't die without one. Also don't skimp here, you can tell your parents there is a nice Fluval 200 watt on Amazon for 18 bucks, and if they spend 25 it's eligible for free shipping. It's a very nice high quality heater, is adjustable, and will work awesome in a 10 gallon even if it's open top.

The Phillipines you say!? That changes things. I really don't now what you have available there. Are your outlets 220v?


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## bluesushi (Jan 7, 2012)

I'm not sure if this helps, but I found that the cheapest heater at my local pet store was designed for 2-10 gallons and goes under the gravel. It was about 10 dollars canadian and keeps the temperature at a constant 25 celcius (not sure what that is in fahrenheit). I've owned a few bettas in the past and never had a heater. It didn't seem to be a huge issue but my new guy is definitely more active than the other fish i've owned, and I am guessing its because he's a little warmer.

If it's going down to 9 degrees you should try to get one. Another trick is to wrap the fish bowl with a towel over night, this helps keep heat in.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

Keep in mind he said 9-12* Celsius.... which equates to 48-54* F. So, here's the jerk post of the night from me.

Get a freakin heater dude.


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## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

I'm not sure who i will believe its kinda confusing some say i should buy one and some say i shouldn't. well i think i will try both and see which is better for them
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to all who replied in this post
THANK YOU!!!!!


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

acez231 said:


> I'm not sure who i will believe its kinda confusing some say i should buy one and some say i shouldn't. well i think i will try both and see which is better for them
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it comes down to whether the water temp in the tank is at a betta safe level on its own or not. If its too low, you need a heater.
I live in Dallas, TX and its hot a lot here. but during the winter and even the summer since I use air conditioning, I use heaters because without, the water would be too cold.


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## Jodah (Nov 15, 2011)

It's really a simple yes or no answer. If you maintain tank temps 78*F or higher, then no, a heater is not a necessity. If you don't, get a heater.


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## bastage (Oct 16, 2011)

There is not a yes or no answer as of yet.. 

Get a thermometer 1st & put it in the tank.. Watch it for a couple days & see how low the temp goes. 

I can tell you that where I am we are much colder then you are & I keep my house at a steady 72 Fahrenheit. 2 of my tanks do not have heaters & the temp is at 76-80 all the time. 

Unlike others I believe that a little temperature fluctuation is good. The same thing happens in the wild when the sun goes down, especially in standing water such as a rice paddy.


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

The trouble is a rice paddy is quite a large body of water, and while shallow, is usually many miles long.

Fluctuations would happen much more slowly in a rice paddy than in a small aquarium. It is how fast the fluctuations occur, and how big the swing is, which makes them stressful to fish.


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## Supercally12 (Jan 9, 2012)

Hey all. I am a college student who was just given a beautiful Red Betta. I've had him a week and have fallen hard. However, I live in a dorm and only have room for the gallon tank he arrived in. Can anyone give me a good recommendation for a small, adjustable heater? All I've heard of is one from Hydor, but it changes according to room temp and I don't really trust it...


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## Comet1993 (Jul 28, 2011)

The one from Hydor is supposed to heat the tank a few degrees higher than the surrounding area. I have that one; the Hydor Mini Heater. It's in my two-gallon tank, and it keeps the temperature steady. =] It may also help that I have a glass tank, not plastic or acrylic, which holds heat in better. I also have a cover for the top (the plastic bag that my fish came in), and it also seems to help hold in heat and contribute to maintaining humidity for my fish. I put a very thin layer of substrate in the tank, put the little heater in, and cover it will another layer of substrate, and it works just fine. =] Of course, I still keep a thermometer in there and check it periodically. I, too, am paranoid.


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## MandiceP (Jan 7, 2012)

I have the mini Hydor heater attached to the back wall of my glass 2.5 gallon tank for Shruikan and it keeps the tank in the upper 70's. It fluctuates a little but we've been having a strange winter on the east coast and it has been getting colder then warmer so I attribute that to the change in temp in the tank. My divided ten gallon has a cascade adjustable heater rated for a ten gallon tank and I set it to just above 80 degrees and it keeps the water at 78-80 degrees on both sides of the divider. I have it placed on the back wall, vertically on one side of the tank and both sides hold the same exact temp steadily. I think heaters are a good thing to have on hand even if you don't need to use one in the tank all the time. Just a good thing to have in case the fish gets sick and you have to raise the temp to help with the treatments. I would look online for places that ship to you that might have fish accessories for less than the local stores.


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## acez231 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks for your help
even though our temp. got up to 74-80*F
I still feel that a heater is still needed(even though I have one


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## Silverfang (Mar 25, 2011)

I'd recommend a Theo hydor for a small tank, I've got a 25W in my 2.5gal (approx 10L) and it keeps it at a steady 80 degrees. (which I think is roughly 26?).

Simple truth is, unless you live in someplace with constant 80 degrees, yea, a heater is safest.


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