Bettas and Temp swings

[Dan White]

I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they tell
you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as decoration,
and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
do seem to know their stuff.

thanks!
dwhite

[Gill Passman]

Dan White wrote:
> I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
> mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
> betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
> betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
> night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they tell
> you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as decoration,
> and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
> wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
> do seem to know their stuff.
>
> thanks!
> dwhite
>
>
I keep my bettas in 5 gall heated tanks FWIW. Never considered not
having a heater.

Gill

[default]

Dan White wrote:
> I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
> mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
> betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
> betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
> night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they tell
> you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as decoration,
> and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
> wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
> do seem to know their stuff.
>
> thanks!
> dwhite

Hi Dan, I'm not a betta guy (yet) but I do have some experience to
share. I'm sure the bowl your looking at is a simple fish bowl and
very inexpensive. It will no doubt follow the room temp. throughout
the day and night. If the temp drop is too severe, then I'm sure ich
is a very probable occurance. Sure, bettas live outside and _can_
withstand temp. flucuations, but many die in the wild too. Is an
Eclipse 3 system out of the question? I got mine for about $50 and
think it's the greatest thing since Dilbert. :) Here's a picture of
mine on my desk at work.
http://www.geocities.com/erviservy/cubicleFeb10b.jpg
I'm sure a betta would think he's in paradise in there.

steve

[Bill Stock]

"default" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Dan White wrote:
>> I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone
>> wouldn't
>> mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
>> betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
>> betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
>> night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they
>> tell
>> you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as
>> decoration,
>> and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys
>> are
>> wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and
>> they
>> do seem to know their stuff.
>>
>> thanks!
>> dwhite
>
> Hi Dan, I'm not a betta guy (yet) but I do have some experience to
> share. I'm sure the bowl your looking at is a simple fish bowl and
> very inexpensive. It will no doubt follow the room temp. throughout
> the day and night. If the temp drop is too severe, then I'm sure ich
> is a very probable occurance. Sure, bettas live outside and _can_
> withstand temp. flucuations, but many die in the wild too. Is an
> Eclipse 3 system out of the question? I got mine for about $50 and
> think it's the greatest thing since Dilbert. :) Here's a picture of
> mine on my desk at work.
> http://www.geocities.com/erviservy/cubicleFeb10b.jpg
> I'm sure a betta would think he's in paradise in there.
>
> steve

My Betta lives in a 10 gallon tank I bought as a hospital tank. I bought all
the parts separately at PetsMart for somewhere around $60 cdn. The heater
doesn't run during the summer at all, due to the heat from the tank lights
(80ish). During the winter the heater keeps him around 78°F. He seems
"happy" enough. It's best to get him a decent sized home (5+ gallons) and
avoid the temp swings if you can.

[Elaine T]

Dan White wrote:
> I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
> mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
> betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
> betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
> night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they tell
> you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as decoration,
> and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
> wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
> do seem to know their stuff.
>
> thanks!
> dwhite
>
>
If he stays above 70F or even 68F he will live, but he might be sluggish
or get sick. 76-80F is better and will give you a livlier, more
interesting fish. You could get a tiny heater like this one.
http://tinyurl.com/6qqvz. As for size, I prefer two gallons to one
gallon for bettas.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[default]

Speaking of bettas.....

How do you 'spose a betta would do with Red Cherry shrimp in the tank?
Will he eat 'em? I've got 4 red cherries in my desktop along with a
lone neon tetra. I never see the neon, he's always way back in the
foliage. The shrimps rove around all day feeding. There's plenty of
hiding places for everybody, but I'm curious if the betta will pick off
the shrimps the first day.

steve

[Elaine T]

default wrote:
> Speaking of bettas.....
>
> How do you 'spose a betta would do with Red Cherry shrimp in the tank?
> Will he eat 'em? I've got 4 red cherries in my desktop along with a
> lone neon tetra. I never see the neon, he's always way back in the
> foliage. The shrimps rove around all day feeding. There's plenty of
> hiding places for everybody, but I'm curious if the betta will pick off
> the shrimps the first day.
>
> steve
>
I think most bettas would consider the red cherry shrimp quite
delicious. I wouldn't try it!

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Dan White]

Elaine T wrote:
>>
> If he stays above 70F or even 68F he will live, but he might be
> sluggish or get sick. 76-80F is better and will give you a livlier,
> more interesting fish. You could get a tiny heater like this one.
> http://tinyurl.com/6qqvz. As for size, I prefer two gallons to one
> gallon for bettas.

Thanks everybody for the good ideas. That Eclipse 3 looks good, as does
that little heater.

dwhite

[Gill Passman]

Elaine T wrote:
> default wrote:
>
>> Speaking of bettas.....
>>
>> How do you 'spose a betta would do with Red Cherry shrimp in the tank?
>> Will he eat 'em? I've got 4 red cherries in my desktop along with a
>> lone neon tetra. I never see the neon, he's always way back in the
>> foliage. The shrimps rove around all day feeding. There's plenty of
>> hiding places for everybody, but I'm curious if the betta will pick off
>> the shrimps the first day.
>>
>> steve
>>
> I think most bettas would consider the red cherry shrimp quite
> delicious. I wouldn't try it!
>


Have you thought about some more Neons? They are schooling fish so your
existing one would be happier with a few more and it would look really
great....your Neon probably wouldn't get on with a betta anyway...

JMO
Gill

[John D. Goulden]

> I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
> mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
> betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
> betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
> night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they
> tell
> you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as
> decoration,
> and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
> wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
> do seem to know their stuff.

2 gallons isn't enough for a betta. Yes, I know people do it, and I see
these awful "betta bowls" and "betta condos" even in LFSs that should know
better, but I won't keep a betta in less than 5 gallons (usually in pairs,
in divided 10s - bettas often like to have a flare buddy as well). People
get away with tiny betta bowls simply because bettas are fairly hardy fish
and will live in fairly poor water conditions.

And bettas do need a heater; set it at about 78F. Give him at least one
broad-leaf plant as well; bettas like to rest on the leaves.

--
John Goulden
mostly goldies, guppies, swordtails and bettas

[John D. Goulden]

> How do you 'spose a betta would do with Red Cherry shrimp in the tank?
> Will he eat 'em? I've got 4 red cherries in my desktop along with a
> lone neon tetra. I never see the neon, he's always way back in the
> foliage. The shrimps rove around all day feeding. There's plenty of
> hiding places for everybody, but I'm curious if the betta will pick off
> the shrimps the first day.

I've had many bettas that developed a taste for ghost shrimp and snails; I
don't even try any more. Neons do make fine tank-mates for bettas; they
pretty much ignore each other. The neon may be wary of the shrimp, though.

--
John Goulden

[Larry Blanchard]

Dan White wrote:
> Elaine T wrote:
>
>>If he stays above 70F or even 68F he will live, but he might be
>>sluggish or get sick. 76-80F is better and will give you a livlier,
>>more interesting fish. You could get a tiny heater like this one.
>>http://tinyurl.com/6qqvz. As for size, I prefer two gallons to one
>>gallon for bettas.
>
>
> Thanks everybody for the good ideas. That Eclipse 3 looks good, as does
> that little heater.
>
> dwhite
>
>
I think that heater is one with no control. It just runs all the time.
I tried one like that (different brand) and while it did keep the
water warmer, it did nothing to stop the day/night swing. And it kept
right on running the day our air conditioner went out. I tossed it.

[Elaine T]

John D. Goulden wrote:
>>I'm sure this has been covered again and again, but maybe someone wouldn't
>>mind giving me a quick answer on this one. We're considering to move a
>>betta into a 1 or 2 gallon bowl. Do I have to supply a heater, or can
>>betta's tolerate temp swings? I live in NJ, and the room can get cold at
>>night, so I think I know the answer. However, at the fish stores, they
>>tell
>>you to just put the betta in a bowl with a plant or something as
>>decoration,
>>and you're done. So, do I really need a heater, or are these lfs guys are
>>wrong? I got this advice at a fish store ranked #1 in the state, and they
>>do seem to know their stuff.
>
>
> 2 gallons isn't enough for a betta. Yes, I know people do it, and I see
> these awful "betta bowls" and "betta condos" even in LFSs that should know
> better, but I won't keep a betta in less than 5 gallons (usually in pairs,
> in divided 10s - bettas often like to have a flare buddy as well). People
> get away with tiny betta bowls simply because bettas are fairly hardy fish
> and will live in fairly poor water conditions.
>
> And bettas do need a heater; set it at about 78F. Give him at least one
> broad-leaf plant as well; bettas like to rest on the leaves.
>
If you follow normal tropical stocking rules of 1" of fish per gallon,
two gallons is enough volume to maintain water quality for a betta. In
keeping with this, nitrates are unmeasurable in the heavily planted two
gallon hex where my betta lives. I actually had two bettas quarantined
for a while in a divided 2.5 gallon tank and plant growth was much
better with less algae - it took both fish to produce adequate nitrates
(about 5-10 ppm) for all the java moss and water sprite I grow in that tank.

Maybe it takes five gallons for a betta to maintain water quality if you
don't keep as many plants as I do. I don't buy the arguments about
swimming space and bettas. Wild bettas have been collected in anything
from expansive rice paddies to tiny puddles of water caught in leaves.
This is a fish that is genetically programmed to stay in one small spot,
tending a nest, unless another male chases it away.

Agreed that it is very difficult to maintain water quality for a betta
in tiny condos or bowls, or in any container with inadequate surface
area to maintain a nitrogen cycle.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com