Betta in a 3 gal

[bbrown]

Unfortunately I have to move my half moon male betta out of the tank he has been sharing because his tankmates have been busy breeding and have ousted him to the upper corner of the tank. I'm going to put him in a 3 gal tank by himself. I have had very good luck with keeping my male bettas in community tanks with a temp. of 78 degrees. However, I'm having mixed feelings about keeping him at room temperature. I found in the past that they are not nearly as active especially in the winter when your room temperature is much lower. I was advised by a local pet store not to place any type of heater in a 3 gal acrylic tank. Can I get some members feedback on 1) the temperature issue, and 2) a heater?? Thanks in advance,

 

[An t-iasg]

I would definitely add a heater to your tank. The temperatures will fluctuate enough to make a betta stressed even in the summer. I set my temp for 80 degrees, but if he was doing well at 78 degrees, that's ok. Just watch to make sure the temperature stays stable.

My QT tanks for bettas are 2.5 gallons. I use a Visitherm Deluxe (the glass one) 25-watt heater in those tanks, and they are fine. You would have no problem using a 25-watt heater in your 3 gallon tank.

 

[newfound77951]

I have the same heater (Visitherm 25watt) in my 5 gal acrylic with no problems. Your betta will thank you!

 

[Guest]

Has anybody tried this ? Just wondering

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12087&N=2004+113767

 

[MSU Fan]

I have mine in a 2.5 gallon, and I use a Hydor Mini. Now let me say, be careful of this heater. It is very nice and can be placed under the gravel (bonus), however, there is no temperature setting at all. what it does is keep the water temp ~3-5 degrees above room temperature. So if your in 73 degree room, the water is 78 (theoretically). however, if your room gets to 78...well, that's 83 degrees. My thermometer (its a stick on, and only goes to 86) was maxed out after 1 day (no longer registering the temperature).

I unplugged the heater, and now the temp is ~room temp (avg 74 degrees). I am going to hook it up to a timer, and let the heater run at night, but will definitely turn it off during the daytime, where my thermostat is set to 80 degrees.

 

[Codefox]

That's good to know because I was thinking of getting the Hydor due to its hidability and low wattage. I need another solution I think...cause 25 watts is too much for a 1.77 g tank and I don't think our IT guy would like that.

 

[JeffreyL]

hydor

I picked up a Hydor mini to use in a 3 gal tank. It also housed a betta. It actually kept the temp pretty stable, BUT, the house temp was very stable. If your room temp fluctuates, so will the tank. Now the betta is in a ten gal, and the mini holds 3 guppy fry I 'discovered' when tearing a 30 gal down to moved to a new house. Not perfect, but better than room temp.