Thermometer vs heater

[dkmuller]

Trying to figure this out. My digital thermometer with emerged probe = 82.2f my cobalt heater steady at 80f which should I believe. Both located with flowing water. I did order a fully submerged digital one with out probe. Maybe I am too eccentric about all this. I just want the best for my betta and her temp.

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[AdamsAquarium]

Either temp is fine for the betta. 78 or 76 might be more ideal, but the goal is to prevent fluctuations of the tempurate. That's what a heater does more than anything.

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[ScotJudd]

Digital thermometers and heaters cause a lot of stress for some fish keepers. Before they came along a quick glance at the old analogue thermometer was enough to know that your heater was working and temp was fairly stable. Now we can fret over small fluctuations that were not evident in the past. In nature water temp rises and falls with the seasons, the time of day and the weather. Fish don't start dropping dead. A reasonably stable temp within a band of a few degrees is fine for your fish.
I have three means of reading the water temp, they vary by a couple of degrees from each other, I just take an average to check the heater is functioning correctly. More importantly is to use similar temp water for your water changes so temp doesn't quickly rise or fall.


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