While it can be difficult to maintain the water temperature in a tank, it’s absolutely necessary that you have one. There are two reasons for this. First of all, if your Betta becomes stressed over a period of time, his immune system will become compromised and he’ll begin to lose his ability to fight off infection and disease.
The second reason is that you Betta is used to living in water that is 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and he will become listless and unresponsive if the water is to far above or to far below that temperature. This becomes more important in a large tank.
It is also important that you maintain a fairly consistent temperature in your Betta fish’s tank. Your fish won’t handle extreme temperature changes either. By the way, it doesn’t take much of a water temperature change – just a matter of a couple degrees Fahrenheit for your Betta to be affected, so this is something you really need to pay attention to.
The unit of measurement for aquarium heaters is in watts. When trying to decide on which heater will be best for you, a good basic guideline 5 watts per gallon of water. Make sure that the heater fits your tank and if it is an internal one that it can be inserted.
If you are not sure and you didn’t buy the tank and heater together, take the tank with you to the store and ask the manager to help you get the right one.
Two Types Of Heating Systems
There are two types of main heating systems – internal and external you’ll have to decide which one works for you and if you have any questions ask your pet store manager or your Betta breeder for recommendations based on your tank set up.
One other thing to keep in mind is the water circulation. Without the proper water circulation you are going to have “hot spots” and “cold spots”, both of which can be harmful to your Betta fish. Heaters cost anywhere from about $20 to $50, although like anything else, you can find more expensive models.
Internal Tank Heating System
Internal heating systems are the most common. They usually consist of a glass tube anywhere from 4 inches to 12 inches long. Some offer a built-in thermostat, while others will have an external thermostat, usually outside the tank and are usually used to control multiple heating units.
External Tank Heating System
There are several different models of external heating system, such as a model which fits under the tank and heats the water from below, or one that connects to the filtering system. They are widely available both online and off.
