Betta fish originates from Thailand, but betta can be found in various Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, etc.
Generally, the weather temperature of those Asian countries is a bit higher (70° to 95° Fahrenheit). So the ideal betta fish tank temperature is 75° to 80° Fahrenheit.
Not only that, we have seen that at that temperature the betta fish are much healthier and live longer.
Do betta fish need a heater?
Honestly it totally depends on your region. A heater is an essential item in our betta fish tank if we live in a cold climate.
But if we live in a temperate or warm climate our fish tank will do well without a heater. That’s because temperatures are usually slightly higher in temperate or warm regions.
But one thing we need to keep in mind, if there is a big temperature difference between day and night in our area, we must use a heater in our betta fish tank.
So using a heater in a betta fish tank is a very good practice. We should always determine a proper tank and heater for our betta fish.
Heater requirements for our betta fish tank?
Heater help us keep the temperature of the fish tank at a certain point.
- If we can keep the temperature of our fish tank between 75 and 80 degrees, then our fish’s immune system will improve a lot. Not only that, at that temperature our betta fish will be much healthier and their skin color will be much brighter.
- Our betta fish will go into shock if the water temperature drops suddenly. But if we use a heater in our betta fish tank there will be no chance of sudden temperature drop.
- We know that the good bacteria in our fish tanks can function properly at a certain temperature. Which helps to complete the nitrogen cycle in our tank and improve the tank environment.
- Not only that the plants in our tanks grow well at a certain temperature but a sudden change in temperature can be harmful to the plants.
- If the temperature of our fish tank drops too much, the chances of harmful bacterial or fungal infection in the tank increases.
How to choose the best heater for a betta fish tank?
We can select a heater based on its performance, for our betta fish tank. Before purchasing a heater we must look at some things like,
- Before purchasing a heater for our betta fish we must ensure that the heater is thermostatic. If our heater is thermostatic it will turn off when it reaches a certain temperature and turn on when the temperature drops.
- Although we can set the heater temperature range at 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Our heater must be completely submerged in water. So we should always buy submersible heaters.
- Although submersible heaters are much better these days, caution should be exercised when using the heater in our betta fish tank.
Note: A proper heater and thermometer should be used in our betta fish tank. Thermometer helps us to determine the correct temperature of water. So if for some reason our heater is not working properly then we can understand by looking at the thermometer.
How do we determine a heater for our tank?
Generally we should increase the heater power by 5 watt per gallon of water in our betta fish tank such that,
If we use a 5 gallon water tank for our betta fish then we should use a 25 watt heater.
Again if our betta fish tank holds 10 gallons of water then we should use a 50 watt heater.
What can happen if our betta fish tank does not have a heater?
If the temperature in our area is warm then we can keep betta fish without a heater.
But if the temperature in our area is cool or there is a big temperature difference between day and night, our betta fish will get sick very quickly without a heater.
Our betta fish will go into shock when the temperature drops. Then come to the bottom of the aquarium and settle in one place and within a few days our betta fish will get sick and even die.
We have seen that when the temperature suddenly drops, the good bacteria cannot function properly and as a result our nitrogen cycle does not take place completely. As a result, ammonia increases in our fish tanks and the tank environment deteriorates.
Not only that, if the water temperature in our tank drops too much, the growth of the plants in the tank stops and within a few days the plants start to get damaged.
How to keep betta fish without heaters?
As we mentioned earlier if we live in a temperate or warm climate we don’t need a heater for our betta fish tank.
If we can control the temperature of the room in which our aquarium is kept, then we can control the temperature of the aquarium for some time without the heater.
If for some reason the temperature of our aquarium water drops too much, we can mix a small amount of warm water with our tank water. However, caution must be exercised before adopting this method.
Honestly, we can control the water temperature of the betta fish for a while, but by no means can we completely control the temperature without using a heater. It is a good practice to use a heater in betta fish tank.
Welcome to our website Aquarium Fish Zone. My name is Sagar Ghosh and I live in Kolkata. I am a science graduate.
I have kept fish in aquariums since I was very young. I loved seeing the colorful fish in the aquarium.
I have always tried to maintain and care for the fish properly. So me and my team members have created this website.As a result, we can provide you with accurate information about how aquarium fish are kept.