Ideal Water Temperature

[mybetta]

Hi All,

I got my betta fish yesterday. It was a gift (from a special person) and I know nothing about how to keep them properly.

I have one male and one female betta fish. They live in separate tanks though.

Each of the tanks is 1G

My questions are :

What should be the ideal water temperature? (The room temperature, where the tanks are, is 75 F (in average))
Do I need a heater?

How often I should change their water? (I was told twice a week is this OK)

If I use tap water, should I pre-heat it to reach some ideal temperature?

The first day, male fish looked very happy, but female was kinda shy.
Today, the second day, it is opposite. The female fish is much more active than the male. She ate all the food I gave to her. Male fish is staying in on position and ate just a bit of the food.

Is this normal?

This is the first time I have fish and I like them A LOT.
I'll make everything to make them happy.

Thanks,

[3863]

How close together are their tanks? you may be stressing them out if they are to close together.
I did have a female betta next to my male for a week, and i think they were both getting stressed out.
Proper water temp is between 70-85 degrees ( I think, feel free to correct that)
A one gallon tank is small for a betta... If you don't have a filter, you should partial change their water bi-weekly. You should let the water sit out for at least 2 hours, so that it becomes room temp to match the water that your bettas are in. I would also reccomend having water conditioner, Then you can be sure that you tap water is safe.
HTH

[Oldman47]

75 F should be enough. Much cooler would not be. It would be best if the temperature was steady but I don't think they make a heater that will fit a 1 gallon container. I would suggest a larger container but I know some people just don't have the space for it.
As has been said, you will need to do frequent partial water changes with dechlorinated water. You can get dechlorinator at any fish store. It will have directions on how much to use.
You can judge the water temperautre from your tap by matching it by how it feels on your hand. To do a 50% change on two 1 gallon containers, I would fill a large pot to get the temperture right and put in the dechlorinator. Then just pour off half the water from each container and fill it back up from the pot. It should work fine on such a small scale.

[mybetta]

Thanks Guys,

The temperature in the containers is between 75 and 80 F,

The bowls were one to each other, but I separated them now.

I don't have dechlorinator, I have Betta fish food, named Betta Bits. I also have Betta Plus bowl conditioner - NUTRAFIN. It says will make tap water safe for bettas.

I'll by dechlorinator, tomorrow though.

Female fish is OK, she ate all the food I gave her today. I give them three-four pellets (according to the instructions).

But, the male fish scares me. He ate only one pellet whole day.

What else can I do to make him happy?

I have some plastic plants in the bowl. Is this good. I thought they should have some spot to hide? Or should I remove the plants, since they are alone in the bowl.

Thanks again guys ...

[3863]

In terms of hiding, i would reccommend a dense plant, or a "castle"...
Something that they can use to hide from you, other fish, pets...
Every betta needs a place to hide and be completly "safe". That will help them settle into the enviroment. :o

[Oldman47]

Sounds like the Nutrafin is a dechlorinator. Check the fine print that tells you how it works.

[mybetta]

Thanks guys.

Today, both fish are much better. They both eat fine.
Once they saw me they started flaring their gills, which I think is a good sign.

The male fish is much more active. The female one is active as it was yesterday.

Thanks again.

[ricenoodle]

I have a 1.7 gal tank with a Hydor Mini 7.5 Watt Aquarium Heater from petco for $11 and my fish loved it. before the temp was around 72 which was ambient room temp and he was lethargic the whole day and not really active unless it's feeding time. now the temp is at 80 and he swims around all the time, flaring, and makes bubbles nests. even recognize me in the room and swims to the top. i think he's much happier now, just my 2 cents.

[MattD]

Congrats on doing the necessary research early, prudence is an attribute not held by many.

I'll give you a tip. For a much happier set of bettas, vary their diets. Try buying some freeze-dried mysis shrimp or bloodworms, you will notice a positive change in behavior for sure.

Good luck.