Betta Fish Forum banner

100W adjustable heater in a 3 gallon tank?

2K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  SunnyCydUp 
#1 ·
Hi, I have one male Betta (Charlie) in a Marineland 3 gallon crescent tank with the included Tetra Whisper in Tank filter. It's summer here so the ambient temperature is pretty warm, but winter is coming and I know he'll absolutely need a heater. I have onhand from a previous fish keeping period an Aqueon Pro Heater, 100 watt Adjustable.

http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Heater...36&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=aqueon+proheater+100

I realize that this is major overkill for such a small tank, but rather than buy a new one, I'd rather use what I have. If I set it to 72 degrees or so and lay it on the bottom of the tank, would it be OK? It should just shut off when the water gets warm enough, right? He's sort of a rescue, and I've been slowly upgrading his living conditions, first upgrading his tank, adding the filter and some plants. I don't want to spend more money if I don't have to--but I also don't want to bake him!
Any advice? Would he be OK with this heater? I'm going to put it in a gallon jug and test it, but would like to hear from the experts, if you don't mind terribly.
Thanks in advance,
Cj
 
See less See more
#2 ·
that is TWICE the wattage you need. Honestly, you run a HUGE risk of overheating your tank. I used a 50watt in a 3 gallon for a while and even that had a tendency to make the water run a bit hot. You should buy a 25watt heater.

The Hydro Theo heater is only around $16.
 
#3 ·
+1 that heater has waaay too much power for such a small tank. I have a 25 watt heater in my 5 gallons and that's perfect. The temperature would fluctuate way too much with such a strong heater in such a small tank. The 25 watt heaters are not too expensive but make sure to get an adjustable one. Stay away from tetra heaters too.
 
#5 ·
I love the Hydor Theo 25W heaters for my 2.5 gallon tanks and my 1.5 gallon tank. It works great.
 
#6 ·
Ok, then, it looks like Charlie's getting a new heater. I also have a 50 watt un-adjustable cheapie from Walmart, but I'm a little leery of unadjustable heaters, so I'm going to let that one sit for now.

Thanks for the feedback.

Cj
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top