Haha, well I actually really don't fast my bettas, either. Not because I forget to fast them, but because I find that feeding them is always enjoyable. I love how happy they get at feeding times. Also, my blind one is definitely fun to feed because it's not something that takes two seconds and its done. I have to assist him with finding his food. But no, fasting for a day or two will NOT hurt him, whatsoever.
What I do, instead of fasting, is I feed them less some days. They usually get three pellets a day (Omega One) or six (NLS). Some days I only feed them one or two pellets instead of all three/six. I also switch up what brand I'm feeding some days for a variety, obviously, lol. I also have the Aqueon pellets which I feed on occasion, again for some variety. I used to feed freeze dried bloodworms, but I don't anymore. My VT has contracted internal parasites, but I can't figure out from where because I have never fed live or frozen foods o.0
Haha, oh I just got so in the habit of feeding my fish I ended up feeding them on fasting day before I realized that it WAS fasting day. xD
I'm just really a creature of habit. Once I get into the routine of something, I just do it without thinking.....but also unless I'm really in the routine of something, I completely forget it. If that makes any sense....its hard to explain. xD
Nah, fasting for a day or two every once in a while isn't going to do any harm at all of course. I just meant its not really necessary as a regular thing like a lot of people say.
I've never found it necessary. I've never had a problem with bloated fish when I feed daily. But I also don't see any harm in it.. You know? I just don't like getting their hopes up when I approach the tank for nothing!
I just got back from my trip, but I noticed that the thermometer and/or the heater isn't working right, because I had the heater on the entire trip, but the thermometer says the water is 72 degrees fahrenheit, but the dial on the heater says the water is 27 or 28 celsius, I turned it up a bit when I noticed, but the thermometer hasn't changed yet, I don't want to turn it up too high, I don't know what to do D: It's on the number 29 right now, so I'm guessing it's 29 celsius. Kitkat seems active, so I don't think the water is too cold, maybe the thermometer is wrong? Please help ):
As for the feeding part, I skip a "meal time" on the weekends, should I stop doing that? And of course, my fishie is doing fine. I feel bad though because his tank is in my room, I walk by him all the time, and I can't feed him when he does his "happy dance/food dance" ):
[Edit]: Yikes, I turned back the dial on the heater back to its original position since 29 degrees celsius is 84 fahrenheit!
I would get a different thermometer. Then again, the dials on the heater are also often inaccurate. My heaters are both set to over 80 degrees but the tank water is only 78. I'm guessing this has something to do with the fact that the room temp dropped from 70 degrees to 60. However, the temp in the tanks only dropped two degrees so I'd say my heaters are doing pretty good.
You can fast or not, its all up to your personal preferences really.
I agree about trying a different thermometer....it sounds like the one you have may not be working properly. Though those little glass ones are pretty good, they are only a couple of bucks and I've had a few stop working on me randomly in the past.
Yeah, definitely don't ever rely just on the dials on heaters. Heat is distributed differently depending on the shape/size of the tank and the amount/lack of water movement. There are just too many variables...very rarely are you ever going to get a heater, even the best, and set it at 80 and have it keep the water exactly at 80.
As for the heater, when you turn it up, do you see the little light on the back coming on?
Well, an adjustable heater, or any heater that turns on and off really, will gradually heat up the water on its own. Its a good idea to keep an eye on the temp increase of course, depending on the size of the tank and the wattage of the heater things may heat up quicker/slower, but unless you have a heater that is just constantly on the increase should be slow enough for a normal, healthy fish to handle.
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