Water Temp

[TeacherTeapot]

I recently bought an aquarium for the betta I'm going to adopt next week. (The tank is cycling) The strange thing is, that with nothing in it but a filter and a silk plant the water is staying around 80 degrees. It's sitting near a heat register, but so am I and I'm freezing half the time. I'm just concerned that the temp could spike and harm my fish.

Is this normal?

[callistra]

Well if you've got it on or next to a heat register that could be heating it up.. or your thermometer could be wrong too, especially if you're using one of those stick on ones.

It's really important that tanks be kept on interior walls, away from exterior doors, windows, and vents of any kind. They will cause temperature swings and heat and cool things unevenly.

Cycling takes up to 2 months and requires a source of ammonia to feed and you should use gravel/subtrate of some kind as well. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=47838. Low ph and low temps can stall your cycle too.

It needs to be moved away from the heating vent, and you should use a glass in tank thermometer to monitor temps. Unless you're keeping your house 80F+ consistently (no dips at night) he needs a heater. What size is your tank?

[TeacherTeapot]

The only space I have for the tank is on my desk. And unfortunately, there isn't really a way to get the tank away from the register. I have hot water heating, and the registers go all the way around the room. The thermometer is holding steady at 80 or 81 degrees (I'm actually using a candy thermometer! :S) so I'm not sure if the heating is to blame. Could it be the motor in my filter?

[callistra]

How sure are you that it is accurate? They can be very inaccurate, and easily far enough off 5-10 degrees. I would get a glass in tank thermometer like this one: And monitor it over a 24-48 hour period. If it is a staying a stable (same) temp between 78-82 I wouldn't worry about anything. http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Floatin...um+thermometer

Motor from filter won't heat it up like that. I would generally expect that your tank will be several degrees below room temp, but it could be the location is keeping it warmer, or it could be your readings are inaccurate.

[TeacherTeapot]

I'm fairly sure that it's accurate. I use it every year to make hard candy with and have never had a problem. I'll look into getting a proper aquarium thermometer though. (I had planned on it anyway)

I have been monitoring the temp and it hasn't really changed much in the last 24 or so hours since I really started noticing the humidity on the lid of the tank.

[TeacherTeapot]

Ok, new dilemma. I've moved the tank to a location further away from the heat, and the temp is actually rising. I've tested the thermometer (I actually went and stood outside with it), it's accurate. Pointing my room fan at it for a while cools the temp a little, but as soon as I turn the fan off it goes right back up. It's currently at 83 degrees, I know that this isn't too terrible, but it's higher than I'd like.

[TeacherTeapot]

Does anyone know what I should do? Having the fan pointed at my desk all the time won't work, and I don't want him to get overheated!