I'm a noob..

[RUFiiO]

I just got my first betta the other day, and I really feel like a noob when it comes to this little guy. The first day I was really worried because he wasn't eating, and I thought his water felt a bit cold. But I don't know much about keeping fish so I thought he might be okay since nothing at the store said he needed heat.

Then I got to this website to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong, and I've seen in a lot of places that betta fish need heat. My room stays about 72-75 just about all day long, but the water I'm sure is probably a bit colder than that. The problem is that he is in a bowl, instead of a tank since I cant exactly afford anything too awful fancy right now. So I'm wondering if anyone here knows how I can heat this bowl:


I just feel pretty bad right now after coming to this site and seeing so many amazing fish tanks and stuff. He seems to be doing okay right now, but I dont want him to be uncomfortable or anything.

[brancasterr]

I had the same issue. I have a similar bowl to yours and found this great heater at Wal-Mart.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Subm...-Pets/12177656

It keeps my tank at a steady 78-79 degrees 24 hours a day and my betta loves it and is a lot more active because of it.

The box says 2-5 gallons or something but it works great in a 1 gallon as well. It's only like 10-15 dollars depending on which walmart you go to.

Good luck! Also, if you're going to install the heater take him out, let the water heat up, and then float his bag in the water to let him get used to it, then let him out. So you don't shock him. :)

[Oldfishlady]

You can get the 7.5w heater that can safely heat the smaller bowls, make at least 50% water change every other day and check the water temp and keep it about the same as his water in the bowl and dechlorinator if you are on city water supply.
The younger the betta the more they can tolerate a bit cooler temp in the 74-75F range, but they thrive best in warmer water, and each fish is different in their tolerance level too.
If you notice him staying in one place and not as active or he stops eating he may be cold or the water quality has dropped and he needs a water change.

Good luck and welcome to the wonderful world of Betta keeping....save your money and get him a nice little habitat with a heater and you will enjoy your fish more because he is happier........

[RUFiiO]

Thank you both for all the help lol.

I just went out and bought that heater you recommended brancasterr, although it kind of takes up a bit of space it still seems to work pretty well. It would be perfect if they could make just a tiny little battery operated heater or something...I really don't like the cord hanging out of the pretty bowl, but as long as he's happy so am I. xD

And I just changed a bit of his water too, thanks fishlady. ^-^

[ThePearlFish]

that is quite a lovely bowl and pretty betta.

~TPF

[xxabc]

Do you have a thermometer, just to play it safe?

I'd recommend crowding his tank with a bit more plants - gives a more sense of security and territory, and it also looks prettier :) But the plants in there are so cute~

You can just work on getting a plant per week if it works out better for you, it's only a suggestion .

[brancasterr]

RUFiiO, I know it does take up some space. What I did was put it horizontally as close to the bottom as possible. It takes some work getting the suction cup to stick to the bowl but with some working it'll stick good. The horizontal positioning doesn't seem to clutter it as much and when you do partial water changes you don't have to worry about messing with it.

And yeah, your bowl is very pretty so the cord must be an eyesore. But I'd do what xxabc recommended and crowd the tank with more plants. It seems you have an eye for pretty creations so I think you could make it work and hide more of the heater that way too.

If you want to get live plants I would recommend Java Fern. You can pick them up at petsmart and they're easy to take care of. All you do it put it under some rocks in the bottom to secure it and leave it. Then when you do some waster changes you rinse it off and put it back. My betta loves to rest on the leaves. :)

[Brinni]

Very pretty betta and bowl you have there. So feminine ^_^