[JZK100]

Hello all!

So this week is Spring Break (hooray!) and I'm planning on going home for the next seven days. Obviously, this is way too long to leave my little betta alone - he'd starve!

Right now, he's in a heated 5 gallon tank. Unfortunately, it'd be pretty hard to move all that home just for a week.

For the first year I had him, he lived in a 2.5 gallon unheated tank - which I still have at home. I figured I could set this up for him as temporary housing. I realize this isn't the most ideal setup for a betta, but surely it's better than starving him!

My question is this: Is it safe to move a betta from a heated 78F tank into an unheated room-temperature one? There will be a period of about three or four hours where he'll be in a large travel water-bottle, and I'm thinking that would slowly acclimate him to colder water?

What do you all think?

Thanks so much,
JZK100

PS - I'm terribly sorry if this has been asked in another thread already. I searched long and hard and couldn't find anything on the subject!

 

[Tourmaline]

A week without food won't do as much harm as stressing him out moving him from one place to another, then moving him into an unheated tank.

Bettas can last weeks without food. I've seen multiple threads on this site where a Betta didn't eat for about a month and was still alive. If he's healthy, he'll be fine.

If you do a water change right before leaving, and feed him like you normally do, it's okay.

 

[JZK100]

Oh, okay! I guess I had just googled it earlier - because, you know, google and yahoo answers are always right (sarcasm) - and people were saying that 4-5 days were the longest you could leave them before they started to starve.

Leaving him where he is now would definitely be the ideal option - thank you for the information!

 

[CollegeBettas]

If your tank is cycled, I would just drop some food in right before you leave, and he should be fine. I moved my betta 6 hours for spring break because the filter broke in my 10-gallon at school and I had to put conditioner in every day. I had him in a travel mug that kept him warm and then filled the one-gallon with warm water. I went and got a little pad heater the next day after the temperature dropped. So your other option is to pick up a little heater. It is keeping my tank at about 80, so as long as you monitor it, it should be fine for a week of use. I am actually leaving my betta at home for next week as well since I am coming back after only three days (who puts three days between Spring and Easter break?).

 

[JZK100]

Alright, I'll be sure to do that! I've looked at pad heaters before, but all the ones I've found (that are in my price range, at least) all have over-heating issues, and I chickened out of getting one. I may look into those a bit more, though.
I have a hydor 25watt heater in his 5 gallon right now - I'm assuming that'd probably be waayy too strong for a little 2.5 gallon?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[CollegeBettas]

I have a 7.5 watt from Great Choice at Petsmart. I just monitor it since it's in a one-gallon. I actually just turned it off since the water got up to 81. Leave it unplugged for a couple hours before plugging it in before bed. I may actually set up a timer for it, now that I think of it.

 

[JZK100]

Oh hey, that's a really good idea! That was my main concern with heaters in a small tank. I was never sure I'd monitor it enough, or I'd forget about it, but a timer would definitely fix that. I'll look into tiny heaters when I got to petsmart next - it would save me a lot of trouble over breaks in the future! Thank you!

 

[CollegeBettas]

You're welcome!

 

[BettaStarter24]

He'll be fine for the 7 days you'll be gone. All of mine are currently alone at school while I'm home for break which is 10 days and they're ok. They can go two weeks without food (around there). I've had two go two and a half weeks before they ate for the first time.