Monday, May 24, 2010

Betta fish?

I recently got a Betta fish, Paco, and I did a lot of research and most sites recommend the tank water to be about 78 degrees(+/-3). I have a heater for the winter when the water could get colder. but right now it's at about 80 degrees. I was wondering if there was any way to cool down his tank and keep it at that temperature without putting ice in the tank or cold water. I don't want to shock him with the temperature change.
Answers:
A good temp for a betta is 78-82 degrees. I wouldn't get too concerned unless the water gets over 84. If it does get that hot then there are ways to cool the water down without shocking the fish with cold water. You can remove the lid on the tank and replace with plastic mesh which will prevent the fish from jumping out, but will let air circulate in there better. If it gets dangerously hot in there then you can run a fan over the top of the tank, but keep it low and keep an eye on the temp. A fluctuation of 2 or more degrees will shock your fish.
just put in a touch of cold water its not that much a shock if its like one degree
Simply turn down the heater!
Or do you live in a warm country where the water is naturally that warm?
Those few degrees won't make too much difference, so don't worry. Don't put ice in the tank or anything like that, you will have to keep the temp. steady if you do that, and you will be forever adding tiny amounts of ice to the tank!
You could move the tank to a different place if it will overheat in the summer in the position it is in now.
But don't worry, he will be fine.
take him out of the bowl put water at the temperature you want put you fish in a bag put him in the bowl and keep him in their for 15 minutes then release him from the bag .
Betta's are tropical fish and do okay in warmer water. The more important thing is for the water not to get too cold. As long as the room doesn't feel overly cold to you, you should be okay. I personally have found that the more you fuss over a fish, the more likely you are to do more harm than good.
Don't worry - 80 is just fine for him. The number given to you '78' is the ideal temperature, not a scentific requirement for survival. It means you should be somewhere around that range - so about 76 to 82 is good, and they'll survive high 60's to high 80's for periods of time. You'll do more harm trying to cool the water and causing temperature fluctuations then leaving it be.
80F is fine for them, you're going to have other problems down the road with that pacu growing large(about 2 feet), and if you have the betta and pacu together :)
I'd leave it alone for now, and just monitor it. Keep the lighting to a minimum, a few hours, some lights tend to throw off some heat. If it starts moving up to over 85F, get a small soda bottle filled with water and freeze it(actually get 2, that way one is always frozen). Add that to the tank to float around to help cool it down. I do that with my small pond outside.
It's O.K,but if it's really bothering you take him out and do it.Then wait a while and put Paco back in.