i have a tank for my male red betta with a 15watt light above it, when i go to bed at night should i turn the light off also or leave it on for him?
Answers:
We have 2 bettas in separate tanks. We don't have a light for their tanks specifically, but we do turn on an overhead light for them during at least part of the day. They seem to have an internal clock that tells them when it's nighttime and will settle in to sleep then. We don't leave the light on overnight. In fact, turning the light on in the morning is what I've taught them means feeding time. They get all excited and dart around their tanks waiting for their fish food :)
I think our heater was 5 or 10 dollars at Wal Mart. Be sure to get a thermometer for the tank, too, so you don't make the water too hot.
Have fun! We've been keeping Bettas for 7 years now and love every minute of it.
If you haven't seen it yet, bettatalk.com is a terrific website.
Your betta needs light and darkness -- a day and night cycle -- like any animal. So, turn it off at night.
I found a heater designed for small tanks at Wal-Mart for $7. It's in my male betta's 2.5 gallon tank.
you should turn it off during night. because though fishes dont sleep, they need rest and turning off the lights gives them time to relax and rest. like in their natural environment, at night there is no light. me, i only turn on my aquarium lights when i want to view my fishes and/or before feeding them. leaving the lights on the whole night till morning tends to make the fish a bit aggressive and also it makes algae grow faster because too much light causes algae to grow making the water green. hope this helps.
you have that big of a tank for a betta? those things can live in a cup! you dont need a heater, and i had a several bettas, never even owned a light for them. do what you want, but you dont need a heater, a light, or a big tank.
Turn off the light the fish needs a natural cycle, just like humans.
Oh, and a heater for a 2 gallon costs about 11 bucks, but they are junior heaters and will break down and sometimes electrocute your fish. Your best bet is to a get 25 watt heater, (expensive, I know, at 26 dollars), but it's worth it, because they won't break down as easily. The best brand is Vsi-therm.
For me, well, I turn off the light. I'd also get them a bigger tank, I have my 20 in a 50 gallon tank. The heater isn't necessary, because the light should give off some warmth.
just turn it off. fish needs sleep too. hehe
Betta fish need a certain amount of light and a certain amount of dark. Just like out in the wild. I suggest leaving the light on during the day and turning it off at night, around dusk turn it off. If they're is still activity around the tank after you turn the light off. Put something over the tank until all the activity goes away, and then take it off.
Hope this Helps!
-Capp
You should turn it off when you go to bed.
Your betta's tank is his whole world. But they are wild animals too, and just like us, they are used to a cycle of night and day, even out there in the paddy fields. Imagine one day you found that it was bright all the time. If you didn't have a clock - which your betta obviously doesn't - you wouldn't know when to do what. Having some darkness helps your betta figure out when it's time to slow down and get some rest. Without some kind of routine, he can get kind of disorientated.
Having a light on all the time will also encourage the growth of algae. You should only have a light on over your tank for 10 hours a day, maximum, in order to prevent algae growth.
