My Betta spits out his food

Question
Sorry to be a bother.  He's my first fish.  I have left the lamp on for about 24 hours and the water is still about 70.  Any ideas to warm it up?  I just found him wedged between a plant and the glass.  When I moved the plant he shot to the surface.  I'm worried I don't know enough to care for him properly.  Any books you can recommend?

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Question -
Is it normal for him to spit out his food like that?

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Followup To
Question -
We put him in a 2.5 gal tank alone last week with a filter an live plants.  We have had him about a month and a half.  He seems happy and playful but he spits out the pellets of food I put in.  Sometimes he will hold them between his lips for a few seconds other times he will look as though he is chewing the pellets but then spit them out.  I use Wardley "Circle of Care" food and feed 3-4 pellets twice a day.  Is this normal?

I think his water may be too cold also.  Should I leave the light on always for heat?

Thanks a lot.
Answer -
Hi Elle;

He is probably too cold, as you suspected. Leave the light on all the time and see how it goes. It needs to be at 78 to 80 all the time.

Also, he may need a water change. It is a new tank and toxins build up that can make him sick until it fully breaks in. Replace 25% of the water twice a week until it has been set up for 6 weeks or more. This will keep the toxins down low enough that they don't keep making him sick, but there are enough toxins for the beneficial bacteria to get food from. Once enough of the bacteria is developed the toxins will stay under control.

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!          
Answer -
Hi Elle;

It isn't normal for him to do that. Fish most often do it when they aren't feeling well or are too cold. Getting the temperature up will probably correct it. When too cold they can't digest properly and food kind of "backs up" in their digestive system. Then they spit out what can't go down. It is better than fish that keep the food down anyway and get bloated and die from that. I'm glad that didn't happen to yours. Hopefully he will get better soon as he warms up.

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins  

Answer
Hi Elle;

Barron's books are really good ones. Look for one about Bettas. They should be available at your local fish store and some stores like WalMart have them too.

While you are there, shop for a tank with a heater. It sounds like your house is too cold for the light to get it warm enough for him. The smallest tank that can safely have a heater is 4 or 5 gallons. Tanks smaller than that can get overheated. This is because the smallest thermostatically controlled heaters come in 25 watts. A 25 watt heater is made for a 4 or 5 gallon tank.

More Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!