Understand the Accepted Betta Tank Water Temperature

     Let me ask the issue of the hour for those of you that are betta lovers. What do you think your betta fish temperature of water should be inside their tank? Well, if you guessed 80 degrees, you hit a home run and your betta loves you for it.

You might find it hard to believe and it may even scare you that your betta could suffer without their water temperature at 80 degrees. The thing to remember is this, they are tropical fish, tropical fish live in an environment where temperatures are almost always above 80 degrees.

The urban legend of a little betta residing in mud puddles and jumping from one to the other, is just that, an urban legend. These fish live in rice paddies, rivers and ponds that in most instances will maintain a fairly warm temperature.

I have noticed a marked spiking of activity from our betta when the house temperature is at 80 degrees as compared to 73 or 75 degrees.

We once took a trip in the winter and when we got back the house temperature was 66 degrees. Our beautiful little betta was lying on the floor of his tank and appeared to be dead. After the house warmed up again he perked up and began to swim around and when the house temperature reached 75 degrees, he was swimming about the tank in his normal manner.

At this point it dawned on for my wife and I, maybe betta fish are not meant to be in cold water.

Almost all the websites made it clear that bettas should be kept in tanks which are heated and kept around 80 degrees.

The answer to this problem is to purchase a tank heater for your betta's tank. Could it be any simpilier than this easy solution. I can't imagine how many fish owners have had their fish die and wonder what the cause may have been.

Many aquariums and fish tanks come from the store with tank heaters or can certainly have one installed in the tank.

A 2 gallon tank, will require about a 10 watt heater and this will cost about $13.

A 5 gallon can accomadate a 40 to 50 watt heater. Price on one like that would be about $25.

Most pet stores carry a variety of fish tanks and heaters. Many tanks include heaters made especially for that size aquarium. If not , simply utilize and the previous guidelines, ask the Department Manager for help and read the information on the heater packaging.

Another vital item to acquire is a thermometer to examine the temperature of the water. This is actually the only accurate way of determining the actual temperature of your bettas water. The price of a thermometer will be under $10.

A betta can live about about 5 years if you give them a home that is safe and comfortable. One of the best things that can be done, is to make certain the water in their tank is kept at the correct temperature. A tank heater that provides the correct water temperature and a thermometer will be sure to make this an easy task for you.