Heater For A 1 Gallon Tank?

[laurasbetta]

My daughter has a Betta in a 1 gallon tank due to limited space in her dorm room. Heat comes from an overhead 7 watt light bulb but must be supplemented by a nearby desk lamp during cold conditions. I have looked for a heater for tanks this small, buthe the closest thing I have found is a 7.5 watt mini submersible heater made by Hydor. It says it is made for 2 to 5 gallon tanks.

Has anyone tried this heater in a 1 gallon tank or is there something else on the market for small betta tanks? I was thinking of adding an external temperature controller to this heater and submersing it under the gravel.

 

[fishboy619]

1 gallons are very hard to heat. the temperature often go up and down and the betta becomed stressed. a 5gallon isnt that big, or even a 3gallon.it can be make to look real nice and your betta will be happy with more swimming space, plus its easier to heat.
what about the water changes in the 1 gallon? daily should be done.
im sorry for not answering your question, but ive never had to heat a 1 gallon as i dont have any tanks that size.i felt their was bigger issues to address first like why is it in a 1 gallon?
if she wants a fish, get a proper fish tank, a 1 gallon jar isnt big, and personally i think doesnt look good, a round glass jar with a little color swimming around inside, not very appealing to me

 

[faithless1294]

I tend to agree with fishboy you should invest in a 3g tank which i think can be made too look better than a jar and the betta is happier and it is easy to heat tthis way, im not saying a 1g jar isnt big enoguh cause bettas can live in this space but 3g would be better but it is entirley up to you.
Good Luck.

 

[HODDY]

is it a tank or a jar? i think a 25watt would heat itok.Maybe abit dodgy at times.Why dont you get a 2g/3g tank hardly anymore room plus better for the betta.1g is fine aslong as water changes are constant.

 

[laurasbetta]

is it a tank or a jar? i think a 25watt would heat itok.Maybe abit dodgy at times.Why dont you get a 2g/3g tank hardly anymore room plus better for the betta.1g is fine aslong as water changes are constant.

It is a small aquarium complete with light hood, gravel, plants (artificial), base, etc. made out of acrylic. It's not just a bowl. The problem with moving to anything bigger is finding a tank that will fit in a VERY limited space on her dresser/desk. Water changes are done very frequently. The only "problem" is heating it. The combination of the hood light and desk lamp keep the temp very stable at 75-78 degrees, but I think it would be better to eliminate the bright desk lamp to allow better light - dark cycles for the betta.

 

[liz2]

I had 2 of those hydro mini heater...one just stopped and when I noticed it there was a tiny hole in it. The other one blew up and singed my poor fishes tail.....

 

[HODDY]

i'd go for a little 25 watt.you can get um about 6inch long.

 

[laurasbetta]

i'd go for a little 25 watt.you can get um about 6inch long.

Any specific brand that you would recommend? Do these have built-in thermostats?

 

[fry_lover]

LOL still cant belive 1g tanks actually exits, thats ridiculous, whats next, keeping a better in a saucepan LOL

hope you get the heating issues sorted though

 

[fishboy619]

[/quote]
It is a small aquarium complete with light hood, gravel, plants (artificial), base, etc. made out of acrylic. It's not just a bowl. The problem with moving to anything bigger is finding a tank that will fit in a VERY limited space on her dresser/desk. Water changes are done very frequently. The only "problem" is heating it. The combination of the hood light and desk lamp keep the temp very stable at 75-78 degrees, but I think it would be better to eliminate the bright desk lamp to allow better light - dark cycles for the betta.
[/quote]
no offence, but the jar isnt even 1 gallon, with the gravel and plants taking up needed space for the betta, dont get me wrong, both are good to have, and make the tank look better, but in such a small volume of water, space is nessary.
is the light being turned off at night? it needs to be, as bettas need darkness to rest as they have no eyelids. but that causes another problem, no heat.
i really think a small 2.5 gallon tank is much easier to keep, and it doesnt take up that much room

 

[laurasbetta]

i really think a small 2.5 gallon tank is much easier to keep, and it doesnt take up that much room

Can you recommend any specific tank that is small enough to fit on a dresser? Do you know of a setup that comes with a light, heater and maybe a filter? I've found an acrylic tank (Eclipse system 3) that might fit. It is 3 gallons and has a 3-stage Biowheel filtration system. The filter and light are built into the hood - will the filter "freak out" the betta? I would still need a heater for this one. Any recommendations?

 

[Jaded12]

what about the water changes in the 1 gallon? daily should be done.

Daily? you're kidding right? A couple of my males are in one gallons, get a 50% water change twice a week and they're good as gold. I think sometimes people overexaggerate the "Proper" ways to keep fish.

LOL still cant belive 1g tanks actually exits, thats ridiculous, whats next, keeping a better in a saucepan LOL

Nothing wrong with a 1 gallon as long as its properly maintained. It's not the size of the tank that matters, its how well the fish is taken care of

 

[laurasbetta]

Nothing wrong with a 1 gallon as long as its properly maintained. It's not the size of the tank that matters, its how well the fish is taken care of

Which brings us back to a heater for small 1-2 gallon tanks. Any suggestions on brands or models?

 

[Nevergone815]

Nothing wrong with a 1 gallon as long as its properly maintained. It's not the size of the tank that matters, its how well the fish is taken care of

Which brings us back to a heater for small 1-2 gallon tanks. Any suggestions on brands or models?

I'll get to your question in just one second ok? I just need to get something off my chest...

OMG people... that tank is perfectly fine for a betta! 1 gallon tanks are more than enough IMO. And the setup, those tanks are nice so don't worry about them laura. It makes me wonder about all these people on here who actually keep their fish in those larger tanks. I mean if you have more than one betta it seems pretty inefficient to have a 3gallon or larger for every single betta. Geez people, the OP asked what size heater (if any) they didn't say criticize me for something that isn't even a "problem".

Onto your question. I understand your desire to avoid the irregular day/night cycle. I keep a lamp on my bettas during the day and turn it off at night. The temp in the room stays around 70F so the water is usually 75-78F during the day (on the higher end by the time I turn off the lamp), by the time morning comes the water drops to maybe 72F at the lowest. This works for me and I like it as it is more natural that water temps drop a bit in the wild. But a heater makes life easier and it stays more consistant.

A pretty good heater would be the Whisper 15 watt heaters (might be different wattage but is rated for 2-5 gallons- so look for that) . You can get these at Wal*Mart (if you're in the United States- I didn't check ), but I'm sure you could get them elsewhere as well if not. I don't remember the exact specs but I think that it is preset to always be like 78-80F or something like that. I hope that helped you out .

 

[laurasbetta]

Onto your question. I understand your desire to avoid the irregular day/night cycle. I keep a lamp on my bettas during the day and turn it off at night. The temp in the room stays around 70F so the water is usually 75-78F during the day (on the higher end by the time I turn off the lamp), by the time morning comes the water drops to maybe 72F at the lowest. This works for me and I like it as it is more natural that water temps drop a bit in the wild. But a heater makes life easier and it stays more consistant.

A pretty good heater would be the Whisper 15 watt heaters (might be different wattage but is rated for 2-5 gallons- so look for that) . You can get these at Wal*Mart (if you're in the United States- I didn't check ), but I'm sure you could get them elsewhere as well if not. I don't remember the exact specs but I think that it is preset to always be like 78-80F or something like that. I hope that helped you out .

Thanks, that helps a lot! I'll look for the Whisper 15 Watt heater tomorrow and if it fits, I'll install it next full water change (in a couple of days) I picked up a 25 Watt one that has an adjustable thermostat but it is a little bit big for the tank. I might still consider going to a bigger tank eventually. I saw a 3 gallon acrylic tank that isn't that much bigger than my 1 gallon (just a little wider)

But I'll do one thing at a time since I don't want to shock the little guy by throwing him into a totally new environment!