ned advice!!

[kayhain]

need advice!
hi everyone. im new here. my names kaylee but i was wondering if anyone could give some advice on what i should do? i recently just bought 3 betta from a girl on campus that was taking very poor care of them. right now i have to use the tank she had as a temporary until the new ones come in. but the thing is because the tank she has is so small it’s hard to keep the water at a consistent and good temperature and im leaving to go home (im in college) tomorrow. im worried about leaving them here to either get too cold if i leave the tiny heater i bought in there or getting way to warm. but i also do not want to stress them out if i take them home with me. im not sure what to do

 

[kwi]

What size tank are they in now?
Is there a heater, filter, decorations, etc in the tank?
Can we have a picture?
Can you get a more suitable tank?
How far is your journey home?

 

[Guyb93]

Won’t beta be ok at room temperature???

 

[Essjay]

It depends on how warm the room is - bettas need a temp of around 26 deg C. If there's no-one there because everyone has gone home from college the room temp will probably be allowed to drop.

@kayhain Out of curiosity, are the bettas male or female; and are the in the same tank? I couldn't decide from your post whether they are together or separate.

 

[kayhain]

Won’t beta be ok at room temperature???

yes but in my dorm it’s really cold in here

 

[kayhain]

What size tank are they in now?
Is there a heater, filter, decorations, etc in the tank?
Can we have a picture?
Can you get a more suitable tank?
How far is your journey home?

rn im using the girls tank that she gave them to me with as a temporary, i HATE the tank i know it is not big enough or good enough at all but the new ones come in tomorrow. there’s a filter but its weird, not like one i’ve ever seen before and i did buy a little flat heater but it made the water way to warm bc it is such a small amount of water. my guess is about .5 gallon per each little section. it is a 5 hour drive home. and yes im getting new tanks tomorrow

 

[kayhain]

It depends on how warm the room is - bettas need a temp of around 26 deg C. If there's no-one there because everyone has gone home from college the room temp will probably be allowed to drop.

@kayhain Out of curiosity, are the bettas male or female; and are the in the same tank? I couldn't decide from your post whether they are together or separate.

yea our dorm is definitely colder. before i had bought the little flat heater it was sitting at 75 degrees F and then went down to 73 which is when i went and got the heater except now since the tank she had is so tiny that little heater makes the water too warm. two of them are male and the other one is female i was told but i did have someone tell me that the one that is female could actually be a male. im not too sure though. ive never had female bettas before. and yes!! they are definitely separated and cannot see eachother. sorry about that i should’ve made that more clear

 

[kwi]

I feared it would be one of those tanks, there is a betta care sheet here.

Betta Splendens Caresheet

Marble Rosetail OHM Species: Betta (pronounced bet-uh), also known as the Siamese or Thai fighting fish. Scientific Name: Betta splendens (although the domesticated versions are a result of breeding wild betta splenden complex members together) Wild Betta Splendens Lifespan: 2 - 10 years...

www.fishforums.net

What are you hoping to replace the tank with?
Have you thought about maybe rehoming 2 of them so you can concentrate on giving one the best care you can?

 

[hansgruber7]

Personally, I would keep your favorite and donate the other two to the local fish store. Take the one home with you on the five hour drive (he should be fine). Just bring him in his aquarium and make sure it doesn't fall over and that the temperature in your car is stable. Then you can care for him at home and bring him back again. I wouldn't leave him in the dorm.

 

[mcordelia]

here's a thought: I assume you put the heater into one of the little cubbies, and that cubby overheated and the other two stayed cooler (or if they share water, the whole thing overheated, but I digress). If you are sure that the heater will not overheat a larger volume of water (say, 10-15gal), then I would buy a sterilite or rubbermaid tub or dollar store tub (maybe shaped like a bus tub), and then fill the tub with water, put the heater in the water, and then PUT THE FISH TANK INSIDE THE TUB OF WATER. (don't submerge the electrical stuff obviously). It's unconventional, but it's the same as putting the tank inside a water bath, it will be heated from the outside with proper-temperature water. it will be unsightly, but whatever, it's not like you will be there to look at it.

on the other hand, are you just going home for the weekend, or is your entire semester going virtual now? If the latter, considering the conditions in which the bettas have been living, I would consider just bagging all of them and taking all of them home and then when you get home focusing on setting them all up separate tanks asap.

Let us know what you end up doing, and hopefully you are able to get the bettas nicer living conditions soon!