Hi Mystery.
I personally don't think a heater in a gallon tank is a good idea. I fear that the water would not be evenly warmed and that would result in trouble for your new friend.
I have four bettas and each have their own private tank. Two are in five gallon and two are in 2.5 gallon. All have heaters and they are all active and seem happy.
I know being in college makes money scarce, (heck for that matter, living can make money scarce)but if I were you,I would invest in a larger tank. You may be able to find a 2 or 2.5 gallon tank for about 20-25 dollars(Walmart). It would not take up much room and could be kept on a stable shelf. You could get a juinior heater(preset) for about $7.00(Walmart). You could check your local paper for aquariums and heaters(you may find a deal),also check online(ebay)sometimes you may find a complete set up(filter,tank,hood/light,heater etc..)very reasonably priced. I just purchased a five gallon tank complete with tank,light/hood/,heater,filter,and food very reasonably at auction on ebay. I also purchased a very good 25 watt heater(with dial control) at auction for $11.00. Also,I don't know where you are located ,but it would be wise to look into the Tradin Times. Sometimes they have great deals on just about everything. There are also flea markets and yard sales.
I guess my point is,shop around ,compare prices ,and try and get the best deal you can.
Bettas do well in a min. temp. of at least 76-80 degrees imo.
Til you get a larger tank and heater,try moving your fish to a warmer spot in your room. Also,does your current tank have a light on it? If so you may want to leave the light on during the day for a few hours to warm the water a bit. But remember that fish need a period of rest at night just as we do,so do not leave the light on constantly.
Hope I have been of some help to you.
Good luck on your college career and on your new betta. They are wonderful little companions and if properly cared for will provide you much enjoyment.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that you should also have a thermometer in your tank for any fish that you keep. This also helps in maintaining accurate temps. Just as the water should not be too cool,it should not be too warm either.
Let us know how you come out with the fish alright?
Grice

I have 1 gal bowls and 25 watt heaters in each. I need heaters in the winter. The water stays at the temp I set it at. 25 watt heaters are real cheap and some are submersible.
If hes's not acting right have you been changing that water weekly?

A heater would really help your fish out. Bettas are tropical, so they like temperatures between 78 and 80 degrees.

Getting a larger tank would also be a priority for your fish. 2.5 or higher would be optimal. PetSmart sells 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks for less than 10 dollars. (You'd have to cycle a 5 gallon, but ultimately it's better to do that.) A 25W heater can be purchased for these tanks. I use the Hagen 25W mini-submersible heater, bought from animal world network for around 11 dollars. The WalMart junior heater is very unreliable and has in some cases electrocuted or overheated fish.

Here is a link that might be useful: Animal World Network

Thank you everyone. I appreciated the advice. I don't know if I'll be able to get a larger tank. I have a lot of items to get for college which makes money very scarce. One thing though... my house always has the air conditioning on because my family likes it cooler. Unfortunately, my room becomes an ice box when they leave it on. A warm spot is near impossible to find. LOL.

It is now exactly one week since I got my little friend. He's doing well. I will be changing the water sometime soon.

The one gallon aquarium came with a flourescent which does jack for the temp of the water. We have a regular lamp on him now and that heats the water nicely, but we bought a heater anyway. I'm going to try it tonight and see how it does for the fishy. His water gets cool at night because I turn the light off so he can get some sleep.

Overall, Kedri is doing pretty well right now. I have a couple of pictures up on Deviantart of him. I'm at fallenangel27.deviantart.com. In case you're interested in seeing my little fella.

Thanks again everyone,
~Holly

Does anyone know what fish can live the betta fish?

Cory's are a popular mixture. Usually, anything that is same size or smaller and not nippy "community" fish is good. Similar looking, brightly colored community fish can be a problem, example: Fancy Tail guppies its hit or miss. I have had small tetras, platy's, molly's, oto cats, in with them with no troubles. Always have good hiding spots like plants and rockwork/caves for hiding. Its really the temperment of the betta and other fish. Sometimes the other fish can be aggresive. Stay away from semi-agressive fish.

Hey, y'all. I have two betta fish, a crowntail, and one I don't know the name of (lol). Anyway, I have them in a 2.5 gallon tank with a divider, light in the top, Micro Whisper Filter, some gravel, and two types of plants the guy at the pet store said would be good. I don't have a heater, but the light keeps it warm. I use this special filtered water my house has, and filter it for 14 hours before I put the fish in. Am I doing anything wrong, because I don't want my fishies to die, I love them already after 3 days!

Hello! So, I have two wonderful bettas, Melvin and Pearl. I'm in collge and I got them at school, and I'm about to go home for Christmas break but do not want to leave them here. So I was wondering what the easiest and safest way to take them home would be. Any ideas?

I have 2 coto catfish (I can never remember the rest of the name) and some ghost shrimp, and 2 dwarf platies. I had some tetras, but they picked on the betta (Sashimi) and so went back to the store. I have added 2 female bettas, and they all get along great. The male is very mild mannered.

Stina, get a plastic cup with a top.

When Bettas are cold they aren't as active. Grice is right, Bettas do well in a min. temp. of at least 76-80 degrees.

I have a female Betta in a 2.5 gal tank and a male Betta in a 5 gal tank. Both tanks were each around $10.00 (or less) at Pet Supplies. I bought mesh screens to put on top as Bettas have a reputation for jumping out of their tanks. I don't have a light over the tanks. Just nearby and this is turned off when we go to sleep. I have the tanks flush with each other so each fish can see (and entertain) the other without anyone getting hurt.

You really have to be careful with heaters. Some of them are cheap and don't last. Make sure the heater you use has the right amount of watts for the size of the tank/bowl. Don't use a 50 watt for a 1 gallon bowl. Thats overkill. I have gone through many of them that either didn't work or would unexpectedly go up/down in temp. For this reason, I always test a new heater in an empty container of water before putting it in with my fish. Be sure you have a thermometer in the bowl/tank so you can make sure its working ok. I check when I test for ammonia or do water changes. You want to be sure you aren't frying or freezing your fish. I bumped the thermometer the other day when I was changing the water and the temp shot up to 88.

One mistake I made early on was to not test the water for ammonia. Even with declor, you can still get a high reading. If a Betta is spending a lot of time near the top of the water it can be because there is too much ammonia. That is why you need to test for ammonia more often when you first set a tank up. You need time to let the natural (ammonia eating) bacteria establish itself. This can take several weeks. Complete water changes take this good bacteria count back to 0. I have two plastic gallon bottles I add the declorination stuff to and then fill with tap water. I let this sit at LEAST 3 days before putting it in anyone's tank. I remove about 15% of the old water and add the new at least once a week. This way there is always some of the good bacteria left and it doesn't shock the fish. Put the old water on your plants. It makes good fertilizer! Stress in the form of abrupt temperature or water changes are hard on fish. Thats why its better to do a little bit on a regular basis. Pet Supplies, PetSmart, Aquarium supply stores sell a test kit that retails for about $10.00. Its called Ammonia Test Kit from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. You can get 130 tests from it.

You also don't want to over feed the fish as this contributes to ammonia build up. Each of my Betta's get 3 pellets twice a day. In the wild Betta's can go days without eating so a missed feeding (or two) won't kill them.

I also have birds. Bugs lay eggs in the seed and tiny moths will hatch and fly around. Rather than stick out moth traps, I catch these and feed them to the fish once or twice a week. Betta's eat bugs in the wild and they appreciate this "live" food. Just don't feed them any bug that is real big. They can choke on it.

I've been using distilled water in my new betta's bowl -- is that okay for him?

You shouldn't use distilled. Read this link:

http://www.bettatalk.com/water.htm

Happy holidays and new year!

Tom

Thanks, tommyr -- that page gave me very helpful information. Our SoCal tapwater is too highly alkaline to try to alter, so I will gradually change him over from distilled to bottled drinking water. With only one fish it won't be expensive. I will check out other parts of that site and try to educate myself a bit.

I'm a preschool teacher and the betta was a student helper's Christmas surprise gift to me. I did successfully keep a betta as a classroom pet about 10 years ago and I'm hoping this little guy will do well in our home.

i keep my beta fish in a 2.5 gallon tank with no heater or filter or light. i recently bought a 5 gallon tank and i was wondering if i needed a heater, filter or light. will it survive with a once a week water change ? also what kind of light do you use for a fish that doesnt over heat ?
thankss in advance! =]

If you keep your house temperature at 75 or more you don't need a heater, if not you DO need one. In a 5g a 25 watt heater will be fine set at 75 to 80 degrees F. Water temp should be at least 75f. You do need a filter and a flourescent light won't over heat them. If no filter a water change of at least every 2 days will be needed.

Tom

sorry.. im kinda new to this but what kind of filter would you recommend? i only have one fish (that is a spoiled rotten) haha and i cant seem to find a heater suitable for 5 gallons.

Check at About DOT com/aquariums. Get the nice flat ones that can be laid on the bottom of the tank. They don't take up so much room and cost about $10.00.

i got a betta fish and he came with vase set up i want to transplant the fish to a very large brandy sniffer glass that i have but the plant wont fit the top of the glass is to big what other kind of plant is good for my betta

thanks for the help

Gusler, the plant that you got in your set up vase is purely for decoration -- it is to make the "picture" of the betta prettier-- it is not "for" your betta. If you are going to use a large brandy snifter (I hope you are talking about the decorative snifters at least 1 1/2 gallons and not a real snifter which would be wayyy too small) for your fish, it would be perfectly happy with some bottom stuff (gravel, marbles, a stick or two) to mess about around. It does not need a plant on top to make it happy. If you do want to give it a plant to make it happier, give it something from the bottom up to let it lurk around in. If you want a decorative plant to pop out of the top of the container, then you can use the same plant, repositioned-- just make sure that there is enough air circulation getting in through/under the plant to keep your betta happy.

whats up when a bettas skin puffs out around its cheeks (there is another betta in with it)

Spalding --

It sounds like you betta is "flaring." It's a sign of aggression. I would separate the two bettas immediately, or you'll probably have a dead fish in your tank.

Male bettas should NEVER be together in the same aquarium. In the wild, males will fight viciously over territory; the losing male is driven away. In all but the largest aquariums, there simply isn't room for males to establish separate territories. They will literally tear each other apart. One or both of your bettas will die.

A male and a female betta should not be together in the same aquarium unless for breeding purposes. Even then, there is a great deal of preparation required before putting them together. Males are often very aggressive toward females and can serious injure or kill a female.

Putting females bettas together requires a heavily planted tank and at least 3 females (a good set-up is a 10-20 gallon with 6-10 females). Female bettas will bully each other to establish a hierarchy. If there aren't enough hiding spots for separate fish, the "omega" bettas will be harassed and killed. Sometimes, even the best betta sorority will have issues. Certain females are just too aggressive to be kept with other fish and have to be removed. Success in putting females together really depends on the set-up and the personalities of the individual fish.

can dwarf frogs be in the same bowl or tank? what about snails? what fish can be in with a betta, male or female betta?

I had a betta that devoured small snails.

Anyone notice how the bettas cups are usually stacked on TOP of each other at pet stores? BLOCKING their tiny air hole?

I mentioned this to an employee. He said they have 'enough air' even if its blocked.

How stupid is this? It made me want to say "let me put some duct tape over your nose and mouth and you see how long YOU can wait before someone decides they can spare you a breath of FRESH air/oxygen".

Betta's breathe AIR. In the wild they don't live in sealed containers. They need oxygen like any other LIVING CREATURE. Why the heck doesn't the pet store manager notice this? Why don't the cup manufacturers design a container that incorporates extra air holes so they CAN be stacked?

Please help these critters when you visit to buy your pet supplies by either talking to management or RE-STACKING their containers so they can have air and don't have to suffocate to death in front of untold multiple witnesses (shoppers) before they are sold.

I noticed someone post above that they had 2 females in with their male betta. BAD idea. NEVER put females and males together unless it is for breeding, and only then after you've done a lot of research on breeding and have set up's for that. It's not just as simple as sticking them together either. I breed show bettas, so trust me on that.