Reddit reviews Hydor 7.5w Slim Heater for Bettas and Bowls, 2 to 5 gal

Something like this would probably work well!

Hello! It's good to see someone new to bettas doing their research ahead of time! Aquarium kits are kind of tricky: they seem nice since it's a all-in-one package, but since bettas can be rather delicate fish, the equipment that come with the kits tend to be too powerful.

I recommend checking your local pet store (if you're in the USA, PetCo and PetSmart are pretty common) and see if they have any individual fish tanks available on sale. For a filter, I recommend investing in a sponge filter + an air pump. These types of filters are very gentle, low flow, and quite effective for smaller setups like a 5-gallon. Also keep in mind that bettas live optimally in heated water. Since your setup is small, you have a couple options for heaters:

• Undergravel style
  
• Traditional tube style
  
  If you haven't purchased fish yet, read up on the nitrogen cycle and consider doing a "Fishless Cycle" to get your aquarium prepared for your betta.
  
  Good luck with everything!
  
  EDIT: Also, don't forget to pick up an aquarium thermometer! :)

This is seriously a wall of text. Sorry. I know it was a simple question, but there is a range. I also wanted to make sure you knew where the cost was coming from, so that's why this is so awkwardly long.

Lets start with what you will need. Generally speaking, you can keep bettas in smaller bowls than you normally would. I personally have my betta in a 1.5 gallon bowl. If you do any research, you will find people saying that you must must must have them in a 5 gallon tank. This is not necessarily true. The way I was trained, is that for every inch of fish, there needs to be a gallon of water. My little guy is only and inch long, so he is in one gallon of water (plus some, because decorations). They can get up to two inches, maybe even three, but it is not common. I plan on upgrading to a five gallon tank anyway soon (I have to move first), so if he gets any bigger, it won't be a huge concern for me. The great thing about bettas is that they can be kept in smaller areas. That being said, you have to do more work the smaller the tank you get. So for example, I have to make sure that my water is still clean, just like any responsible fish owner. This means, with a smaller bowl, that I have to change it more frequently (which I personally don't mind doing). Water quality is hugely important in the health and happiness of your fish. Now, the bowl I have is a nice glass bowl that looks like this and it would cost $25-$30 (but I got it for free from a coworker). A tank that is the 5 gallon recommendation that you will see in a lot of places can cost anywhere from $40 to even $100 dollars, depending on the brand and stuff (there are some tanks that come with filter, heater, light bulb, water starter, etc). Lids are not necessary, but some bettas will jump. If you do get a lid for your bowl/tank, make sure that it have air holes in it. Bettas have a primitive lung, called a Labyrinth organ, which allows them to also take oxygen from the air. Without this ability, bettas can drown.

Another great thing about bettas is that they are fine without a filter, and in fact don't really like the filter moving the water around (like I mentioned before, they are naturally found in rice paddies, which have standing water with little to no flow). So that is a cost you don't have to worry about. Now, if you wanted to get a tank and have other fish and a betta, you would have to have a filter. Bettas can live with non-aggressive schooling fish, and females bettas can live together (generally). Of course, with all fish, you may get some that you have to house alone. I know of a couple who had a guppy they had to return because it was literally killing all the other fish in their tank. A guppy. Yeah. It really just depends on the personality of the fish in some cases.

One thing that some say a betta doesn't need is a heater. While this is technically true, I would really recommend that you have a heater for your betta. This is the one I have, and it works well for my bowl. Bettas are a tropical fish, and they do need to be kept warm, generally between 76 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Along with the heater, I would recomend getting a thermometer to keep on the inside of your tank or bowl, and those generally only cost a few bucks. Bettas are a tropical fish and they do need the warmth. Without it, your fish will be miserable. It will live, probably, but it will be sad.

Another thing you will need is decoration. Not just to make your tank look pretty, but also to give the fish someplace to live. Fish, just like people, need a place to go if they get stressed or scared. A simple hideout will do, or even some plants. Here are examples of decorated tanks. One and two. Two, though, doesn't really have a decoration for the fish to hide inside of, which I would really recommend. When shopping for a decoration for your betta to hide in, rub your fingers along the entrances and the inside. If it feels rough, it may be dangerous to have for your betta. Their long, thin fins can be easily torn. It is also for this reason that I recommend against plastic plants. I would shop only for silk plants or live plants (though if you have a live plant they can murk up your water). If you have gravel and a house, your betta will be fine. It doesn't need plants. For every one gallon of water your tank holds, get a pound of gravel/sand for the bottom of your tank. So I have 1.5 lbs, a 5 gallon tank would need 5 lbs of gravel or sand. I would say that decor for your tank could run you about $15 if you just get the bare minimum for a bowl, maybe up to $30 depending on if you have a tank that you need to fill. Everything after that is just gravy.


You will need a water conditioner. I used Tetra brand Betta Safe water conditioner. You can get it here from Amazon for just a few dollars. If you buy it in store, it will be more expensive (anywhere from $5-$10). The reason you need water conditioner is so that you can use tap water to fill your bowl. Tap water has all sorts of stuff that is bad for your fish (chlorine, namely), and the water conditioner gets rid of that. Fill your tank, add conditioner, and 5 minutes later you're reader to add your fish. You don't have to cycle your tank (run the nitrogen cycle) for bettas, but you do need to be aware of the ammonia levels. If you go into your local pet store, they should be able to test your water and let you know if your ammonia levels are suitable to have a fish in. This is generally free.

You will also need food. Some people get multiple types of food (pellets and frozen blood worms). I get my pellets that already have blood worms in them, so I don't have to worry about it. Most people only feed their betta sparingly, like twice a week. It should only be what they can eat within five minutes, others do 1 pellet on the week days and 2 pellets on the week ends (AM and PM). It's really up to you. Neither way is going to be better for your fish, just make sure you don't over feed. This can murk up your water or even lead to digestive problems. Food should only cost about $5.


The fish, depending on the type of betta, can run anywhere from $3 to $20+ dollars. The cheapest fish at the place I work is the female veiltail betta. Females don't have the flashy fins or the pretty colors that the males do, so they are generally cheaper. The male veiltail is only a dollar more though. The most expensive fish that we sell is the Elephant Ear Halfmoon Plakat Betta, which can run up to $40. The fish is all based on your personal preference.

So, adding all that up:

Tank: $25-$100

Heater: $12

Thermometer: $5

Decor: $15-30

Water Conditioner: $2-$10

Food: $5-10

Fish:$3-40


Your grand total would be about $67 dollars before tax on the lower end and $196 before tax on the highest end discussed in this post. That $67 is plenty to start your betta on the road to a happy life in your home, on a counter or someplace (not in front of a window or near a vent, of course). If you wanted to upgrade later on, like I plan to, you could do that to, and build up your supplies over the long run. You can also check sales (for example, my store is having a 30% off fish sale this week, so I would check some pet stores in your area and see if there would be similar deals at other stores), and you can always check craigslist for used things tha tprevious fish owners don't want or need any more, :)

This is probably waaaayyyy more of an answer than you were expecting, but I like fish, and I had nothing better to do than write this. Now, some other people may have better advice, and that's totally cool and awesome, and I encourage you to look for all the advice you want. I have worked at this pet store for less than a year, and have only been a betta owner for a few months, so I'm sure that loads of people have more information that they can give you if you seek it. If you have any more questions, though, feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to answer them for you :)

Edit: I noticed the other commenter say something about the filters, and I just wanted to say that this is a differing opinion from what I have seen. The way I was trained is that they don't need and don't like filters, but I can see that this would be an issue if you have a larger tank. If you have a larger tank, definitely get a filter because it won't move the water too much and it will make life much easier for you!

Maybe something like this would work, may still get too hot. Most shrimp thrive in cooler temps though, unless its ridiculously cold in your house you probably dont need to heat it. High 60s to low 70s is optimal for cherries.

As long as you don't keep your home really cold, this will probably do: http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-7-5w-Heater-Bettas-Bowls/dp/B006JVQ67K

If you want to be sure its good enough, these are pretty high quality for the cost (probably too large if you have the 2.5gal): http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-25W-Submersible-Aquarium-Heater/dp/B0006JLPG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422690305&sr=8-1&keywords=hydor+heater&pebp=1422690295593&peasin=B0006JLPG8

I'm not sure what I'm getting right now, but I've been thinking of snails and dwarf frogs. I'd like to have a lively tank :)

This is the heater I have for him right now :) I'm going to see how well it works in the new tank before buying a new one.

I'm not sure on the fin rot. But as far as the heat solution they do have small under gravel heaters that are good up to about 3-5 gallons.
My girlfriend got one of these for her oddly shaped tank. Works pretty well.

2 amazon purchases should do it -

3-gallon aquarium, light, and filter $30

under-gravel heater $12

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001B4KG2Q/ref=pd_aw_sbs_2?pi=SY115&simLd=1&dpPl=1&dpID=51cgOhWUtTL

Tank


http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006JVQ67K/ref=s9_top_hm_b3FMi1z_g199_i2

Heater

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027IZ6KW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419281694&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=51A5Tlq5o1L&ref=plSrch

Hammock (optional, I have one for all 3 of my betta, it gives them a nice spot near the surface for resting, I think it would be a nice pick-me-up for a sick betta)

This tank is cheap and I cannot recommend it enough. I got it because a friend had it and I saw how awesome it is. My only suggestion is to move the tube with the filter toward the edge of the tank, as it is kind of obstructive in the middle and you really don't need the little prop thing it comes with.

http://i.imgur.com/FQgJjqP.jpg

My setup with all of the above, including the filter modification. Comes in about $20 under budget too, which id suggest spending on a first aid kit. You never know when your fish could get sick, and it is much better to have everything you need on hand than have to make an emergency pet supply run.

Yeah I'm in the process of moving the pleco to my brother's 55 gallon. PetSmart insisted a bristlenose would be fine in a 5g until I was told on here its far from it.

So if I were to take a plastic bucket and fill it with water, put the heater on the bottom and float the hospital tank in that it will work alright? For what its worth its just this type of straightforward slim heater: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006JVQ67K/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1398868220&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

I have the first tank you posted, it works great! And also, you should consider putting some dwarf frogs in there (maximum two) but probably not any fish. You would need a bigger tank to add some fish!

here's a good tank heater:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-7-5w-Heater-Bettas-Bowls/dp/B006JVQ67K

you're also going to need a filter, even if the people at petco say you don't.

http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-25846-Whisper-BioScrubber-3-Gallon/dp/B000HHQ712/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1426271069&sr=1-1&keywords=1-3+gallon+filter

I got rid of the under gravel "filter" that came with the tank and installed this one instead, leaving out that stupid plastic tube that came with the tank.

With all of these resources you should have a super healthy happy betta!

Just a heads up. When I began betta keeping, once I realized they needed heaters, I bought heaters similar to this. They didn't work AT ALL. I ended up getting bigger tanks and better heaters.

Just letting you know in case yours mess up, break, or flat out don't work.

Although, the small betta heater I first mentioned does seem to have a little under 70% 4+ star reviews, so hopefully they are making these things better these days.

I found the tank and almost everything else at a LFS in Seattle called aquarium zen. Filter, soil, light, plants, planter, trellis, foam pad. The dimensions are very weird but I think it can make a beautiful tank. You have to either deal with a very shallow soil layer or a small water column. I tried doing both by making it bank in the adjacent corners.

My main problem is heating. The tank is so small I have to use a small heater so it doesn't take too much space and ruin the look. But small heaters are not powerful and its winter, so I've had to crank up the rooms heat. But that causes more water to evaporate so I've had to do more water changes than I'd like...yadda yadda yadda.

I have a small betta heater that ive been thinking putting directly underneath the output of my filter to act as a deflector. I would then attempt to grow moss over top it to hide the fact that its there. I hope this will provide sufficient heating while hiding the fact theres a heater. I could put it under the soil too, but I've already laid down the soil and don't want to disturb it.

You could use a 7.5W under substrate heater for that. Link

There's no need to be afraid of fires, these things are very well protected with grounding and there isn't really a risk.

That said, 0.5 gallons is really too small for a betta. If you can I would upgrade the tank ASAP to a 5 gallon or 2.5 gallon as a bare minimum. In such a small tank he won't have the best water quality and the conditions can change very quickly.

It's a win-win - Dreamy will have more space to swim, he'll have better water quality, be healthier and the larger the aquarium the easier it is to maintain. You have more space to aquascape too!

Holy crap, I'm taking note of Hydor heater for 5g right now. Thank you. Could you explain what HOB is? Judging by context I assume it's related to weakening filter flow, right? Could I buy a sponge off Amazon as well?

Edit: I'm assuming you were talking about this one, correct?
http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-7-5w-Heater-Bettas-Bowls/dp/B006JVQ67K/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1418362865&sr=8-4&keywords=hydor+heater

This is what I have for him right now. Do you have any recommendations as a heater for his 2.5G? Also, I heard that aquarium salt may help, do you agree with this? Thank you!

Something like this: Hydor 7.5w Slim Heater for Bettas and Bowls, 2 to 5 gal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JVQ67K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8uV9ybSGXNPEG

Look, /u/piratesaurus is giving you good advice but IMO it's not the easiest way to introduce your friend to good fish keeping. For starters, everything for larger tanks is more expensive. The tank, the heater, the filter, the dividers...all more expensive. That's like a $100 setup. Another problem is that she'll have to learn all about the nitrogen cycle, so that's another big chemical concept. You want the easiest way to make these guys happier and spend an infinitely less amount of money? Here.

Two Med/large KritterKeepers - plastic, less expensive than glass, small, and no hassle doing an arts and crafts project for the divider and worrying about one fish jumping over it. Also comes with a lid, which actually is very important since some bettas are real jumpers. You just don't know which ones are jumpers and it's better to have a lid. Mine never jumps. Other people, their betta always did it and jumped and died the 1 time they forgot the lid.

Two small heaters - stick them in and plug them in.

Water conditioner - Prime is cheap and concentrated. 2 drops per gal

Gravel - not needed if you want the bare minimum

Silk plants from a craft store - way less expensive than pet store plants and almost always made of soft fabric, not hard plastic which can tear fins. Just cut off what you need. Bettas like to float on the surface.

2 thermometers - temp should be around 78

Pellets - NLS (for betta or small fish) or Omega one (for betta)

There you go. No filter for this cause it's so small. Do 100% change once a week. Feed 3 pellets 2x a day.