I do have a heater for now, but my dad is always telling me to unplug it to save energy. I'm NOT doing that. It's a hang-on heater though, and I wanted to switch it for a submersible. I don ' t know how I'm going to do that now. Supposedly, he asked workers from several pet stores and they all said that bettas don't need heaters. Now he's convinced that bettas don't need heaters. He's always saying that the internet is lying, even when I show him the facts (he's never used the internet before).
eye - actually heaters use a lot of energy. Thats why they don't have battery powered ones, because batteries couldn't provide much energy.
People at the pet stores have 0 brains for any animal! I asked a guy there how much an Oscar Cichlid needer [they get over 12 inches!]
he said a bowl was fie. The bowl couldn't even hold the Oscar! Turns out they need 65 + gallons.
BETTAS NEED A HEATER!
anything below 76 degrees STUNTS them, and anything over 86 stunts them! water is VERY different in temperature then air around it. Its 96 degrees out, the 5 ft pool gets 84 degrees. Its 74 out, the pool is 62 [which IS FREEZING ]
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com When its -10 degrees, water actually is around 30-40 degrees. And that actually causes a fog [I live in a place where twenties are "warm" in the winter.]
So yeah, and I'm using that as a caomparison. And actually its not that much for heating a tank. I have 2 tanks [a 20 gal, and 10 gal] and it costs around 8 bucks a month. Where I used to live, we paid more for the water to put in the tank, then the energy to run the tank. Now we get water free. Well not free, but we have this one "fee" and we get the water free. The other place was ".25 per gallon of water used"
try explaining to him that pet store employees are minimum wage retail workers. they are NOT specially trained. they don't go to school for animal care. they are people ( usually high school kids) who needed a job. they are NOT a good source of information.
maybe it would help if you told your dad about the natural habitat of bettas. they orignate in thailand (used to be siam which is why they're called siamese fighting fish). they live in rice paddies and slow moving streams and usually have a shallow but large territory. the temp is usually in the low 80s.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I have the same issue with my dad, he is convinced my fish tanks are running up the electric bill (you know, not him leaving the TV on all the time). They make a thing to monitor how much electric things use, but they 're a little pricey. but trust me, a heater is NOT using a lot of energy.
I can see your dad's point because it does use up electricty and he would have to pay the bill, but there is a way and that's to be wily with your dad and switch on the heater when he's not there. The betta should be okay as long as the temp does not drop too much below 70f.
why don't you have your simpleton father call the electric company and get the exact charge for keeping a heater plugged in and when he sees it is a dollar or two hopefully he will see what a fool he is and let you keep the heater plugged in ... what part of TROPICAL fish does he not understand ... i am sorry to insult your father but clearly he is on the lower end of the IQ curve ... and i am sorry you have to grow up with a man like that ...
tell him if h can go through winter without any heater in the house or jackets or coats
Actually, your dad is right. I have owned bettas for years, and never used a heater. In fact, I have never met anyone who had one with a heater. Bettas do not need a heater to survive and be healthy. My betta doesnt have a heater, or a filter ... and a friend of mine keeps his bettas in a large fish bowl with a floating water plant, no heater.
Bettas don't really need a heater so as long as you keep the water at room temperature. I didn't use a heater and it lived for 4 years.
