Hot weather...

[ericamae04]

Hello All!

It has been so hot here in Los Angeles, California and i have no idea what to do with the water temperature for my bettas. I keep them in a (separate) one gallon tank (I have two, Mithos and Zelos). There are ways to keep the water warm, such as a water heater or a heat pad which some do not recommend, but how do you keep the tanks cool?? The temperature for both of my tanks are currently 85 degrees, which can be a little too high, no? I decided to put ice in a bag and place it between the tanks, so the ice isnt in the tank but rather outside. Will this be okay or are there other options?

I forgot to mention that I currently DO NOT use a water heater obviously, my babies would fry to death...

Your help will be greatly appreciated... Thanks! ;D

~Erica

[abm]

Hi Erica,

I've had a similar problem in that my air conditioning system is too small for my house and certain rooms just stay HOT . I moved my bettas into a room that has better air circulation and that solved my problem. If you have areas in your home that are cooler than others I would suggest moving the fish tanks into that room, at least until the heat wave is over. And of course make sure you have good thermometers so you can monitor the temps:)

Good luck!
~abm

[starlight]

I decided to put ice in a bag and place it between the tanks, so the ice isnt in the tank but rather outside. Will this be okay or are there other options?

You can try that but you better monitor it closely. I certainly wouldn't leave it touching the tanks if I left the house.

How long is this hot spell going to last out there? I wouldn't be concerned about 85 degree temperature for a few days. Bettas are fine at 85. They are more active and eat a bit more food. Breeders spawn bettas at 82-84 degrees. A friend keeps bettas in his basement. His tank temps hit 88 in may and stay that way until after Sept.

I like your ice bag idea to cool the surrounding air temperature. Just watch it to be certain the temp doesn't fluctuate much. That would concern me more than 85 degrees would.

A few weeks ago we had a hot spell. With the tank lights on, I observed 86-88 in a couple of tanks. The bettas were fine.

[ericamae04]

Hey AMB and Starlight!

Thanks for your responses. The ice bag technique barely worked anyways; the ice melted way too quick for the temperature to even drop 1 degree. Plus I just used a small sandwich bag.

How long is this hot spell going to last out there? I wouldn't be concerned about 85 degree temperature for a few days.

I have no idea how long this heat wave is gonna last and I am hoping it will not last that long cuz I am sweating just sitting here. Well, my bettas are active and happy so I won't worry about it too much.

Thanks again!! ;D

~Erica