Tank temperature for betta fish- Everything You Need To Know

Bettas are a fantastic fish to keep in your home. These creatures are beautiful and with impressive personalities. Watching them is really fun.

Keeping bettas is an exciting hobby that aquarists would never trade with anything in this world. However, like other pets out there that live with us at home, you must take certain health precautions to maintain your betta’s health.

One of the critical things to prioritize when it comes to the health of a betta fish is the tank temperature.

Let’s discuss the tank temperature of bettas and why it is critical for their happiness and overall health.

Tank temperature for bettas – why is it important? –

The water temperature of the tank where bettas live is important. This is because these creatures originated from a tropical and warm climate in Burma and Thailand.

This means bettas are already used to living in warm waters of between 78-80°F.

They come from an environment with steady climates and where the temperature only fluctuates on rare occasions.   They are already used to certain temperature ranges.

If the tank water where your betta lives are any colder or hotter than their survivable temperature range, your fish may begin to display unhealthy symptoms or even die.

Keeping bettas in tanks with an unfavorable temperature can make them show symptoms like erratic swimming and reduced metabolic function. In fact, it could make them float on a side, o  even weaken their immune system.

In other words, overly cold water will freeze your fish to death, and extremely warm water may cook your fish over time.

What is the best temperature for the betta tank?

So what is the right temperature for a betta tank? Well, betta tanks hold a strict temperature, which stands between 78-80°F, of 25.5-26.5°C (make sure you continuously check the temperature)

Now, remember that this is the best water temperature for your betta to thrive and live healthily. However, they can also survive in a temperature range of 72-86°F it 22.3-30°C, but your fish will only survive and not thrive.

Your fish will lead a happy and healthy life if you subject their tank to the ideal temperature. Keep in mind that anything higher or lower than the perfect survivable range will make your fish health deteriorate and may die. Remember, bettas are tropical fish, which means they only require relatively warm water.

What is the maximum water temperature of a betta fish?

The maximum tank water temperature that your fish can survive in is 30°C or 86°F. Go anything higher, and you’re equally cooking your beautiful creature slowly. Your betta fish will begin to exhibit some weird behaviors if the temperature is too high. First off, you’ll notice an erratic behavior in their swimming. They’ll become overactive. They will swim faster and in an extremely weird pattern.

After exhibiting these behaviors for a prolonged time, it may result in stress, a weakened immune system, or even death. Regardless of the rate, extremely warm water is terrible for the mental and physical health of bettas.

What happens to a betta fish put in cold water?

If the water temperature where your betta lives is too cold, the first sign that you’ll notice is that your betta will stop eating (loss of appetite).

That’s because extremely cold water will reduce your fish’s metabolism, which makes them eat less and lose energy. Also, water that is too cold will increase their susceptibility to illness because of weakened immune systems. Finally, cold water may cool off your fish to a freezing point, related to hypothermia in humans.

Does my betta need a heater?

You can consider buying a heater for your tank, especially if your home operates at room temperature, meaning that your tank water temperature will fall below the right temperature.

If the temperature of your betta tank water is below 24°C, you will probably need a heater that must heat the tank water to 25.5°C for them to thrive.

Avoid buying a cheap heater because most are unreliable when it comes to heating water to a specific range. This kind of heater may overheat your tank water and kill your fish, in fact, and do more.

Steps to take when the tank water is not at the ideal temperature

Fish are generally sensitive to temperature change, and betta fish are no different. If the temperature of your tank water is too low or high, make sure you slowly change the temperature of the water.

Be sure to continue slowly that you may need to keep for some days to reach your desired temperature.

Although this seems stressful, consistently adjusting the water temperature may improve the chance of your betta’s survival.

The same also works for when you want to change the water in the fish tank. If you only want to replace some parts of the water, be sure the temperature of the new water is the same as that of the previous water. And if you’re changing all of it, firstly make sure the water is brought to the desired temperature.

Then have the betta fish floated in a plastic bag that contains the old water for some hours, leaving them to adapt to the new temperature. Then you can release them to the tank.

Finally

Bettas are a beautiful and charismatic addition to every home, and more like other fish, it needs care and attention.

And because these creatures originated from a tropical environment, the temperature of your water tank is critical to their health and life.

Keeping your fish in a tank of water with the right temperature will help your fish stay happy and healthy. A betta fish that is properly cared for will live for 5 years and more.

So finally, if you want to own a successful betta fish aquarium, you definitely must apply everything that has been discussed here. Temperature is crucial, and keeping your betta in tank water that is too cold or too hot will be detrimental to their health and may lead to death.