cathrinetta

Can anyone recomend a heater for a one gallon acrylic aquarium and also a filter. I'm mostly interested in the heater as I only see ones for 2.5 gallons or higher.

I read about Hydor's 7.5 watt mini heater but even this states 2-5 gallons and does not have an automatic off for the temperature.

I need this for my beta as my house is cold and my tank is about 60 degrees with out it.

Lucy

I'm glad you've decided to move your betta but a 1g isn't big really big enough for him. It's hard to keep the temp or parameters stable and doesn't give enough swim room.
I'm not sure there's a heater to accommodate that size bowl.
I hope you consider getting him something a little larger preferably 5g, but several members do well with 2.5.

Minnow

You can't safely heat anything under 2.5 gallons. Also, the minimum tank size for a betta is 2.5 gallons. Anything smaller is bad for their health. A 5 to 10 gallon tank with a filter and heater is perfect for bettas. I would recommend that you get a 5 gallon tank with a visi-therm stealth heater and a whisper filter, your betta would love the extra room and care.

On another note, is your aquarium info correct? If so, I'm afraid your 10g is overstocked. You would need at least 30 gallons for the goldfish alone. Plus, goldfish are coldwater fish, while the rest are tropicals.

Sorry for the bad news. If there's anything you have questions about, feel free to ask. The members here are dedicated to providing the best advice to help your fishkeeping experience run as smoothly as possible. Oh, and be sure to post pictures of your betta, we love photos!

Edit: 'd by Lucy!

cathrinetta

Minnow,

Thank you for the comment. I understand that my tank is overstocked and also I've mixed cold water and tropical but I'm doing what I can at the moment. I just got a tank off of Craig's list today that was advertised as a tall 20 gallon but sadly it is long and very large. It was stored in some guys damp basement and he never cleaned it before he stored it. The tank is huge (IMO) but is absolutely filthy. Not to mention my husband was already not happy about getting another tank in our small one bedroom apartment and now he's kind of mad. He's been pouting for 2 days now...

I also understand that a 1 gallon isn't really big enough but its the best I can do at the moment. In the past I have kept bettas in the same 1 gallon tank for about 3-4 years before sadly, they died. I did not have filtration or heat for them then. Bettas only need a minimum of 1qt to survive. I'm sure the one gallon I'm offering although not the best is much better than the plastic cup he was living in at Petsmart with 30 other bettas sadly I could not rescue.

I'm new to the hobby and am learning a lot but time and resources only allow me to go so far at the moment.

If you'd like to see pictures of my fish I've posted some under the freshwater photo section under the thread "Delicious Fishes"

Thanks again!

Iron waffle

You're right, it is better than the cups they sell them in. Maybe you could try wrapping the aquarium in a small blanket at night, it might help.

Red1313

There isn't a heater for a tank that small but I understand the sometimes it's the best we can do. Just keep in mind that water changes and water tests will be a must for it. I wish I could help you out for a heater but I can't think of anything. I know that a light can be used to heat the tank but that wouldn't be the ideal scenario. Without a heater you're tank will sit at least 2* cooler then you're room temp.
Best of luck,

agabr123

in a pinch i've used a lamp to heat a quarantine tank before (it was a little pet carrier thing)....it's not the best and needs to be constantly monitored (and my poor betta girl had no nighttime for two weeks, i tried to create as much shadow as possible ) but it's definitely better than nothing

cathrinetta

A woman at my one of my LFS said the same thing about getting a heating lamp. I'm not sure if this is the best way to go...

I just can't believe that manufacturers are allowed to make 1 gallon tanks but no one wants to sell all the necessary equipment to maintain?? You think they would want the money from having one more product to sell or something...

agabr123

unfortunately it just isn't cost effective to make filters and heaters for that small of a tank, most people that know that their tanks need to be filtered and heated have much larger tanks. that's why i got a heater for a 2-5 gallon tank for the same price as the heater for my 10 gallon tank!

cathrinetta

I wish they didn't sell small bowls to unsuspecting noobs like me -__-
Every time I see a goldfish bowl I get really mad now ...
Also, I think it is crazy that the betta tanks I looked at today were not even a gallon ... they were only half gallon!

agabr123

believe me i do too.....the only things those bowls are good for is growing algae

Red1313

For a filter a home-made sponge filter should work. All you'll need is an air pump, airstone, some tubing and a piece of filter media sponge. just cut a slit in the sponge and stuff the airstone in there. I've got 3 of them running in my 2.5 gal tanks without a problem though you'll have to weigh them down.

cathrinetta

What type of sponge do you buy?

agabr123

any natural sponge that doesn't have any dyes or perfumes or anything of that sort

snowball

The only thing i can think of that will heat a 1 gallon is a small incandescant lightbulb.
You can probobly just make a filter out of a 5 gallon bucket and heat evrything/filter evrythign in their but that wouldnt quite sound right