Heater in a 2.5 gal tank for fry?

HI there - Newbie here!

I recently purchased 4 Mickey Mouse Platties - 2 male adults and 2 fry (I couldn't resist, they are adorable). The store employee said it was okay to keep the adults with the fry, but after much research - I've discovered the adults can and will eat the fry so I've moved the fry to a 2.5 gallon tank with filtration. I'm worried about the water being warm enough for them - can I put a 25 watt heater in this tank? The tank is not glass.

Any input would be sooooo welcome- thanks!!!

 

yes the fry do need a heater, the temp should be at about 77-80 degrees.

 

did he make you pay for the fry? they are usually free

 

HI Jon!

No, he didn't - I should have mentioned that - they are just so cute!

 

HI Emma!

Thanks a bunch! Any clue what I can do tonight to keep them warm until I can get a heater for them tomorrow? I have their light on in hopes this will help a bit!

Your fish sound awesome, by the way!

 

cool when I bought some guppies I got a free fry just cuz it got stuck in the net lol ^,^ gl with ure fish get a heater soon... hope u live in the south where it is warm or at least have a warm house

 

Howdy Jon!

Yep - I do live in the south, but it is chilly this eve and it doesn't help that I live in an old home with poor insulation (I love it, though). I'm getting the little guys a heater tomorrow - until then, I may keep their light on and I've even thought about wrapping the tank up in a towel ( I doubt this will help but I'll feel better- poor babies!) The tank is at about 76 degrees right now.

 

65-78 is fine for platties so you have nothing to worry about 76 is great

lol don't wrap it with a towel... lol

 

well platies are tropical fish, they shouldnt be kept at anything below 75...same with guppies, etc
the only (commonly kept) fish that should be kept at or a bit below 70 is goldfish and their relatives.

 

A towel will help insulate the water so it doesn't drop too drastically overnight.

 

I don't think the towel will help a great deal as the towel can't possibly cover the entire tank well and that would stop light from coming in and it may scare the fish... also the principle of a towel is to retain body heat and fry don't produce that amazing amounts of body heat

chances are that the water won't drop 11 degrees overnight... they are fine if it drops a few degrees

 

Very cool - thanks everyone!

I've also turned up the heat in the house a bit - hopefully this will help as well! The fry are definitely not hiding like they were in the adult tank - maybe less anxiety!

 

Jon, rather than to get into a discussion on insulation, I'll just say that it holds in HEAT. Not just body heat - it's not an entirely separate form of heat. It's just heat. Any light that would be blocked would be pretty normal... it's dark at night, and the tank light would be sufficient during the day.

And yes, you'd be very surprised at how fast 2.5 gallons can drop in temperature.

 

yes, they fluctuate really fast! Even a five gallon fluctuates (with a heater, too!) like 10-15 degreesF a day!

 

yes but she doesn't need the towel unless her house is below 65 degrees ... she lives in the south so I doubt it is