How do i heat this tank up safely?!

i have a 10gal betta fish tank (also has a mystery snail & nerite) and the water was icy cold compared to usual and i checked the temperature immediately and it was 68 degrees, i unplugged and replugged everything in my tank instantly and the heater light turned back on but its going back up slowly so i water changed about 20% back to regular temperature. the thing is i dont know if i wait for the heater or try to keep water changing until its warm enough because ive heard that fish can die from drastic temperature changes but its also only gotten back to 72 degrees. im freaking out a bit and dont know what to do thats best/less risky for my betta and snails
my betta is slower and my snails seem to be the same as usual but i also dont want to be unknowingly letting my fish suffer by waiting for the heater to heat the tank up entirely because its being really slow

 

A couple degrees an hour is ok, as it’s quite gradual. I wouldn’t do more than this

 

Sounds like your heater may be failing , I’d replace it asap. Whatever you do I’d do it slowly in raising the temp again. Good luck !

 

A couple degrees an hour is ok, as it’s quite gradual. I wouldn’t do more than this

Sounds like your heater may be failing , I’d replace it asap. Whatever you do I’d do it slowly in raising the temp again. Good luck !

thank you guys, ill try to water change a little gradually, do you think my fish will be safe in this temperature as i heat it up?? im just worried about my fish

 

thank you guys, ill try to water change a little gradually, do you think my fish will be safe in this temperature as i heat it up?? im just worried about my fish

I think that the cooler temperature is less likely to bother them than a drastic change in water temp. They were most likely slowly acclimated to the cooler temp and as long as they are slowly acclimated to a warmer temp, They should be safe

 

I think that the cooler temperature is less likely to bother them than a drastic change in water temp. They were most likely slowly acclimated to the cooler temp and as long as they are slowly acclimated to a warmer temp, They should be safe

Bradley wins.....great answer.

 

I think that the cooler temperature is less likely to bother them than a drastic change in water temp. They were most likely slowly acclimated to the cooler temp and as long as they are slowly acclimated to a warmer temp, They should be safe

thank you so much for the help, ill keep that in mind. will update when i get it back up ,i hope he'll be alright

 

thank you so much for the help, ill keep that in mind. will update when i get it back up ,i hope he'll be alright

One important question to always ask yourself is:

Is my fish freaking out about this? Or am I freaking out about this?

How does the fish look? Is he dying?
A dying fish looks very different from a fish that is mad because he's in cool water.

Just take it slow don't change it too fast and you will be fine. And so will your fish.

 

thank you so much for the help, ill keep that in mind. will update when i get it back up ,i hope he'll be alright

If he's okay now he'll be okay, as long as you don't raise the temperature too fast. I'd let the heater do it, as long as it's working.

 

he honestly seems the same as he always has, just not as jumpy but not so inactive that he seems lethargic. maybe i need to approach fishkeeping with a little less anxiety, thanks again for your great advice guys, it helps a lot

 

he honestly seems the same as he always has, just not as jumpy but not so inactive that he seems lethargic. maybe i need to approach fishkeeping with a little less anxiety, thanks again for your great advice guys, it helps a lot

That's the ticket right there.

 

he honestly seems the same as he always has, just not as jumpy but not so inactive that he seems lethargic. maybe i need to approach fishkeeping with a little less anxiety, thanks again for your great advice guys, it helps a lot

Yup. It's usually better to slow down and think about it before jumping into action.

 

This happened to me, today, too! I was going to do a water change on one of my 10 gallon betta tanks, and noticed that the temp was down to about 74 degree F. I removed the heater and replaced it, setting it at about 76 degrees. Over the next few days, I will bump it up to the usual 80-ish. I'm so glad I noticed the water was cold before I cleaned the tank and dumped in 81 degree water. Every tank has a floating thermometer, but last thing I do every night before bed is walk around with my laser thermometer and do a quick check of each of my 34 tanks. Last night, I had a headache and skipped it, so of course that was when the heater chose to break. At least it broke in the off position! I think it's better to let the fish be a little chilly and raise the temp up gradually.

 

so i've raised the temperature through small and occasional water changes to 75.6F** and it seems the heater (that is now on after failing) can maintain this heat but not raise since its been stuck at it for multiple hours :/

my fish and plants have been taking it super well though and all seem the same so ill probably continue the couple of small warmer water changes if the heater fails for the next few days im a manual heater until then lol

i already ordered a 50 watt eheim jagar heater that im gonna pick up on the weekend and im planning on getting a proper thermostat to connect it to when i get the money so i think i have a solid plan until then. thanks so much for the advice guys!

 

a quick check of each of my 34 tanks.

34 tanks !!!!!! * whispers must not be jealous, must not be jealous *

my fish and plants have been taking it super well though and all seem the same so ill probably continue the couple of small warmer water changes if the heater fails for the next few days im a manual heater until then lol

i already ordered a 50 watt eheim jagar heater that im gonna pick up on the weekend

Glad you’ve got a solution and everyone’s ok

 

34 tanks !!!!!! * whispers must not be jealous, must not be jealous *

Who knew that Multiple Tank Syndrome would eventually cause a side effect called Tank Envy