Temperature Getting Too Hot?

I just got a male betta yesterday and my thermometer said the temperature was at 78-79 degrees Fahrenheit. Today I checked the temperature and it's 81 degrees. If the temperature continues to rise, do I take the heater out? Or would it get too cold then? The heater is an Aqueon flat heater, and I believe it's the 15W one. It said it was ideal for tanks up to 10 gallons, and my betta is in a 5.5 gallon tank. The smaller one said it was ideal for up to 3 gallons, so I got this one. What temperature is too hot for a betta? If it rises above this temperature, should I take the heater out even if I won't be able to get another one for a while? Is there a better heater I could use?

 

HI Fishy,
Have you tried turning the heater down a couple of degrees? Some heaters are a degrees or so out, some you can recalibrate, some you cant. Id try turning it down a bit and see if that works first..

 

I'm not sure how to turn it down or if it even has the ability to let you set it. It said nothing in the instructions on how to do so, so I don't think you can set the temperature.

 

Does the aquarium heater say it is present or non-present? It should say it on the instructions.
What brand? Is the indicator light still on? It shouldn’t be.

 

AH right, it must be a pre set temp. In that case, with the size of your tank and the watts of the heater it could be that the heater is in fact too big for that small tank as you said the heater was for a tank double the size. 81F isn't too hot for a betta, they like that temp. But any hotter than that will be a little too much so I would keep a close eye on it today. Does it state on the box what the set temp is by any chance? Are you in summer period where you live?

 

Does the aquarium heater say it is present or non-present? It should say it on the instructions.
What brand? Is the indicator light still on? It shouldn’t be.

What do you mean by present or non-present? The ability to set the temp? And no, I don't see a light.

AH right, it must be a pre set temp. In that case, with the size of your tank and the watts of the heater it could be that the heater is in fact too big for that small tank as you said the heater was for a tank double the size. 81F isn't too hot for a betta, they like that temp. But any hotter than that will be a little too much so I would keep a close eye on it today. Does it state on the box what the set temp is by any chance? Are you in summer period where you live?

I don't see it stated on the box. No, it's winter here.

 

Yes, it is the ability to set the temp. Does it say present or non present anywhere? What brand? What’s the wattage and size tank you are using the heater for?

 

Ok, its very strange that the temp wouldn't be stated on the box of that heater.. That aside, keep an eye on that temp today/tonight, if it gets any hotter than 81F take it out, the tank will then gradually cool to room temp. Much to the dislike of others on this forum you CAN keep a Betta in a tank without a heater BUT it is not best for the fish, however you said before that you could not acquire another heater right now. So in the meantime, keep the tank in the warmest spot in the house you can (If you take the heater out). My advice would be to buy another heater ASAP though.. One that is the correct watts for you tank size..

 

Yes, it is the ability to set the temp. Does it say present or non present anywhere? What brand? What’s the wattage and size tank you are using the heater for?

It's the aqueon flat heater, 15W and the tank is 5.5 gallons. It's this one:

Ok, its very strange that the temp wouldn't be stated on the box of that heater.. That aside, keep an eye on that temp today/tonight, if it gets any hotter than 81F take it out, the tank will then gradually cool to room temp. Much to the dislike of others on this forum you CAN keep a Betta in a tank without a heater BUT it is not best for the fish, however you said before that you could not acquire another heater right now. So in the meantime, keep the tank in the warmest spot in the house you can (If you take the heater out). My advice would be to buy another heater ASAP though.. One that is the correct watts for you tank size..

What would be the correct wattage for a 5.5 gallon tank?

 

They say its 1 watt per liter of water here, I'm actually not sure what it is in gallons though... You might have to google that sorry..
My heater is a 200 watt, yet my tank is only 182 liters of water, and it works perfectly.

 

They say its 1 watt per liter of water here, I'm actually not sure what it is in gallons though... You might have to google that sorry..
My heater is a 200 watt, yet my tank is only 182 liters of water, and it works perfectly.

My tank is almost 21 liters, and my heater is 15 watts. The reviews online do say that it makes tanks my size fairly hot. I could just turn it off when it gets too hot and on when it gets too cold until I get a new heater.

 

Its not ideal to turn it off and on, the change it temp will effect your fish. Its better to just have a steady temp, so id take it out and let the tank return to room temp until you can buy a new one. How ever I can't say how your fish will go in the middle of winter with no heater. Its your choice, id ask a friend or family to loan you the money for a new heater perhaps

 

Those heaters only increase your tank temperature by a few degrees. I had a huge problem with mine in the summer. It's unregulated heat so when I came home from work one day, my tank was over 90 degrees. Not even joking. My fish was fine and I had to float bags of ice in the tank to bring it back down. I would recommend a Hydor heater. They're really cheap, even cheaper than the one you have now, and they're adjustable and extremely accurate

 

Make sre your tank isn't sitting by a heater in your house or by a window where it gets a lot of sun.

 

The tank went back down to 79 and I didn't unplug the heater. So I'm assuming it will probably stay in a safe temperature range, but I will definitely watch the temperature just in case. And no, the tank isn't sitting by a heater or window.

 

I have the exact same set up as you. A 5.5 gallon tank with a betta and a 15w aqueon flat heater. It is a pre-set heater for up to 6 degrees (f) above room temperature (as stated on the instructions and on the link from earlier). There is no light on the heater, because I believe there is no auto shut off. My room temperature is set to 80 and remains at about 75 degrees (f) and my tank is consistently at about 80 degrees. I haven't had any issues with my heater.

That being said, you might have a faulty heater, but I think maybe your room temperature raised a bit (raising the water temperature) and the heater just added on to it to get to 81 degrees.

I'd just keep an eye on it. It's okay for the temperature to give or take a degree or two, as long as it's consistently right around 80 degrees