# Heating multiple betta tanks, please help



## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Hi all, as of lately I've been trying to figure out a solution to my dilemma. I have become obsessed with bettas and want to buy more (I currently have three), but I have reached a crossroad. I am trying to figure out how I can heat multiple 2.5 gallon tanks. I don't want to have to buy a heater for every tank. So my question was how do you all do it? I'd like to hear how others have solved this problem. I have looked into heating tape and cable used for reptiles, but have not figured out how to use them in the aquarium environment. If not should I just buy a large tank and divide it? II'm hoping that maybe some betta breeders can help me out, although I don't plan on breeding. 

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!


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## Betta132 (Nov 29, 2012)

I have a 10g divided in half that works great for my two bettas. Easy to keep stable (temperature-wise and parameter-wise), plenty of room, enough space to have a tiny filter without upsetting the bettas. 
I suggest you wait for Petco's $1/gallon sale and get two or three 10gs and some dividers. Gives your bettas more space, plus you'll only need two heaters, and it's much easier to get a good heater for a 10g than a safe heater for a 2.5g.


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## goodbytes (Aug 18, 2014)

When I read your post a divided tank was the first thing that came to my mind as well. You can run fewer filters and a single heater for up to four Bettas. Next dollar per gallon sale you can spend a little more than you would on four 2.5 gallon tanks and get one 55 gallon to divide into four sections. Your Bettas will like the better water quality from a larger, more stable tank as well as the additional space. Plus that's less maintenance for you servicing one tank instead of four.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Understand the obsession I am at 5 tempted to buy a 6th but don't have a spare heater for another. As mentioned above using a large tank with well secured dividers lets you use one heater bad filter (consider a 20g long). I'm very paranoid of this myself as betts can fit through very small spaces and fight another (or make some babies if it's a MxF).

Another option is not as pretty but works, drip system with filter and heater, here is a great YouTube video showing one. If you are good at diy you can set something up that hides all the plumbing (frame in wood).
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dqJlTevYPHg


Currently I use cobalt blue mini thermal heaters 10watt for my 2g tanks (with room at 70f they beat tanks to around 76 which is fine for the plants and shrimp I keep with them). The only negative thing I've read for the heater is it can over heat so I have it hooked up to azoo micro temp controller which keeps it from getting too hot (works well but read in C not F but has 3outlets to control 3 heaters (best to use on same size tanks)). My 7g betta tank has a 50watt eheim jarag heater


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Betta132 said:


> I have a 10g divided in half that works great for my two bettas. Easy to keep stable (temperature-wise and parameter-wise), plenty of room, enough space to have a tiny filter without upsetting the bettas.
> I suggest you wait for Petco's $1/gallon sale and get two or three 10gs and some dividers. Gives your bettas more space, plus you'll only need two heaters, and it's much easier to get a good heater for a 10g than a safe heater for a 2.5g.


Unfortunately here in Hawaii Petco does not do the dollar per gallon sale. but I guess dividing a larger tank is the better option.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Isn't it warm in Hawaii?


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

mistergreen said:


> Isn't it warm in Hawaii?


Room temp is usually like 72. Winter time dips to like 64-66


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

mistergreen said:


> Isn't it warm in Hawaii?


I was gonna suggest heat mats used for seedlings, etc. then realized the same thing. I guess there's two of us here that now see it differently.


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## BeastMaster (Dec 17, 2012)

I live in Makiki & I don't use heaters (or thermometers). As long as tanks aren't exposed to A/C extremes, wouldn't be too concerned.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

BeastMaster said:


> I live in Makiki & I don't use heaters (or thermometers). As long as tanks aren't exposed to A/C extremes, wouldn't be too concerned.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I live in Manoa so it gets cool on some nights. Typically low 70's


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

enclose the top of your tanks so the heat from the lighting keeps the aquarium above ambient.. even if the water temp dropped below 74F for short periods on occasion I dont think the fish would mind.

but really if you love bettas you should get them something bigger than 2.5g.. they dont want to live in mud puddles like everyone thinks.. a divided tank is the best way.. a 20g long split in 3 would give em thrice the room they have now and almost 10x the water.. single heater, single filter, single lighting.. much simpler and cost effective in the long run.. Im trying to convince my wife to do this because she wants more bettas, think I could pop the rim off of a cheap petco tank and silicon in some drilled acrylic dividers and make it look as nice as the 5g rimless we have now.


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## Myrr (Jan 13, 2012)

I wouldn't subject them to an unheated tank. Bettas are toted around on this forum as being overly hardy: they are fairly hardy but will not thrive when their temperatures are allowed to fluctuate. A 20g long divided (or better, two 20g!!) is a good idea you can divide one into 4-5 sections. I have a divider tutorial on my blog (http://bettasplendid.weebly.com/diy-dividers.html) (not meaning to plug for myself, but I figure it's decent to mention lol)
I've made dividers for about 5 years and have no problems with these. You can buy pre-made ones but they're horrifically see-through and your fish will be stressed, longer. Mine chomped their tails. Wasn't worth the ease.

Each divider is about $2 a pop and very strong. If you add a spine to the top and bottom, even stronger and near impassable, no sealant needed!


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

I'm going to do a divided 20 long. How many filters and heaters do I need to run? Would two hob's be ok or should I put a sponge filter in each section? I think I will divide it into 5 slots


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

use a single canister with inline heater, put the input in one end and the output at the other so everyone gets circulation and you dont have the gear to deal with in the tank.. you might look at lilypipe style outflows, there pretty gentle for betas especially in a big tank.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

I've never used canister filters before. Anyone got suggestions on one that would work for my setup?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

the little SunSun 603b I use is small, cheap and would probably work just fine on a 20 long with just bettas since they are not that much of a bioload... mine kept a pair of small goldfish alive for a time, im sure there alot more load than a half dozen bettas. 

Amazon.com : SunSun HW-602 Multi-Stage Canister Filter, 106 gph : Aquarium Filters : Pet Supplies


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## erinbirdsong (Nov 15, 2013)

fishkeeper01 said:


> I've never used canister filters before. Anyone got suggestions on one that would work for my setup?


Look on Amazon for the Sun Sun brand. They are very affordable and I have been very pleased with mine.


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## OmegaCactus (Jan 9, 2015)

I have a divided 20 long for my bettas (3 sections) and use a sponge filter in each section and 2 50 watt heaters, one on each end. This set up has been working well for me. It's also decently well planted which helps


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Idk, the space I'm putting the tank in is a middle rack under another tank so I don't think there's room for a canister filter.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Bump


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

But I use a canister filter won't the output create too strong a current for the bettas?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

since I have the 603b on a 5 gallon betta tank, no.. it wont.. I mean I guess I could turn mine into a swirling toilet bowl with the flow.. but I diffuse the output into a corner and its fine.

check the canisters dimensions, the 603 is pretty damn small.. I used to have my 5g in the middle of a 6ft long server.. was not room under for the canister so I sat it off to the side on the floor.

this particular canister, you could lay it on is side and it'd run just fine if you kept it from rolling, perhaps better because you can put the output at a high point and air wont trap inside.. a foam cradle would work well... 
you do have to burp this canister after installing it by tilting it so the output is the high point, listen for the pump to vapor lock and then tilt it normal and give it time to push the big air bubble into your tank, then repeat until you got all the air out of it.. takes me roughly a half dozen burps or so to get it completely full of water after opening it up.. but once thats done its fine until the next time you open it up.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

I'm sorry, you kinda lost me on lying it on it's side burping it?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

The top connection is the intake/inlet, the side connection with the pump is the outlet/return.. as you can see the outlet is at the bottom of the canister, so to burp out any air trapped inside you basically flip it upside down, or on its side with the outlet/pump pointed upwards.. when you put it on its side or flip it upside down you can hear the pump make an odd noise when its vapor locked (all air, no water), when this happens put the canister down normally and a massive air bubble will burp out into your tank, followed shortly by the pump returning to normal sound... repeat these steps until you have purged all the air out of the canister... when it stops vapor locking tuck it away in the corner and forget about it for 4months or so... 

This last time I went about 10 months before cleaning my betta canister out and it looked like it could of done another 10 months without a problem, there not very dirty fish..

ps: I found a small piece of foam shoved between the pump motor and canister housing will make the thing dead silent, otherwords they can make a very slight contact and hum.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

How do you go about putting media in canister filters? I've never used them before so idk. Is it like hob's where you have to use specific media made by the manufacturer. I.e. aquaclear filters use the aquaclear media.


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

with only bettas you should be fine to use the sponge filters it comes with, just squeeze 2 out of 3 of them out in discarded tank water, leaving one sponge undisturbed each cleaning and rotating through them.

you need to cycle the filter and let bacteria grow inside, once thats done you just need to keep it alive by cleaning with treated water and keeping them submerged always.. you dont need to run any chemical media with a properly cycled bio filter, if you want to add any media to the filter toss in a few ceramic rings between the sponges and perhaps a packet of purigen under the bottom sponge.. 

If you take the media out of your HOB and put it into the canister you can jump-start the bacteria cycle in the canister... just take it back out eventually after the canister has been running cycled for a bit..

An inline heater is typically hooked to the output of the canister, this can just hang behind the tank/stand.. you can use a few plants to hide the intake/outlet pipes, or get some clear glass inflow/outflow pipes and all your gear will be hidden out of sight.. they can run dead silent, be completely hidden, allow you to keep your tank closer to the wall, recover from power outages without issue, go much longer without maintenance than HOB filters, and of course allow you to keep decent circulation in a divided tank.. once you switch you wont go back


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## Snowflake311 (Apr 20, 2011)

I got so crazy into Betta fish 2 years ago. I was buying Them from breeders in Thailand and having them imported. I even bred some sold them and shipped them. I had too many. It was a real problem I am over it for now. I tend to always come back to my betta addiction. 

A 20 Gal long with Dividers for 4 bettas or just 3. A 10Gal will fit 3 just fine. That would work the best. I have done this. Only thing is sometimes they jump into the other males side. I had that happen 2 times. 

I made my dividers with Acrylic sheets that I drilled holes into. Then I spray painted them Black. The key is don't over fill the tank make it so the Dividers are an inch above the water. That makes it harder for them to Jump. I used suction cups to hole them in place. But I would try and cut them to fit in nice and tight with no gaps. 

If I was to keep bettas again I would use a 20Gal long with an underground Filter and heater set up in the middle. I think the Underground would be best for a divided betta tank. I would use the same acrylic dividers with holes.

When I had 20 betta babies growing out I kept them in a small area in 1 gal jars and used a space heater to keep them warm. Its not cheap doing it that way. Let me just say. Its one reason I no longer breed.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

How did the spray paint not harm the fish?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

krylon plastic paints are safe and often used in aquariums.. they tend to come off after a bit because painting plastic sucks, helps to sand the surface lightly. 

there are places online that cut colored opaque acrylic to size and ship them to you for decent prices, but perhaps not decently priced to hawaii.. I'd do an opaque white divider personally.

an undergravel filter isn't a bad idea either.. but do they work well in heavily planted tanks? I dont see anyone using them, but that might just be because its such old fashioned tech.. but im wondering if root systems prose a problem, and how good the circulation will be with the pump in one of the chambers.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

I only just realized that I forgot too mention this, but I was planning on putting the 20 long on the middle shelf where that 5g in the pic is. Can I still use a canister filter? If I do it will be right behind the tank and on the same level of the tank rather than beneath.


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

why cant you put it under the shelf? there designed so gravity fills them with water and the pump lifts it back to the aquarium.. you just need enough room to fit the hoses behind the shelf.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Ok but when I have to clean the filter how do I make sure that the water from the hoses don't spill all over the place?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

it has a shut off valve on the inlet, flip it off and it stops the siphon.. the pump dont seem to let water backflow through it.

just leave enough hose on it you can pull it out and sit it on the floor.. turn the valve, pop the top off, clean the sponges out in a bucket next to you and put it back together without disconnecting anything.


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Also how do I lessen the flow frome the output so all the bettas aren't getting tossed around?


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Bump


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

play with it... 

its not too much flow for my betta in a 5g so dont worry about it..


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## fishkeeper01 (Oct 2, 2012)

Have you had any trouble with the betta not being strong enough to swim out of the suction of the intake tube?


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## nayr (Jan 18, 2014)

no, mine will purposely rest in the suction sometimes for one reason or another; but has absolutely no problem getting out.


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