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Aquarium Heaters For Tropical Betta Fish Most tropical fish normally require tedious care to keep them from infections and diseases. The tropical Betta fish is no exception. While they are beautiful they must be maintained in a fish tank as pets. Most tanks are very difficult to keep the water temperature at the right level. If the tanks are not kept at a certain temperature your Betta fish will become stressed over a period of time and their immune system will become compromised. They will begin to lose their ability to fight off diseases and infections. This is a natural progression of tropical fish. Betta fish are very comfortable living in water that is 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If the water is not maintained at the above mentioned temperature, your tropical Betta fish could become unresponsive and listless. The water cannot be to far above or to far below 75 and 80 degrees. This is especially advisable in large tanks. Betta fish do not handle inconsistent and extreme temperature well. It really does not take much of a temperature change for them to be affected. Therefore, great care must be taken to keep your temperatures consistent. It is very important to get a heater that can be easily inserted into your fish tank. In order to determine which heater will do the best in keeping the temperature consistent, the unit of measurement for aquarium heaters is in watts. A guideline that most of the experts on Betta fish use 6 watts per gallon of water. Therefore, your heater must be an internal heater to keep your fish safe. Allow the store manager in your local pet store to help you obtain the right size tank and heater. Two Types Of Heating Systems There are two types of main heating systems – internal and external you’ll have to decide which one works for you and if you have any questions ask your pet store manager or your Betta breeder for recommendations based on your tank set up. One other thing to keep in mind is the water circulation. Without the proper water circulation you are going to have “hot spots” and “cold spots”, both of which can be harmful to your Betta fish. Heaters cost anywhere from about $20 to $50, although like anything else, you can find more expensive models. Internal Tank Heating System Internal heating systems are the most common. They usually consist of a glass tube anywhere from 4 inches to 12 inches long. Some offer a built-in thermostat, while others will have an external thermostat, usually outside the tank and are usually used to control multiple heating units. External Tank Heating System There are several different models of external heating system, such as a model which fits under the tank and heats the water from below, or one that connects to the filtering system. They are widely available both online and off.
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