What Is The Highest Safe Temperature For Bettas To Live In?

[trojannemo]

i mentioned on another board of the forums that my fiancee's house is not climate controlled, they have no a/c. most people think the opposite of what actually happens down here in Miami. when a house is not climate controlled, there's no way to keep the temperature of that tank down. so she has a heater, but it never has to work because the tank temperature is between 84-90F+ on a daily basis, without the heater working (took it out to test if it was overheating or something, temperature is still up there).

as a result, most fish keep dying on her. some last a good while before going, but they've all gone so far except for her angel. we cant afford to spend $200+ for a chiller setup unfortunately. so today i'm sitting her down for an intervention. i know she's going to be sad without her fish...i'm the one who got her into the whole thing to begin with!

in all my reading bettas have always been said to be fine from 78-86F water, but i keep mine at 80F (both males and females).

will a tank has a usual temperature of 86-88F be acceptable to keep a group of 6-8 females? i know all that I need in terms of hiding spaces, plants, etc...just concerned with the temperature aspect of the situation.

if this can't be done then i'm afraid she's going to have to forego fish in her house until 1) they install central air and seal the house 2) we get married and move to our own house...either way, will take some time

thanks for the help guys and girls...we really appreciate it right about now

 

[Colin_T]

bettas and other labyrinths (gouramis & paradise fish) should be fine in warm water with a temperature between 22-34C, (sorry not sure what that is in F). Angelfish, discus, Apistogramma dwarf cichlids should also be fine in those temps but the warmer water (32-34) will cause the fish to age more quickly and if there is a water quality issue then things go wrong much faster in warm water.

 

[trojannemo]

bettas and other labyrinths (gouramis & paradise fish) should be fine in warm water with a temperature between 22-34C, (sorry not sure what that is in F). Angelfish, discus, Apistogramma dwarf cichlids should also be fine in those temps but the warmer water (32-34) will cause the fish to age more quickly and if there is a water quality issue then things go wrong much faster in warm water.

thanks for the help. she's got a 10G tank so angels and discus are out of the question. she's got a small angel now that i'll be taking in when it outgrows the tank, but my tank is not setup for discus

she's got one dwarf gourami and a betta right now...we'll look into those as well as the apisto. we're gonna get a submersible thermometer this week to make sure our temperature readings are correct and take it from there...

any other suggestions are welcome!

 

[newfishy]

my bettas have all been fine dealing with no ac in my house in the summer, this sounds like a basic question and no snark intended, but where is the tank located in the house? the closer to a window or other source of bright light could be heating it up too.

colin is right, the warmer it is the faster the life cycle, could you get her a rather young fish...that way you know it has some years left, instead of a fish that is already full grown.

 

[Bubblenester]

I wouldn't keep them over 82. You can cool a tank by keeping it open and adding a clip-on fan to increase evaporation, but you of course have to top it off a lot.

 

[azulfire24]

if you cant affored a chiller i heard this works well for my friends gold fish, well in the summer sunshine is warmer then hed like but it helps to keep the temp from being completly irritating.

take a clean 2o oz empty soda bottle, file up 2/3 with regular water.
freez , then place one whole < unopened bottle > in a bucket of water the same temp as the too hot tank, it will cool off the tank water slowly as it melts, but not like pouring ice water in. have a good themomter on hand and gague how much frozen water you need to keep the tank water cooler, but not too cold. in my friends 20 gal its about 2/3 for a day, bout 12 hrs.
then once you have an estiment. do the water bottle thing before you go to work or when u think u will be gone the longest and its gonna be really hot. then no more cooked betta !!! yea!