of betta tanks and heaters - discouraged

hi all, I'm new to the forum and to fish!

I want to set up a simple betta tank but cant seem to find a heat source. the tank I currently have measures about 30cm in width and +- 20cm deep and tall. with some silk plants and a couple of cm of course gravel it holds 12 liters of water which fills the tank to about 90% capacity.

water temperature is currently at 13degC which I've read is too cold for bettas.

smallest heater I can find is 50w though, which the pet stores tell me is too big for my tank.

with a 40w bulb and a desk lamp aimed at the bottom of the tank I can only manage to raise the temp to 22/23degC if I leave the light running 24/7, and I cant imagine that having no darkness would be good for fish anyway (or for ME since the tank is in my room).

so now what? I really dont want to get a 40liter tank to accommodate the 50w heater for a single male betta.

am I the only one to have run into this problem? what does everybody else who wants only a simple betta tank do?

 

Why is a 50W heater to big? I used a 50W heater in my 30cm tanks.
You do get a 25W heater. Sera makes them and Daro do stock them.
Ask @jungle aquatics if Bryan can source you one.
Giving your betta heated water is a must at this point.
I can measure my 50W heater if you want the measurements.

Gerhard

 

seriously?? a 50w heater would be ok? the pet shop people all told me it would cook my fish. (by too big I meant in wattage, not dimensions) I cant see why since the ones I looked at had a temperature selector and a thermostat, so in theory the heater would not heat the water past the selected temp?

 

This is again a story of the LPS giving poor advice.

It the heater is of a good quality, and set at the right temp, when the water reaches the correct temp, it will simply turn off... like all heaters. Daro have a lovely 25W heater. I use one in my small tank... but a 50W would work just fine. It would heat the tank up a lot faster than the 25 W... but I don't see it boiling your fish.

 

THANK YOU Zoom and Vis! I was ready to give up on Betta ownership after today.

is setting the 50w heater to 26 degrees correct?

some more questions. sorry, complete newbie here.
-how often and what % water changes? I do have water conditioner.
-how essential is a water filter?

 

I have a 50w set to 26 in a 30cm tank and my Betta loves it.

 

it really makes one wonder about the competency of LPS staff. this wasnt a small shop either, it was one of the big pet stores in pretoria.
to my shame I got a little annoyed with them when they did not seem to comprehend the difference between thermometer and thermostat and dont think I'll be shopping there for a while. LOL

 

Heater boiling your betta, heavens what do they use to heat water the kettle
element. Wattage only says how powerfull a heater is and how fast it can heat water
not how much.
First set the temp to 24'C because the normal heater is sometimes out with
about 1.5 degrees.

In a small tank and especially one without a filter you need regular water changes.
10% every 2nd day or more. You can also just scoop out a glass of water each day
and replace with new treated water.

Because bettas eat a little less then normal fish they produce a little less waste.

Gerhard