I am the proud owner of three male  Betta Splendens Anubis, Ramses, and Ra. I keep all three fish in separate tanks which ranges from 2 to 3 gallons. What they all have in common is that their tanks includes the Hydor 7 Watt Mini Submersible Heater. I initially bought two last November when I still had two fish Anubis and my now dearly departed Osiris. After a water change, I realized that the temperature of their water was unacceptable (it was 72 degrees farenheit) so I went to a local pet store chain and bought two Hydor 7 watt mini heaters. I did not have to wait very long to see the temperature rise to the temperature it should be for my fishes which was about 76 degrees.

Heaters are a must have for Betta fishes especially if you live in the midwest like I do where winters can be brutal. Bettas are tropical fish. They should be kept in water with the temperatures of 75-82 degrees. I have noticed a huge change when I put in my heaters for my two fishes. My late crown tail Osiris became more active when he got his new heater.

What I like about the mini heater is that you can either bury it underneath the gravel or plaster it up against the tank. One of my heaters didn't come with a suction cup in the box so I bought a suction cup for a larger heater and adjusted it to where the heater would not move a bit until I had to move the tank to the kitchen for a water change.

Depending on the temperature of the room you keep your fish in, the heater will only increase the temperature of the water by 3-5 degrees. If you keep your fish in tanks that is over 3 gallons, I have read that the mini heater loses some of its effectiveness so I say if you have a 1 to 2.5 gallon tank or bowl, the heater is perfect. I will say I had a 1 gallon tank and it got really warm pretty quickly and there is no way to control the temperature. You may have to unplug the heater for a bit.

In the last couple of months, I have noticed that draftiness in a room does have an effect on my fish tanks and the heater. I have watched the temperatures dropped to 74-72 degrees when the weather where I live dropped below zero in temperatures and wind chill factor (I eventually resolved the issue). The lack of having any ability to adjust the temperature on the heater is the one thing I don't like about the Hydor but overall I am pretty satisfied with the product. It's cute to see my Betta fishes hang around the heater every now and then.

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