Reddit mentions of Elite Submersible Preset Heater Mini, 25-Watt

Welcome to Betta keeping! Get ready to be addicted. No tank is too big IMO, you want your guy to have plenty of room. I would go with 8 gallons if you have room for it.

If you go with 8 gallons, this looks good and seems to be well reviewed. The 50-watt version.

Again, if you decide on 8 gallons, I would go with this. It comes with cartridges that don't need to be changed nearly as often as it says on the box. I generally only change my cartridges when they start to get really scummy; they house bacteria that is beneficial to your tank.

Bettas also like caves, hiding places and plants. A floating bunch of anacharis will eat up ammonia and give your fish a place to rest. Java fern also does well in a low-light environment.

You'll need to change the water once a week, and make sure to add water conditioner each time. This is my favorite brand.

Any other questions, feel free to PM me. Happy fish keeping!

I use this heater in both my small tanks and it seems to work quite well: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00106X8QG/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i02

Nice thing about it is that it's adjustable. Many heaters this size are preset to about 78-degrees plus or minus 2-degrees, but this one you can adjust to what temp you want. I keep my betta tank right at 80 degrees.

Make sure you purchase a tank thermometer if you don't have one. The heater doesn't have markings on it; you have to set it to its lowest setting, put it in the tank, then slowly increase the temperature until you get it to where you want.

-I prefer that tanks be at least 2.5g. Any smaller than that can be hard to heat safely. (Yes, you need a heater)

-Give him lots of decor and plants to swim around in. Occasionally, I will let my guys flare at a mirror for a minute or two. Sometimes we also play "chase my finger", gives them some swimmng exercise

-I give mine 2-3 pellets one to two times a day. Good quality pelleted food please. You want a meat ingredient listed first.

-I would return that tank. If I remember correctly, they are around 0.5 gallons which is really too small for a betta. For the same price (around $12) you can get a plastic Kritter Keeper. Here's a super cheap one I found on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Kritter-Keeper-Rectangle-Medium/dp/B001F97K4Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1370830829&sr=1-2&keywords=kritter+keeper+medium

-I would definitely get a heater. Although summer is coming, a heater ensures that the water stays a consistent temperature. I really like Elite 25w adjustable heaters. It says preset, but they ARE adjustable
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Submersible-Preset-Heater-25-Watt/dp/B00106X8QG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370830724&sr=8-1&keywords=elite+heater

-I give my guys freeze dried bloodworms once a week as a treat. You can also give live/ frozen foods as well.

I use this heater in my Fluval Spec, a 2 gallon tank. It is adjustable, which I like, and it's pretty small, so I can fit it in the filter space in the back of my tank instead of taking up space in the main area.

I have used it since the end of February in an office space that has a pretty wide range of temperatures, and it holds pretty steady.

I would be open to buying separate items, but I have no idea what exactly I would need to make sure to get. That item didn't get that many good reviews so I'm kind of hesitant getting one.

Let me make sure I got everything here. I should get:

• A 5 gallon tank
  
• Hood ornament to cover the top of the tank
  
• A heater like this
  
• A filter like this
  
• Some kind of decoration that the beta can swim through but has to be smooth
  
• I'm hesitant to get live plants such as Java Moss since I have never cared for them before, would it be possible to only do plastic ones for now?
  
• Aquarium tests for"Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate", but I have no idea which kind to get
  
  Am I missing anything else?

I use this heater, it's worked great so far my temperature is at a constant 76 degrees.