Is it strange? Heater might be the issue

[asukabetta]

My store is out of heaters >_< for 2 gallons ish bowls/ tanks so I'm waiting for them to restock (around next week could be on any day from monday to friday), they kinda lied to me saying they would have more on friday, while my new betta "Yuri" was bought on thursday... if not i would have waited on the purchase, but I guess they just wanted to sell him...

meantime, my new betta "Yuri" is in a 2,5 gallon bowl (my other's betta ex-home) with no heater, but been keeping an eye on the bowl and the temperature is remaining a stable 73 (yes i know, low...)

While "Blueberry's" 2 gallon tank is at a good 78-ish farenheit (with heater).

Thankfully the weather is being kind and it's still warmish, though it's only a matter of time for it to be very cool...

Is there anything I can do to keep the water a bit warmer as I wait for the heater to come in the store, something that won't cause fluctuations, which is worse, as some said using a light but at night he'd be freezing with the sudden temperature drop.

I can tell Yuri doesn't appreciate the water temp as much, as he is sleeping a lot, cold water makes them lethargic... i just hope 73 isn't too low for a betta or fatal, as the min is usually around 75...

Suggestions appreciated

[Fin Fancier]

I had a similar problem when I got my betta. He lived in an unheated tank for 3 nights at similar temps with no problems. Just keep him in the warmest room of your house, and wrap a towel around the tank at night to try and insulate it. Personally I raised the temperature in our apartment which was not fun for me, but kept Gills pretty happy.

[shellieca]

Is there any other store you can go to, wal-mart or something? I would think you could use a heating pad on low-medium, set the bowl on top of it. Does the bowl have a cover? I've used Seran wrap to put over the top, leaving about a 1" gap on the sides for air, that may help keep in some heat.

[asukabetta]

Originally Posted by shellieca

Is there any other store you can go to, wal-mart or something? I would think you could use a heating pad on low-medium, set the bowl on top of it. Does the bowl have a cover? I've used Seran wrap to put over the top, leaving about a 1" gap on the sides for air, that may help keep in some heat.

no such thing as wallmart here :D and no, the other pet stores i've check all in a 2-3 hours from my house radius-- have mammals and no tropical fish, just cold water ones.