# How can i warm my fish bowl?



## lulubell

I have no money at all. Got fired from my job but still trying to make ends meet. I don't have the money to go out and buy stuff for my fish bowl. The water is so cold and one of my fish died already. Is there anyway to heat up the bowl with out spending money? I don't what him to die so i need to to it in a day or so


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## slojko

lulubell said:


> I have no money at all. Got fired from my job but still trying to make ends meet. I don't have the money to go out and buy stuff for my fish bowl. The water is so cold and one of my fish died already. Is there anyway to heat up the bowl with out spending money? I don't what him to die so i need to to it in a day or so


warm up some water on the stove and pour it in 

i should warn you that you dont want to pour hot water in your fish bowl or on your fish, only warm water


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## Bluewind

I actually knew someone that ran into a similar problem. She actually put a cheep heating pad she had lying around the house under it (with a towel between) and left it on low. Kept them going until she could get a heater. You have to keep a close eye on it though to keep it from over heating. Hers never did, but still...

Edit: Be sure to guard against shock. When you need to do a pwc, unplug the heating pad and take the bowl off it to prevent sloshing some of the water on it.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## fish monger

What kind of fish do you have and how big is the bowl ?


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## MSG

*Not sure what kind of fish you have, but I hope your bowl is made out of GLASS.*

Plastic/acrylic tanks can melt with this method. 

A visual of what I'm talking about. 









Find a desk lamp that uses the standard incandescent bulbs. Lower the amount of water in the fish tank to about 1-2 gallons and place the light as close to the bowl as possible. 

Also tie/wrap your fish bowl with a sweatshirt/sweater/scarf to give it some insulation. 

Incandescent bulbs are better at creating HEAT than light.

Make sure you use incandescent bulbs instead of CFLs & NOT halogen bulbs. 

I have a OTT Lite desk lamp that uses a 4 bar 26W CFL tube, once it's on for over 30 minutes the surface of the light gets to about 110-115 degrees. 


A standard 25W incandescent should run hotter than the CFL. I'm going to guess 130-140 degrees. 

40W-60W will definitely work too but be very careful with splashing water on the bulb when it's on. Use a lid/clear glass plate on the bowl if possible. 

Definitely check water temp every 30-60 minutes to make sure the temperature is where you need it to be.

Good luck


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## Geomancer

The problem with using a light is, it is not on the entire day, and the night is usually when a house is the coldest. Large daily temperature swings are not good for fish. Using warm water from the stove has the same problem, but even more temperature swings throughout the day (assuming your adding warm water more than once).

Unfortnatly there is no 'free' way to create heat, you'll be paying for it in one form or another (electricity).

I assume this is a Betta, as that's usually the only fish people subject to small bowls? Perhaps find a friend who keeps their house in the 70's willing to watch it for a time until you can get a heater. Ideally someone with a wood stove or fireplace as the area around those is usually several degrees warmer than the rest of the house. When you can, combine it with some other small things you need for the house and you can get one off Amazon for less than $7.50 with free shipping. Free shipping can take up to two weeks though.


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## Bluewind

I believe my friend had a glass one...

Anyway, could it be possible that the melted ones were placed directly on the heating pad? If so, wouldn't the problem be fixed by placing a nice thick towel folded several times between the pad and the bowl?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MSG

*Well, it's only a 25W light bulb. I would leave the lamp ON all through the night.*

Compared to a space heater that uses 700W or a 1500W. 25W is NOTHING. It's worth wasting a incandescent bulb if it keeps the water warm enough to keep the fish alive. 

Certain types of betta fish are hard to replace. 



Most basic desktop computers use well over 100W of electricity. 
27" + LCD TVs usually use well over 150W. 

25W incandescent bulbs are pretty much useless now with CFL's going for less than $0.50/each.

When I suggested the light bulb as a heating source, I meant leaving it ON as long as necessary.
Geo, your suggestion is good one though. 

Leaving your fish with someone who lives in a well insulated stuffy concrete apartment building will work too.


A heating pad usually doesn't get THAT hot. 130 degrees MAX for a h-pad but it depends on how cheap the plastic tank is. I've seen the top of 20G-30G acrylic tanks get warped from a high wattage light fixture mounted too close. 

Most small plastic fish tanks under $30 are REALLY easy to melt.


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## Geomancer

I know a light builb won't break the bank usually in electricity cost (25W = ~$2.50/month). But 24/7 light is also extreamly stressful for fish which can lead to death (decreased lifespan, or susceptable to disease).


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## MSG

*You can use the desk lamp to heat the glass bowl from the BOTTOM then.*

Either way you can use the light to generate heat temporarily. Just have to be craftier about it. 

If the fish is going to FREEZE anyway, why not try?

Also if you have a NICE cave/coffee mug, the fish might ACTUALLY use it for shelter now to escape the light.


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