Heating a tank

Question
I currently have a 55 gallon tank with 4 silver dollars, a rainbow shark, a red tailed shark, a red parrot fish, two algae eaters, and two other bottom feeders.

I house them in a seperate part of the house, and since we do not use that part of the house, we don't heat it. It stays about 55-60 degrees in that part of the house, and the temperature in the tank is around 58. I have the heater set on the highest setting.

I cannot buy another heater, so what can I do to help keep the temperature controlled?

Answer
What you need is a heater.  It is the safest thing all around for both the fish, as well as yourself, as a clip on light is EXTREMELY hazardous.  Since funds are scarce, I would go to a few different pet stores, and ask them if they have any used heaters.  People come in that no longer want their tanks, and they have excess stuff in the backrooms.  Perhaps asking the manager if he has an extra that he doesn't need.

This will seem odd as well, but try your local thrift stores.  I recently purchased a 37 gallon tank at a thrift store for $20.00.  It was a great find.  Heaters are not that expensive, even 20 dollars can get you a good heater.  But shop around.  Some stores have them for cheaper than that.

I hope this helps.  If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Adrian