MY NEW TANK

[dreadedsnail]

Im getting a new tank (iv got a lot of fish and not a lot of water) iv never really used sand, but i love catfish and i beleive its good for their whiskers, is it safe for plecs and i cant vac it so how do i clean it??? swirl it up?!?!? the other thing is.... iv got a butterfly fish and a rope fish (both would love to get out a bit more!!) so i dont want to have an under gravel filter because of gaps, my plants never take or die, im assuming this is because theyve got cold roots, once i read about an under gravel heater....it was an ?element? type wire that suckered to the bottom of the tank, then covered with gravel is set a couple of deegrees higer than the heater, heat rises causing a filter effect and roots are warmed,...anyone know where to get one/ know if they work?

 

[SarahBravo]

I got one for my Rio 180, got it from www.aquatics-online.co.uk. However, I have to say that the two tanks which haven't got undergravel heating grow plants just as well as the one with! I think it's more a question of good lighting being the first thing to get right, and maybe CO2. I can't, hand on my heart, recommend them because they don't seem to have done anything for me, but other people on here may have different views.

Sarah

 

[Dubby]

Also if you have got fish that will keep uprooting plants then the undergravel heater is not going to be of much help.

You definitely need to consider how much light you have got. You will need atleast 2W/gallon to get good growth of plants.

The heating will definitely help keep the sand free of anaerobic pockets.

 

[SarahBravo]

Actually, you can buy mine off me, cos I just pulled it out and turned the tank into a cichlid cave!! Make me an offer!

It's this one: Rena Cor 15Ft

Sarah

 

[tim_in_brighton]

I've been wondering this too...Sarah, is that with gravel or sand? I've read (probably the same places) about using undersubstrate heaters when using sand, to keep a slight current moving and thus oxygenating the substrate. I, too, like the idea of using sand but worry about cleaning problems.