Nano Tanks+ Substrate Heating

[nielsamd]

Interesting the apparently growing trend of small planted tanks with/without tech assist.

About 10 years ago I bought the Dennerle brand guide book/catlogue which offered very small tank set-ups with 1 watt [sic] substrate heating. These `Mini Boden-Fluters' no longer seem to be available which got me thinking how would one have substrate heating in a very small tank. It would seem that unless one had the expertise to construct one's own silicone covered very low wattage heating cable, you'd have to use the smallest lowest commercially available one. I have found 15 watts and 1-meter long cables are about as low-wattage/short as you can go. This would be too much to use entirely to zig-zag over the bottom of a small cube type tank. So perhaps one would cover the tank floor and then go up the back of the tank, zig-zagging again if neccessary with the cables exposed. And controlled by a *quality* thermostat device (it would probably be going on-off a lot). I suspect with the heat from lighting and in normal room temps., this would be adequate heating.
Anyone else tried to substrate heat a very small tank, or see any potential problems with this or other set-ups?

 

[JamesC]

How about something like this - http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1167 ? As long as the room temp doesn't get too cold these work pretty well. Will need to unplug during the summer months though as there is no thermostat.

James

 

[nielsamd]

How about something like this - http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1167 ?

Do you mean use this as a supplement to any substrate cable? It seems too focused to use *as* the substrate heater at least in terms of th eclassical warm/cool convection `springs' as espoused by Dupla, Dennerle, etc..

 

[2pods]

I have one of these, haven't tried with plants though.

NeWattino Automatic Aquarium Heater
An automatic, submersible heater for use only in indoor aquariums and terrariums.

Probably the smallest aquarium heater in the world, the NeWattino is designed for aquariums between 2 to 20 litres.
The casing is manufactured from an extra tough polymer, making it extremely resistant to knocks and sudden temperature changes.
It also has a built-in sensor that automatically switches the heater off when out of water and on again when re-submerged.
The heater is permanently on and there is no requirement for any temperature adjustment.


Newattino Plus
Same as the basic Newattino but has a built-in thermostat pre-set to 25 deg C +/- 1 deg
NeWattino Heater 10w £8.99
NeWattino Plus Heater 10w £15.99

Peter

 

[JamesC]

How about something like this - http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1167 ?

Do you mean use this as a supplement to any substrate cable? It seems too focused to use *as* the substrate heater.

No, to be used by itself. Not quite sure what 'too focused' means but substrate heating as promoted by Dennerle and others many years ago has now been shown not to make any difference for aquatic plants.

James

 

[nielsamd]

Ok thanks. Yeah I'm Old School...well maybe not with regards to plant growth.. I agree substrate heating may have no discernable plant growth benefit, but long term tank stability may be affected without some regular water movement in the substrate. In nature you not only have water table movements and changes but also seasonal flash flooding and depth/pressure changes. I would imagine a small tank might benefit even more from substrate heating (in theory) than larger (traditional) planted tanks if left for years following a maintenance routine established in the first year or so.

[/quote]
No, to be used by itself. Not quite sure what 'too focused' means but substrate heating as promoted by Dennerle and others many years ago has now been shown not to make any difference for aquatic plants.
James
[/quote]