Submersable Heater Under Gravel

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I was wondering if anyone could think up of reasons why it would not be a good idea to burry a submersable heater under gravel. If there are no reasons then I will go ahead and burry my heater because I don't like looking at it-ruins the effect of the 'natural tank'.
 
i dont think the water flow would get to it, so you would have no heat circulation. also more chance of it cracking if u put stuff on it :S. sure some one else will be along soon. :D
 
Glass heaters are designed to have water flowing around them. If you bury it there is a risk, more like a probability, that hot spots will develop & the tube will crack.
You can buy undergravel heater cables but if you have a "natural" tank the heater should soon be hidden by plants.
 
Well the heat that it produces would have to go somewhere unless gravel is a good heat insulator.

If it turned out not to be a good idea for some reason and you couldn't bury it completely....you could dig a trench in the back and place the heater down there, but not bury it completely.



Of course....if gravel were a great heat insulator then the substrate heating cables they use in live planted aquariums wouldn't work very well would they. And some folks swear by them.

Keep in mind any heat relative to its environment is gonna want to go up. If that gravel gets heated the heat's gonna go up.

I honestly don't see a problem, but I'm no expert.
 
I am a little concerned about the hot spots diademhill mentioned so maybe I'll use your trench idea Iron Man
 
I don't think putting the heater under the gravel or even very close to the gravel is a good idea. There won't be enough water circulation to carry the warm water away from the heater. This will cause the heater to cut off shortly after it cuts on. Only the water right around the heater will be warm. I'm not sure how you can do it but I suggest you find a tube of somesort. cut the tube in half and put a whole bunch of holes all over it. put the tube over your heater and put a filter outlet or powerhead very close to the tube to create a lot of flow. Then maybe you could cover the tube with java moss or something.

I think the best thing to do is simply put the heater behind a plant.

I've thought about making heater hiders out of my pottery but I haven't attempted it yet. I think it would work though
 
If you look at the box heaters come in they all say to not put the heater against the gravel. It makes it very very likely that the heater will explode. I have had a lot of heaters returned (at least tried to be returned) at the pet store I work at from people that buried them or stuck the end in the gravel. I am not really sure what makes them explode but I can guarantee it happens.
 
Well since this thread statred, I have dug a trench, placed the heater in and lightly covered in with gravel to hide it. The temp in my tank has remained a constant 24*F and nothing unusual has ocurred. I let you know when something goes wrong- and if it does, I know I should have listened to your posts.

k thanks again guys
FB
 
Must admit I bury my heaters in fitler media in sumps.

The heater will heat the water near it, that heat will rise and such will cause the cooler water to fall, that's why under-tank heating is sometimes recommended for sand so as to stop anaerobic spots developing.

Can safely say after a couple of years that none of my heaters have "exploded".
 
Heat cables that go under gravel are designed to dissapate heat over a larger area. They cover a much larger area than a conventional heater. The reason a heater will work in a sump with filter media surrounding it is water circulation.

Try taking a spare tank with no fish, fill with 70F water, add only a heater set for a good 85F. Wait a while, put your hand in the tank some distance from the heater, than closer to the heater. Major temperature difference due to no circulation. Think about long term, under gravel with no circulation. If you want an undergravel heater, just buy one.
 
But tolak, any properly filtered tank will have a pump that circulates the water in the tank 5 times per hour.

Sure if you just dump the heater in and no fish (which also contribute to water circulation) and no pump then the heat will not dissipate far into the tank.

I still don't see how that would cause a heater to explode though. It would just cause the thermostat it to turn the heater off before the entire tank is heated up.
 
Why take the chance. just buy a plant ot hide it if it bothers you that much? Do you have an interal filter? If so, why not just position it next to that?
 

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