Substrate Heating Coil

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

My LFS tld me that if you use a planting substrate soil you should install a substrate heating coil on the base of your tank.
This apparantly prevents build up of nasty gases and keeps substrate aireated and free from stagnating.

Is this right? Is it required if you go down the planting substrate route?

What are the pro's and Con's?

All comments and advice welcome.

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

I've never used one in neither of my 2 planted tanks nor in my semi-planted tank. I've asked this same question before on another forum, and apparently, they are by no means neccesary. I don't see how it would keep gases from building up in the substrate. I use MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails), and I am always moving around plants in my tanks (I am neer satisfied with scaping). The MTS dig into the soil, which keeps the soil (Eco-Complete) aerated and turned.

 

[Fillet 'O' Fish]

Thanks Anne

 

[Bloo]

Well I used one and gf225 used to swear by one too (I actually got it based on the lyrics he sang about it).

Though I will say that though I never felt my substrate warm "as such" - my water without the normal heater on was around up to around 27C!

After a while I decided to switch my normal heater back on though, as it has a thermostat in anyway. So never really knew what the full results were - I just couldn't be bothered to keep a constant eye on the tank just in case the temperature plummeted. Though in the time that it was without heater, I never observed night temperatures to drop below 25/26C. And that was in November !

This thread might be of some help.

 

[Lateral Line]

I can't say I've ever found one make a difference.

 

[Themuleous]

Yeh I have heard mixed things about heating cables, and as far as I know there is no evidence to suggest they make any difference to the plant growth.

Sam

EDIT - save your money and spend it on something that will definately help like a decent plant substrate, CO2, or lighting.

 

[plantbrain]

If the transport of gases and waste is so good, why not use a RFUG?
I did and found it worked, but did it grow the plants better than no cables or RFUG at all? No.

You can simply turn the cables off and see if there is a difference, I've never seen any after 10 years of use on 7 tanks. I had little choice as they shut off for 3-5 months each summer when it gets hot here.

They seem to work for folks who believe they do something magical/work.
Key word: believe.

Tropica has never found anything that suggest they help/work, provide optimal flow rates for roots.
Neither did I.

These discussions about the efficacy of cables goes back some 10 years and I've bene highly critical after buying 2 sets of Dupla's cables at 450$ each.

So I was out nearly 1000$ for something that did not ever do a single thing that was significant near as I nor anyone could tell and there was no scientific support for it.

So am I critical?
For 1000$ and 10 years? You bet.

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[newfishaddict]

I agree with all above.

The heating cable always seemed to be good in theory but no use in practice. If you think how nature works, unless your at 10km down on the bottom of the ocean, it makes no sense...

In my tanks with fine substrate the plants growth stirs up the substrate.

 

[Themuleous]

So am I critical?
For 1000$ and 10 years? You bet.

Regards,
Tom Barr

fair point

 

[plantbrain]

So I went about making sure other folks did not make the same mistake and have agressively gone after the whole theory behind them, to date not one person has ever come even remotely close to providing a decent supportable test/argument etc that overcomes the the lack of evidence for their use.

And what do you know? Few places sell them and then only the cheesy cheapo ones if that, and most folks poo poo them on the forums/list etc.

CO2?
That's quite another matter.
But folks seem to think any new item that comes down the pipe is the wonder drug, silver bullet that will cure all their woes, I think folks should slow down and be critical till the method/item proves itself first.

Regards,
Tom Barr