Under Substrate Heating?

[Jazzzz]

Ok I went to our LFS that knows a what its talking about mostly and they reckon that under my sand and fertiliser i need this magic heating system whicj looks like under floor heating to heat up the water down there causing it to rise removing all harmful gases and suck down cooler water

Also I apparently need a £100 Co2 setup for my 120L tank and i should be using quarts gravel not sand.

Oh and trumpet snails will not help prevent the buildup of gases in the sand but will eat the plants.

Are they trying to take me for a ride or is this correct

 

[OldMan47]

So it sounds like your LFS wants to have a merry Christmas at your expense. Did you walk into the place with £100 notes hanging out of your pockets?
The substrate heaters have no advantage over any other that I am aware of, all of them promote a minor amount of local water circulation but it is nothing like the circulation from the filter. If you are not having pH problems caused by your present substrate, changing it is completely up to your own tastes, not theirs. The CO2 is a possible option if you keep plants under extreme lighting conditions but a DIY system is enough for most situations and won't cost much at all, certainly not £100. MTS are believed by most to do a good job of stirring sand but I have no experience with them. I do know that lightly stirring the sand with almost anything will prevent a gas buildup.

 

[Jazzzz]

will give the heating system a miss then at £55

The £20 Co2 system maybe then with a basic diffuser and a replacable cartridge at £6.42

and deffo get some MTS if they won't eat my plants to much

 

[Jazzzz]

bump

 

[loachman]

I prefer sand, although it will not worth with undergravel filters and the like. Only use sand with a hang-on back (HOB) or canister filter.

MTS are typically scavengers and will not harm plants. They typically employed specifically to stir the sandbed. You can also do it manually by dragging a rod through the sand while cleaning the tank. However, stirring the sandbed only becomes an issue to worry about if you have more than ~3" of substrate.

 

[Nick16]

under substrate heaters are a waste of time. i would rather spend £100 on getting a FE co2 system up and running which will last well over 6 months before a refil is needed.