Do I need substrate heating cables?

Hi. I've started buying all the needed supplies for setting up a 70g
planted aquarium. The only item I have not yet decided on is heating
cables for the substrate. Do I really need these? I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

If you think they are needed, do you recommend any in particular?

Thanks in advance.

NO

Bob
wrote in message
...
Hi. I've started buying all the needed supplies for setting up a 70g
planted aquarium. The only item I have not yet decided on is heating
cables for the substrate. Do I really need these? I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

If you think they are needed, do you recommend any in particular?

Thanks in advance.

wrote:

The only item I have not yet decided on is heating
cables for the substrate. Do I really need these?

Not at all.


--
www.ericschreiber.com

wrote in message
...
Hi. I've started buying all the needed supplies for setting up a 70g
planted aquarium. The only item I have not yet decided on is heating
cables for the substrate. Do I really need these? I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

If you think they are needed, do you recommend any in particular?

Thanks in advance.

Nope. I run a 125 plant tank and spent my money on CO2 and lights. See how
that works for you first -- with good substrate.

Kirt

wrote:

I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

The most enthusiastic fans of heating cables seem to live in cold
climates or high altitudes. The vast majority of us don't use them. In
your climate, you certainly don't need them.

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 11:43:18 -0700, Dave Millman
wrote:

wrote:

I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

The most enthusiastic fans of heating cables seem to live in cold
climates or high altitudes. The vast majority of us don't use them. In
your climate, you certainly don't need them.

Right. I live in upstate ny and I have them in my tank. For cold
climates I recommend them but I'd also recommend that you put
them on a timer and alternate the on/off cycle. I feel this helps
establish more movement of water in the substate.

I put in a heating cable when I initially set up my 135 gallon. It was
nothing but trouble. It worked for about the first three weeks, then it
failed. I should have broken my tank down right then and gotten my money
back (the thing was not cheap), but I did not want to break down the tank
after putting so much effort into set up. In those first few weeks that the
cables worked, I found that the combination of lighting and heating cables
was going to necessitate some sort of additional cooling (and I live in
Michigan..). So, in a way I am glad the darn things failed. Since initially
setting up my tank several years ago, I have found that a planted tank can
do very well with good lighting, CO2, Fluorite substrate and weekly
maintenance and monitoring of nutrients. In fact, I have been slowly
removing the cable by cutting it up the heating cable with scissors.
Portions of it tend to surface during plant moving and trimming sessions,
and once up, they are very difficult to place back in their proper position.

My message: don't use heating cables. I doubt they help your plants, and
they are very inconvenient to use.

-Bruce

http://www.wideopenwest.com/~brucegeist


wrote in message
...
Hi. I've started buying all the needed supplies for setting up a 70g
planted aquarium. The only item I have not yet decided on is heating
cables for the substrate. Do I really need these? I've bought
flourite for a substrate, live in central FL, the house temperature
hovers around 78-81 in the summer but in the winter we open the
windows a lot so the temperature might be more in the low-mid
seventies. Will the cables be effective at these temperatures?

If you think they are needed, do you recommend any in particular?

Thanks in advance.

On Sun, 28 Sep 2003 00:39:35 -0400, "Bruce Geist"
wrote:

I put in a heating cable when I initially set up my 135 gallon. It was
nothing but trouble. ....

My message: don't use heating cables. I doubt they help your plants, and
they are very inconvenient to use.


Thanks Bruce. I've gotten quite a few responses, all of them saying
"don't get heating cables". I think I will spend my money on a pH
controller, which I wasn't going to get if I had to get the cables.

Thanks to all that replied.

Frankie

wrote:

I think I will spend my money on a pH
controller, which I wasn't going to get if I had to get the cables.


Frankie,

Why do you feel you need a controller? My CO2 is on 24 hours per day, and my
pH is stable to within 0.2 from end of dark cycle to end of light cycle. Is it
worth extra money, complexity and risk (probe failure, etc) to attempt to get
0.1pH stability?

The best pH controller is the rule "turn it on and don't mess with it".