[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Booth's heating cable
> Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 06:28:34 -0400
> From: Dwight <boukmn at mindspring_com>
> Subject: Re: s
>
> I should have asked the question differently; Do heating cables work WITH a
> soil substrate? Keep in mind my soil substrates are a blend of
> vermiculite, peat, clay (small %) and sand so compacting isnt a problem.
I've only used coils with gravel/laterite and I suspect folks who use soil
probably haven't used coils. There is probably not a deinitive answer to your
question.
However, it seems to me a substrate with sand (I'm assuming sandbox-type sand)
might be prone to compacting. Dupla reported such results with their original
2500 gallon monster tank. They felt that once detritus got into the substrate,
decomposed and filled in the interstitial spaces, the result was a lot like
concrete (after a few years, of course). For this reason, they now recommend 2-3
mm gravel (1/16-1/8"). Detritus is not able to fill in the spaces as easily.
George