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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V3 #1147
Hey Adam,
> I don't like the idea of
>substrate heating cables because having live wires in my tank just doesn't
>seem like the safest thing in the world.
Substrate heating cables operate at a safe voltage. (24 volts or less)
High quality cables like Dupla are sealed in a thick silicone coating to
prevent any
current from flowing through the water. Even if the cables were damaged in
some
way, (unlikely because they seem pretty durable. They are as thick as a
spark plug
cable) you and the fish are safe from any electrical shock because of the
low operating voltage.
> Ihave read up on the udea of using
>a ugf with a heater in the uplift tubes to destibute the heat. I was
>confused about this alternative because I failed to see why the heat goes
>down into the subtrate instead of merely going out up the tube.
Here's one problem with that idea: Water doesn't travel through the
substrate
evenly across the entire bottom when using a ugf. The German researchers
Horst
and Kipper proved this by studying water movement created by ugf's. (using
dye)
Another problem with the above idea: It is difficult to achieve a slow,
reliable flow
through the substrate with a ugf or reverse - flow ugf.
>Are there
>any other ways of heating the subtrate that are generally accepted?
None that have been proven. George Booth claims it helps his tank/s to
be
"more stable". (In his words) If you want to try heating cables, Dupla is
the best
way to go. Here's a link to a website that sells heating cables. (should be
cheaper
than Dupla)
<A HREF="http://www.rootslipper.com/3why_nof.htm">The benefits of substrate
heating in the fres...</A>
Some guy posted to the APD a few months ago and claimed that he could get
Dupla products for anyone in the USA or Canada. That post should be in the
archives
if you are interested.
There are plans to build heating cables at the krib. (Or possible in
the APD archives, or at George Booth's site. I can't remember which but I
can dig that info off
of my hard drive if you're interested.) If you build your own cables I
highly recommend
the silicone - insulated wires.
hope this helps,
Andrew