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Re: Heating Cables Vs. the Growth Plate



Ryan writes:

> Many of you know that heating cables are beneficial, not mandatory, for a
>  planted tank. But how about a stainless steel plate, similar to a
>  undergravel filter, with a hole on the side where a ceramic heaters is
>  inserted?
>  Would this better distribute the heat across the entire plate rather than
>  just the area that heating cables would reach?

The whole point of using the cables is so you do NOT get an even heat across 
the entire substrate.  Dupla (supposedly) established a given distance 
between the parallel cables so that it would result in a convection current 
that includes the entire substrate.  Heat the whole thing, and the currents 
do not develop.  Instead, the heat rizes out of the gravel into the water 
column without taking the warm water with it.

Bob Dixon
Cichlid Trader List Administrator
http://cichlidtrader.listbot.com