Re: Substrate heating

[Wright Huntley <huntley1 at home_com>]

> Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2001 00:44:02 EST
> From: CDELAHUNT at aol_com
> Subject: Re: Substrate heating
> 
> I read an incomplete post, an answer really, to the question of using cheap, 
> low wattage submersible heaters in place of cables.  They mentioned Walmart 
> as a source for the heaters, but did not give details on how to set this up.  
> Anyone know if this works, and how many watts you would want per gallon?
> 
> Thanks, 
> Catherine
> 

Those gadgets are just a 7W wire-wound resistor, in a plastic tube filled
with fine sand. As they have the full 120V line on them, the results are
spectacular when the plastic melts or cracks and water enters. [Need I
suggest that I do not think they should be used anywhere near an aquarium?]

The unique advantage of the Dupla-style wires is the low voltage and low
temperature at any one spot, which is pretty safe, grounded or not. For the
plants, the gentle localized heating around the wire causes water right
there to rise, which sucks tank water down between the wires to really
circulate through *all* the substrate (assuming a rational wire routing
scheme).

As I'm adding lights and CO2 to several of my larger tanks (20-55G is truly
big for a killinut) I'm anxiously awaiting word from George on where to get
the low-voltage cable materials for doing one or more of them. Will it be
posted here, George?

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntleyone at home dot com

                Important things we should remember:
      [and weren't taught in mandatory government propaganda camps]

       The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper.

                *** http://www.libertarian.org/ ***

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