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Re: Substrate Heating Coils
>
> From: "shaji (s.) bhaskar" <bhaskar at bnr_ca>
> Subject: What's this plant?
>
> Yesterday I found a plant that I cannot identify. I have seen it a
> couple of times before. The general appearance is like that of
> Didiplis diandra (same size, same kind of leaves, etc.), but the
> leaves are a bright red. It was beging sold as a species of Rotala,
> but it is definitely not R. rotundifolia, R. macarandra or R.
> wallichii.
I'm no expert in these matters; could it simply be a Didplis diandra
grown in an iron-rich environment to stimulate the red appearance?
>
> ------------------------------
>
> From: "shaji (s.) bhaskar" <bhaskar at bnr_ca>
> Subject: Substrate heating coils
>
> I finally broke down and decided to try DIY substrate heating
<snip>
>
> I've decided on a 24V, 2A transformer, and 30 gauge wire-wrapping
> wire, both from Radio Shack. The only major problem is that I need
> 200 feet of wire to get 30 watts of power. I'm going to do this using
> 4 reels of 50-foot wire, wound in parallel on a frame built of solid
> steel-core, vinyl-insulated clothesline from my local hardware store.
> The ends of the reels will them be soldered together to connect the
> four reels in series. <snip>
The only problem there might be (not sure) would be corrosion and
the lead in the solder. The wire is probably copper too so it needs to
be sealed up. You could use silver solder to replace the lead solder
but this is overkill. Sealing the connection in epoxy would do it.
Electrical tape just won't seal. Corrosion would happen where
dissimilar metals join so that's another reason to seal it well.
Take care not to nip the insulation on the wire wrap. It would be nice
to have a water tight jacket over everything; wrap it with electrical
tape after it's wound? Would a PVC tube melt? How long a piece of
clothesline would you need? You can get cheaper, thinner PVC tube
from the hardware store than from the aquarium store.
--Steve