# Layering my 125g



## PlantsGlora (Apr 22, 2006)

Hey all, I'm new to the forum!!

Quick question, I plan on layering the bed of my tank. Carbi sea torpedo beach as the top layer then laterite then silica sand (play sand). Under that I'll have 2 400 red sea root therm heating cables.

My previous planted tank consists of a top layer thats too big. This causes my hair grass to grow in every direct except vertical.


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## Sully (Nov 11, 2005)

Welcome to the forum.

Skip the heating cables. I've read they are pretty much useless and don't do much for plants. The layering sounds fine, only concern is potential mixing when replanting and general heavy sinking substrate.

-SULLY


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## PlantsGlora (Apr 22, 2006)

What have you read that gives you that opinion? Every planted book I read encourages their use! Please help!


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Must be some Dupla heat cable conspiracy. If you ask myself, Claus from Tropica etc, we will not tell you to use them.

I've used them, cycled them on/off, had 10 years experience with them. They produce too fast of a flux in/out of the substrate for optimal growth. Claus verified this. RFUG produces even more flux and evens the temp between the layers, this has higher flow rates, based on their arguements, I would have even better growth, but that was not the case.

Anything which claims to have a long term effect that's very subtle could be applied to almost anything as a positive. Given all the other variables over a long time frame, it's nearly impossible to say if the effects are due to cables or something else.

There's has never been one study or arguement to date in any book, research paper to show these will help improve the growth rates of aquatic plants.

I'd suggest getting ADA's Aqua Soil, add a dusting of ground peat, add some mulm/filter sponge squeezings from an established tank on the bottom and to the filter intake, and that's about as good as it gets in today's substrates.

If you are looking for cheaper alternatives, they are out there, but this is one of the easiest.

Sand, 2-3mm is the best grain size, soil can be used that's been either soaked for a 2-3 weeks in a shallow tray with water or boiled for 10 minutes.
Roughly 1" to 3" of sand over top will work, Kitty litter is also a good medium and can be used somewhat like soil. Add more mulm to the kitty litter.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## creative-fury (Sep 8, 2006)

According to this article by George Booth heating cables have a beneficial long term affect on a planted aquarium.

Substrate Heating Coils in the Planted Aquarium


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## hoppycalif (Apr 7, 2005)

George Booth has long been a hold out for heating cables. He has success with them, or believes he does, but it is pretty unusual to find anyone else reporting success with them. My belief is that they probably have some minor benefit, and if everything else is adjusted just right in the tank, you might see a difference. But, without a question, the cost of the heating cables could be better spent on a good pressurized CO2 system, good lights, ADA substrate, etc. and have a much easier to see benefit. That's just my opinion based on reading a lot here and elsewhere.


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## frozenoak (Jul 30, 2005)

I have heating cables. I belive that the money would have been better spent on an Eheim with the built in heater. I still use the heater and it keeps the tank at an even temp but I don't know as it helps any more than a standard heater. At the time of purchase I did not know about the Eheim with heater so I bought the cabble heater so I wouldn't have a huge glass heater in my tank that I would have to hide. I was a novice (and still am I think) so it may have been a waste of money. It has lasted more than a year with out a hitch so it may have that going for it.

Hope this helps,
dale


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I've had tanks both with and without heating cables running for years. The only advantage I could see in the tank with the heating cables was that the heating element was hidden.

For significantly less money you could also get an Eheim with integrated heating or a Hydor inline heating element to achieve the same goal. 

And you'd still have enough money left over to get more plants!


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## mousky (Jul 6, 2006)

If you look at how the heating cables work:

Warming the substrate so it is slightly hotter than the water, causing a convection effect and distributing nutrients into the substrate.

There are two important things that jump out at me.

a) If you dont have a layer of substrate that is designed to absorb and hold nutrients, like zeolite, I cant see this circulation being significantly effectual.

b) If you live in a temperate area where your heaters rarely come on, heating cables are definitely useless. The only way to get around this is to buy a chiller, then that becomes excessively expensive.

I live in Melbourne, so heating cables do have a use to me. I buy them over the internet so they are relatively cheep (around AU$80), and have noticed that my crypts and swords do better with the cables. Around here the temperatures can get below freezing at night and on a cold day if I put my finger in the substrate, it is quite cold (this cant be very good for some species). I also use a layer of zeolite with my substrate, so when the goodness of laterite and the other substrate fertaliser wears off I have the zeolite to absorb and nutrients that flow through the substrate. This means that the stability of the tank lasts far longer than others without cables.

So you really have to look at all the points and decide whether it suits your specific requirements.

Heating cables or no, I definitely recomend a layer of zeolite in you substrate. I use aqua-medic terralit, I find it to be quite cheep and so far so good 

Good luck


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