Val's touching heater - Aquarium Advice

NorCalAl · 05-10-2006, 01:06 PM

While I think the batch of Val's I got from my lfs basically sucked, I am wondering if the fact that they are touching the heater has anything to do with their failure. Repositioning it might be a bit difficult, but should it have any effect?

malkore · 05-10-2006, 04:21 PM

a submerged heater shouldn't get hot enough to damage plants. mine never have, including corkscrew vals. but I've also only used quality heaters. i'm sure cheapy heaters might get hot enough to upset a val...I've just never seen it.

you have enough light. how about CO2? is your water on the soft side? Vals need a little hardness in the water, mainly for the calcium.

also, if your vals are all tied together with runners, snip them. any time a runner has 3 or more plants on it, split em. when they're conjoined like that, it taxes the original plant..the 'mother' plant.

gfink · 05-10-2006, 04:24 PM

I recently notice one leaf of my plant touching the heater, and it (the leaf) was damaged in an arc shape where it was touching heater.

NorCalAl · 05-10-2006, 04:32 PM

No, co2 is on tap for the future. Right now it's Excel.

The lighting is actually 4x40w four foot T12's. Two Home Depot lamp units hooked together. Total for units: 15 bucks.

Next lighting scheme goes to two 125w CFL's. Then I'll have co2.

jcarlilesiu · 05-10-2006, 05:15 PM

In my heavily planted tank my amazon sword and vals touch the heater, sometimes the leaves laying directly on it turned yellow only where it was touching the heater... it was odd. Other than that no ill effect

05-10-2006, 01:06 PM	#1
NorCalAl Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: May 2006 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 41	Val's touching heater While I think the batch of Val's I got from my lfs basically sucked, I am wondering if the fact that they are touching the heater has anything to do with their failure. Repositioning it might be a bit difficult, but should it have any effect? __________________ 65g: community/discus 4 discus, 5 clown loaches, 4 oto cats, 3 SAE's, 1 gold nugget pleco (L177), 1 clown pleco, java fern, vallisneria gigantea rubra, amazon sword, anubias nana, bacopa, crypts and a HUGE anubias! 130w Aqualight 6700k PC, Co2 injected 65g: Magawi cichlid 6 cichlids, 1 common pleco 8", 2 synodontis cat, plastic plants, anacharis, amazon sword. 36w single tube. 29g: community 2 dwarf gourami, 1 King Tiger pleco (L066), 2 discus, 1 BN plec, 1 long-fin golden ram, 3 clown loaches, vals, amazon and african sword, anubias nana. 65w 6700k Aqualight 6700k PC, DIY Co2 (testing) 20g: guppy otos, bn plec (tiny), many guppies (for babies to feed the cichlids!), anubias, anacharis, yellowstripe, the list goes on.... 30w 6700k 10g: QT & plant anubias nana, anacharis, dwarf vals. 96w Aqualight 6700k

05-10-2006, 04:21 PM	#2
malkore Aquarium Advice Addict Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Nebraska, USA Posts: 6,540	a submerged heater shouldn't get hot enough to damage plants. mine never have, including corkscrew vals. but I've also only used quality heaters. i'm sure cheapy heaters might get hot enough to upset a val...I've just never seen it. you have enough light. how about CO2? is your water on the soft side? Vals need a little hardness in the water, mainly for the calcium. also, if your vals are all tied together with runners, snip them. any time a runner has 3 or more plants on it, split em. when they're conjoined like that, it taxes the original plant..the 'mother' plant. __________________ Visit my aquarium pages - see specs on my tanks, and photos of how they've evolved My other passion: TheNinja 500R - updated 9/18/05

05-10-2006, 04:24 PM	#3
gfink Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 398 Images: 7	I recently notice one leaf of my plant touching the heater, and it (the leaf) was damaged in an arc shape where it was touching heater. __________________ 10 Gal Planted, 3 [acronym="Watts Per Gallon"]wpg[/acronym], Eco-Complete and Tahitian Moon Sand 29 Gal Planted, 1.2 [acronym="Watts Per Gallon"]wpg[/acronym], Estes Gravel

05-10-2006, 04:32 PM	#4
NorCalAl Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: May 2006 Location: Paradise, CA Posts: 41	No, co2 is on tap for the future. Right now it's Excel. The lighting is actually 4x40w four foot T12's. Two Home Depot lamp units hooked together. Total for units: 15 bucks. Next lighting scheme goes to two 125w CFL's. Then I'll have co2. __________________ 65g: community/discus 4 discus, 5 clown loaches, 4 oto cats, 3 SAE's, 1 gold nugget pleco (L177), 1 clown pleco, java fern, vallisneria gigantea rubra, amazon sword, anubias nana, bacopa, crypts and a HUGE anubias! 130w Aqualight 6700k PC, Co2 injected 65g: Magawi cichlid 6 cichlids, 1 common pleco 8", 2 synodontis cat, plastic plants, anacharis, amazon sword. 36w single tube. 29g: community 2 dwarf gourami, 1 King Tiger pleco (L066), 2 discus, 1 BN plec, 1 long-fin golden ram, 3 clown loaches, vals, amazon and african sword, anubias nana. 65w 6700k Aqualight 6700k PC, DIY Co2 (testing) 20g: guppy otos, bn plec (tiny), many guppies (for babies to feed the cichlids!), anubias, anacharis, yellowstripe, the list goes on.... 30w 6700k 10g: QT & plant anubias nana, anacharis, dwarf vals. 96w Aqualight 6700k

05-10-2006, 05:15 PM	#5
jcarlilesiu Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 686 Images: 5	In my heavily planted tank my amazon sword and vals touch the heater, sometimes the leaves laying directly on it turned yellow only where it was touching the heater... it was odd. Other than that no ill effect __________________ 56 Gallon freshwater planted. 15 Rasboras, 2 Rainbows, 3 SAEs, 2 Bala Sharks Jungle Val, Dwarf Sag, Red Tiger Lotus, Amazon Sword, Java Moss

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