Heating the Planted Tank - Is it worth spending more for....

[Kilgore]

Hello,

Can people please give me an opinion on whether it is worth spending the money on a substrate heating system (such Hydor Hydroset) - it will cost me about $70. That is a lot of money for me and will set me back at least a month in setting up. That amount is versus the $40 or so that the Hydor In-Line Heater would cost me, which I can hook up to my Eheim. This will be for a 46-gallon aquarium with moderate lighting (single 36" PC bulb). Do the substrate heaters really improve plant growth, all other factors being equal? Or are they just an expensive gimmick?

Alternatively, I could just go really cheap and do the standard Visitherm Stealth heater for $20. But I want to avoid hot/cold pockets in my tank due to sensitive fish, and both of the above methods claim to help with that. So is it worth the huge expense?

 

[Jchillin]

FWIW, I have two 250w Visi-therms in my 75 gal. That does a fine job of eliminating unequal heat distribution.

 

[Purrbox]

My understanding is that substrate heaters have yet to prove beneficial. The theory behind them appears to be sound, but those using them haven't reported any substantial difference with or with out them. So probably just an expensive gimmick.

As far as going with the in tank or inline, I'd make the decision based on whether you feel that it is worth $20 to have that piece of equipment located outside of your tank or not. I use the Visitherm Stealth heaters and I really like them, however, it would be nice to have a little extra room for plants.

 

[malkore]

substrate heating is pretty much only beneficial if you have a 'natural', layered substrate.
like, peat, some soil, some laterite, and some gravel on top. the various layers do better with some heat flowing thru to create convection currents.

its a total waste of money if you're using pure Eco complete or flourite, or any non-layered setup.

 

[Kilgore]

Ok, great. Substrate heating is out, saving money is in! I think I will still go for the inline heater because it takes up less (no) room and evenly distributes the heat (plus you don't have to try and hide it). I have found that submersible heaters feel very hot to the touch when they are on, and I have seen some plant leaves get burned if they are to close. Plus you have to worry about circulating the water near them. Two heaters is a good idea to eliminate cold pockets but the expense would be only be about $6 more for the inline heater than for 2 subs.

Again, this is only for my large planted tanks that I was concerned. My other tanks get the Visitherm Deluxe or Stealth heaters, and also the Ebo-Jagers are nice. :