Hydor Cable Heater + Plants = ???

[mmm_unit]

I am setting up a new aquarium and discovered that hydor makes under the gravel heaters. this is appealing to me since it'll be hidden away.

but i have a major concern and am looking towards this forum for any advice.

So since the heater will be under the gravel and all over the place, will this affect my plants in a negative way? will the roots grow away from the heater or become inhibited?

i've read that if the aquarium is too hot, the leaves won't grow as big, but that's not quite the same issue here. it seems as if things should be fine, but looking to see if anyone has any experience here.

thanks,

 

[Trigger1985]

I've actually heard they help keep the plant roots warm and better able to circulate nutrients, though that may have been company propoganda. I've been looking at them for a while, but the cost is prohibative for me.

 

[mmm_unit]

they offer it on amazon.com for $25 shipped (50w) in case you haven't seen it at that price.

thanks for the reassurance though, i've heard a similar story too.

anyone have real experience?

 

[Trigger1985]

Thanks for the heads up, last time I saw it, the price was over $50.

 

[247Plants]

They are junk. Pure and simple.

They arent meant to heat a whole tank, they are meant to heat the substrate to create flow through it. If you are growing plants the roots will get entangled and there is no proof that they are any benefit to a planted tank.

 

[mmm_unit]

@ trigger1985 well they recommend you get the hydor digital thermostat to keep the temp. at a set amount, and that's another $40...so maybe that's where you're getting the price.

The whole heater package would be $60 , i want to make sure this thing has clear benefits since regular heaters with thermostats can be found for $20 and do the same job minus the undergravel part.

@ 247plants i'm starting to think like that to, i do think they are nifty in the fact that they are under the gravel as opposed to all of the helping the plant growth, but the difference of $40... do you have the actual product?

 

[excuzzzeme]

My thought is that to heat a tank to a certain degree, the heater must exceed the threshold for a duration of time that might actually harm the roots. JMO and not based on anything I have read. Unfortunately they are still too new to have much a discussion.

 

[Riiz]

Skip the cable heater, use hydor's inline heaters if you want something that wont be visible.

 

[247Plants]

Tom Barr did a study with them and found no difference between the tank with them and the tank without them.

 

[excuzzzeme]

Tom Barr did a study with them and found no difference between the tank with them and the tank without them.

Good to know! Thanks.