Well RTR, I was waiting for someone to rear up on their hind legs and start bleating out absolutes. I'm a little surprised that it was you. Let me clarify something for you. I've been keeping fish successfully for almost forty years. By successful I mean that the fish I care for tend to die of old age and not disease or polluted living conditions. Out of a life-long passion I have built a successful, profitable business. I now maintain other people's aquaria, without a single dissatisfied customer, so lets not confuse me with some green kid spouting off about things he has only read( a sin I was guilty of concerning Killifish ). If you had actually read my posts you would have noticed the disclaimer that I was describing one way to do things which works for me. As far as your opinion of substrate heating, and lets face it, there's very little that's humble about declaratives, I disagree. I know of few people in this area who keep their homes at a constant temperatur year-round. We keep our house at 70 in the winter and 75 for the other nine months of summer. Many business customers keep the ambient at around 75. I strive to keep the aquarium temp at 78-80 degrees and the heat pads work nicely. As I stated, if the tank gets too warm one or two can be unplugged. As for controlled systems never cycling on with a temperature differential of 4 or 5 degrees, why won't they? I don't have a chemistry or biology degree so I can't expound on why something will or won't work at a molecular level like some I've read on this forum. My methods are the results of years of trial and error, reading, asking questions and never giving up. And again, allow me to return to the fact that my methods are just that, my methods. The young lady asked how I install layered substrates and I answered. Once again, had you read her posts carefully you would have seen that the substrate she's asking about now is a temporary one preceeding an upcoming planted tank.
And Kim, I don't let the lamps make contact with the glass canopy. I build my own tops and mount the ballast remote, usually under the stand. The little strip lights that come with some aquarium package setups I don't favor for planted tanks. Usually not enough light intensity from those little single-lamp strips. Since the debate has already started, I have a sneaking suspicion that you'll get lots of different opinions. Remember, that's what they are. Our opinions, regardless of how they're phrased. You've given yourself some more time to make up your mind so I advise lots more reading and questions. Allow yourself all the time you can to weigh different opinions and make your own decision. And suspect all opinion; especially mine. I still use undergravel filters for pete's sake. Some of the old dinosaur methods still work.LOL ma'am.
Mark
And Kim, I don't let the lamps make contact with the glass canopy. I build my own tops and mount the ballast remote, usually under the stand. The little strip lights that come with some aquarium package setups I don't favor for planted tanks. Usually not enough light intensity from those little single-lamp strips. Since the debate has already started, I have a sneaking suspicion that you'll get lots of different opinions. Remember, that's what they are. Our opinions, regardless of how they're phrased. You've given yourself some more time to make up your mind so I advise lots more reading and questions. Allow yourself all the time you can to weigh different opinions and make your own decision. And suspect all opinion; especially mine. I still use undergravel filters for pete's sake. Some of the old dinosaur methods still work.LOL ma'am.
Mark
