ShaneSmith

I am doing a tank that will have substrate heating cables. I plan on using Azoo substrate fertilizer (The 7 color kind). is this advisable? I've never worked with substrate heating cables before.

Also since the office will be temperature controlled..... is the cable ever even goin to go on?

Bert H

Living in Florida, why would you want substrate heating cables?? In the Orlando area it rarely gets below 40, plus you're in a temperature controlled office. If it were me, I'd get an in tank heater for those rare days when it gets cold, and use the money saved to upgrade my lighting or substrate. Just my 2 cents worth.

ShaneSmith

Well i am setting up the tanks for the lobby where i work. They requested that i use some of their products that they are thinking of adding to their catalog. One of course is the substrate heating cables.

HeyPK

Miracle Gro potting soil is going to be loaded with fertilizer---way too much for aquatic plants! You will get a really nasty mess when it or any fertilized potting soil goes anaerobic under the gravel.

ShaneSmith

Its alright as far as i can tell. Its been setup for a couple months. its an expirement/farm tank anyhow.

Will the azoo color concentrated substrate fertilizer be bad to use with heating cables?

plantbrain

Well what is the point of adding something to the substrate?

For the plant's roots?
For long term fert?
For when you do not add enough to the water column?

A heating cable will bring more of the nutrients up into the water column than without one.

It is also not needed, I've never once heard anything to suggest cables are better other than George Booth's assertions but even he doubts their utility on a critical level.

They don't hurt IMO/IME.

I've used them for 10 years on 7 different tanks.
I never found they did anything.

As far as adding crap to the substrate:
A little soil or peat is fine after it's been soaked a little.

But less on higher growth tanks with more light/CO2 etc.

These tanks do better with KNO3, and other things dosed to the water column.

If you tank care of the water column dosing, then the nutrient supply from the substrate to the plants will be minimal.

Flourite or Eco C with a little peat and some mulm added from the start should be fine and not produce a mess.

Regards,
Tom Barr

ShaneSmith

The substrate is going to be the sole source of fertilizer because i am worried about messing up the tank. These tanks will be done for the company i work for and they will be displayed in the lobby. In my tanks i go through phases and my main tank has a lot of algae problems sometimes. I cannot figure it out. I change the fert regime and not always much improvement. This tank has to look good all the time, so i am using ferns mosses and Echindorus/crypts. Tanks will have high fish loads and problably discus and arowanas.

If i understand what your saying Tom the substrate heating cables will bring the Substrate fertilizer to the water column? Maybe its obviouse but i dont know all that much about CEC and so forth.

Tom, can i send you a PM to ask you some questions about these tanks i am setting up? I am a little hesitant to do all this because i have a lot of algae issues with my tanks. I have a month until i start the project and i want to get some things clarified.

plantbrain

The substrate is never the sole source of nutrients for submersed aquatic plants. It might be a primary one for some nutrients.

You do plan on feeding these fish?
If you do not wish to add things to the water column besides fish food(which is a fertilizer), you will want to approach this from a non CO2 tank approach.

You will run into a lot more trouble using CO2 and not adding anything besides fish food.

Cables will certainly not help your approach either.

If you are having trouble at home with algae, you will have trouble at work.

Shane, you can email me directly. You live about 2 hours away from Bert and myself.

I am having the plant fest this weekend, so if you want some free weeds and see and talk all about it, come up for a day or two.

Sometimes an in person visit will clear things up very quickly for you vs the web. But you will have much nicer tanks free of algae as a result either way.

tcbiii@earthlink.net

Your tanks will go through wave after wave of algae until you stabilize things. This is not hard to do and there are some cheap and easy methods to do this. The main things you will measure will be CO2(pH/KH) and water changes, pruning.

Some things you might want to order for a display tank: CO2 monitor(eg a Pinpoint or Mikwalkee, python water changer, a dosing pump and a timer. Automatic water changers with a simple float switch also can be done depending on your DIY skills.

I hope this tank is going to be very big.

A planted Aro tank needs no less than 150-180 gal.
And that's just one fish, not including Discus.

I would keep one or the other, not both.
Providing a good home for a few fish is much better and will present far less trouble to you and the fish and the ultimately the boss/owner.

Don't try and cram too many fish in there. That's not the goal, max fish loads are simply dangerous and flirt with Murphy's law.

The goal is to have a nice looking tank with plants and some very happy fish over the long term.

Want more fish? Get more tank and plants.

Regards,
Tom Barr