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Old 17-07-2003, 09:46 PM
Christina Marie Thompson
 
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Default Does anyone have any info on ThermoFloat heater?

Hello, everyone.

I'm new to this group, but not new to fishkeeping. I moved twice
within six months two years ago and my tanks (a 19 gallon, and a 35
gallon) have sat empty since then. I'm just getting ready to start them
back up again (please tell me snail eggs can't survive two years dry).

In the past, I didn't do much research, I just put some plants and
fish in and hoped for the best (the fish did OK, the plants didn't).
This time, I'm doing research and pricing supplies before I buy
anything. Among other things I've learned (like ordinary aquarium gravel
isn't adequate for plants), I've learned that a substrate heater could
help me keep my plants alive. I'm on a budget (I'm a poor, broke,
college student), and those cable heaters are terribly expensive,
especially when you add in the cost of the controller Drs. Foster and
Smith say is necessary. I was checking out Arizona Aquatic Gardeners for
plant prices and saw an interesting substrate heater for less than $40.

The heater is called the BioPlast ThermoFloat. As best I can figure,
it appears to be tubing you wrap around your regular heater then lay on
the bottom of the tank, and a powerhead attached to the tubing forces
the warmed water through the tubing to warm the substrate.

I've tried doing web searches on it, and it appears to be primarily
a European item. The sites I've found are mostly in German, so I can't
read them (I've studied French for 20 years, not German). I did find a
UK online store that had BioPlast brand filter media, but not the
ThermoFloat. I've never even heard of the BioPlast brand of products
here in the States, and apparently AAG is the only US distributor, as no
one else here comes up on the web searches.

Anyway, my questions a 1) how does this really work? 2) where do
I put the powerhead, in regards to my system (I'll be using canister
filters and no airstones or air pumps)? and 3) has anybody here (maybe
someone on the other side of the Pond) used it and does it work well?

In case you're interested, I'm going to make both tanks SA tanks,
preferably Amazon. I'll have a pair of Rams and a small shoal of
Cardinal Tetras as the features in both. I'll mix in some other small,
peaceful SA fish for variety, and all the plants will be SA, too.

Thanks,
Christina Thompson

--
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
--Dylan Thomas


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Old 17-07-2003, 09:46 PM
LeighMo
 
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Default Does anyone have any info on ThermoFloat heater?

You don't need a substrate heater. They are a big waste of money for a poor
college student.

If your plants died, see this page:

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/.../881/dying.htm

My guess would be that your plants died because you don't have enough light
over the tank. You'd be much better off putting your money toward better
lighting than toward a substrate heater.

Alternately, you could choose plants that do well in low light. That would
certainly be the most economical choice.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/
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