Saving Electricity In Your Tanks: How To??

[xmikebrock]

i have a 75 gal and a 20 gal set up

i have the temps set to 75 in each, one has a gsp and the other a pp

in the 75 gal:

i have a double flourescent
a 350 power head
and a 100g marine land protein skimmer
and an air pump, that i heard at a seminar uses approx $3 a month

do these need to be on all the time? (i know the air and the skimmer do)

what would be consuming the most electricity/???


in the 20 gal:

75 gal marineland biowheel filter'
10 gal airpump
and single flourscent

do these need to be on all the time? (i know the air and the filter do)

what would be consuming the most electricity/???

[pufferpuggirl]

I don't really know ... but if I were to guess, I'd think the heaters would consume the most, since they are always on, and always striving to keep the tank at a precise temp. I know I use an awful lot of electricity with all my tanks .... but hey, it's my only vice, so I don't feel too bad about it, and we pay our electric as we use it, so there's no huge bill at the end of the month that knocks us over! In my youth I used to waste quite alot on partying ... so at least now I am spending my money on something that I can see and enjoy every day!

[ittybittyfishy]

Just to add: My heater turns on/off depending on the temperature of the water... It turns on if it falls below the desired temperature - about 2 degrees below it or something. So it's not always on.

[pufferpuggirl]

Okay, that's true of most thermometers, but still, unless you keep your house really warm, at this time of year, the thermometer will still cycle on and off alot during the day trying to keep the temp stable. But now thinking about it, some filters can use quite a bit of wattage too ... so now I'm even less sure which would use the most.

[J-P]

you don't need the lights on .. they should be on a timer about 8-10 hrs max I think ... but I could be wrong

[Myaj]

IMO, the heaters use the most electricity. But, its a necessary evil Most puffers start to get crabby, don't eat much, etc in the low 70's I've found.

For the lighting, you might be able to drop the number of hours per day you have it on, if you don't have live plants or corals. If your fluorescent bulb is the small, screw in type, you could replace it with a small wattage compact fluorescent to use even less than the little bit it is currently using.

I'm not sure why you "need" the air pump? Can you explain your reasoning? The power head and protien skimmer for sure you need, but I'm not sure why you'd need an air pump in a saltwater tank, the bubbles would just cause all kinds of salt creep.

[xmikebrock]

dont you need the air for bacterial growth??

and i have 48'' caralife flourescents, no screw in. but thanks for the ideas

[rengnath]

dont you need the air for bacterial growth??

and i have 48'' caralife flourescents, no screw in. but thanks for the ideas

Air is helpful for bacterial growth when you are trying to cycle your tank. Air, light, and warm water all encourage bacteria to grow and reproduce rapidly, but once your tank is already cycled, the bacteria doesnt need the large supply of air that encouraged the bacteria growth in the beginning. You probably could ditch the air pump, just watch your fish closely for the first day to see if they start gasping for breath at the surface.

You definetly dont need the light on 24/7. If you have no plants or corals, and there is room light you technically dont need the light at all. I know for GSPs, they dont like the light, but they can tolerate it. I go sometimes for a week without turning my light on. I just open the blinds up during the day so they get some light from the window on the other side of the room. It also helps to keep algae growth down.

With my tank, Im actually thinking of getting a timer for my powerhead. Since it is a little noisy, I was thinking of turning it off from about 10pm to 8am while I sleep. Im going to wait a few weeks while my new filter establishes, and then Im going to do a couple of test trials to see how the fish react to not having the powerhead on for 10-12 hours.

[Pufferpunk]

I haven't owned a functioning air pump in >15 years.

[xmikebrock]

really!!!!

i definitely thought it was a needed thing

[PolishPuff]

controlling light,( timer is a great invention ) using automatic heater and avoiding unnecessary items, (air pump...) will save you some money, but like with every hobby, money is being spent one way or the other.

[xmikebrock]

yeah, i know

but my mom got kinda mad

its like, the house is a seperate bill

so we have one bill for the house

and one bill for my room and an art studio(my mom teaches art lass in another building

and the hous bill was 50

and my room/art class was 120

and the only thing i can think of was the fish tanks making it that high.. soo


does that sound like it could be from the tanks,

[rengnath]

yeah, i know

but my mom got kinda mad

its like, the house is a seperate bill

so we have one bill for the house

and one bill for my room and an art studio(my mom teaches art lass in another building

and the hous bill was 50

and my room/art class was 120

and the only thing i can think of was the fish tanks making it that high.. soo


does that sound like it could be from the tanks,

Mike,
The solution is simple, you just have to be sneaky. Take an extention cord from the house, and run it to your room.

In all seriousness though, the tank could be causing a good portion of the $120, but I would find it hard to believe that it was causing the full $120. If you are running a powerhead though, and a good size filter, they are both constant drains which can be 15+ watts which would definetly add up over time. I would check other power-draining sources in your room though. If you are running a space heater, or anything like that, they are VERY expensive.

[rengnath]

And also, what type of filter do you have on the 75 gallon tank?

For the lighting, keep them off at least at night, and try and keep lighting limited to under 8hrs/day.

And definetly ditch the air pumps. They arent necessary.

[DarkStorm]

switch to led lighting.
it will pay for itself in the first month.