Ways to save electricity bill for your marine tank

[mousecat11]

Since electricity bill is one of the major reason for many reefer giving up this woderfull hobby, i am starting this topic which hope everyone can share ways to save electricity on their aquarium keeping ...

For a start on powerhead, i am using Aquabee pump as my return for my CR, and FR since it is rated one of the lowest power consumption comparing to Ehiem.

[ReDDeviLs]

try to get all the power saving pumps..

since they need to be run 24/7 most of them.

cut down light timing.

get good chiller like titanium coil to cool down ur tank faster..

[mousecat11]

try to get all the power saving pumps..

since they need to be run 24/7 most of them.

cut down light timing.

get good chiller like titanium coil to cool down ur tank faster..

Yea man.. you are right.. which is also the reason why after i learn my lesson on the first chiller which i bought ..althought it is much cheaper than a Artica chiller.. i ended up paying more for the electrical bill each month !

in the end, i have decided to spend the money on a good chiller which is giving back the saving in long run..

what type of lighting save the most energy ?

[Underwater]

l think chiller takes up the biggest part of the bill...like our home aircon. Prob don't set the chiller temperature unnecessary low when 1 to 2 degrees higher is still ok for the corals. Cut down lighting period. Avoid MH unless you really need strong light for certain corals. Hence, lesser times that the chiller kicks in.

[mousecat11]

l think chiller takes up the biggest part of the bill...like our home aircon. Prob don't set the chiller temperature unnecessary low when 1 to 2 degrees higher is still ok for the corals. Cut down lighting period. Avoid MH unless you really need strong light for certain corals. Hence, lesser times that the chiller kicks in.

i think lighting is the equipment which takes up the second largest cunsumtion of electricity... what type of light is much engery effective for keeping coral on the longer run? T5 , T8 ? which is cheaper to have ?

[uws]

...althought it is much cheaper than a Artica chiller.. i ended up paying more for the electrical bill each month !

Besides Artica chiller, which other types of chiller make use of titanium coil?

Can I consider Teco TR15 or Hailea brand HC-150A for my 2.5 ft tank?

[mousecat11]

Besides Artica chiller, which other types of chiller make use of titanium coil?

Can I consider Teco TR15 or Hailea brand HC-150A for my 2.5 ft tank?

correct me if i am wrong, but i think Hailea is using titanium coil ... the next option you can also get someone to customize the titanium coil in your sump like some people did over here..

[Solo77]

Certain chiller can use titanium coil but their power consumption is still much higher. Hence, check on their power consumption. : )

[ReDDeviLs]

if ur tank is huge.. i suggest MH more cost saving..

why? imagine u using T5.. the number of tubes u change..

mh most cost saving..

unless ur electrical bills not paying by u.. then its another story

[Underwater]

Just to add that MH is much hotter and takes up more watts, so a chiller is almost a must to go with it or the tank could be "cooked". Whereas for T5, you can still do without chiller, and using fan instead...and less tubes such as just 1 blue 1 white too, esp for FOWLR.

[markietan]

my fan and lights kick in at the same time everyday.... use kalk reactor for auto topup and it is working quite well for me. dun have to dose kh / calcium additive and my chiller seldom kicks in.. only when its a crazy hot day / night then the chiller will kick in.

also do service your chiller from time to time so that it takes shorter to chill the tank down. lastly, you want to calibrate your temp probe too for your chiller. i found mine to always report 1 degree higher than other thermometer.

mh is good for bigger tanks... more environmentally friend i feel because t5 tubes have mecury...

[Crept]

i read somewhere that the below mention site can be used to calculate the estimated usage of our electrical consumption & costs for marine tank.

Be amaze at how much we spend on electricity for our marine tank . Take note to change the cost of electricity to $0.2507 per Kwh.

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php

[dleecool]

Nowadays I turn off the main MCB to cut off the whole electricity supply b4 I go to work and turn on again when I reach home!! Save alot of money!!

[Thexder]

Nowadays I turn off the main MCB to cut off the whole electricity supply b4 I go to work and turn on again when I reach home!! Save alot of money!!

Won't cut off electricity to your fridge and tank?

[mousecat11]

I am planing to swicth to LED aquarium lighting... save up to 40% of electrical cunsumption and you need not change bulb for up to 5 years ! can you imagine that ?

anyone using this on their fish tank ?

[Crept]

I am planing to swicth to LED aquarium lighting... save up to 40% of electrical cunsumption and you need not change bulb for up to 5 years ! can you imagine that ?

anyone using this on their fish tank ?

Does the LED aquarium lighting have sufficient lighting for marine tanks???

[dachkie]

I am planing to swicth to LED aquarium lighting... save up to 40% of electrical cunsumption and you need not change bulb for up to 5 years ! can you imagine that ?

anyone using this on their fish tank ?

but the initial investment is tremendous

[dachkie]

Nowadays I turn off the main MCB to cut off the whole electricity supply b4 I go to work and turn on again when I reach home!! Save alot of money!!

great idea man , i'm also wondering on the fridge part , standby electric consumption is at least 10% , so its best to off all power if possible

[bristleworm]

i will save on other areas like eating at food centers, taking public transport etc..... and able to enjoy this wonderful hobby

cheers

[mousecat11]

Just to add that MH is much hotter and takes up more watts, so a chiller is almost a must to go with it or the tank could be "cooked". Whereas for T5, you can still do without chiller, and using fan instead...and less tubes such as just 1 blue 1 white too, esp for FOWLR.

Althought MH produce yet the highest light intensity of all aquarium lighting, but it is almost the one which emit the most heat and consume the most electricity,, ! imagine if your chiller break down one day, and when you return home all our fish become cook fish.. this happen to me once..

[arcanehacker]

Nowadays I turn off the main MCB to cut off the whole electricity supply b4 I go to work and turn on again when I reach home!! Save alot of money!!

Don't make sense.. Your fridge running on UPS? I guess you do not have a tank either.

[arcanehacker]

I am planing to swicth to LED aquarium lighting... save up to 40% of electrical cunsumption and you need not change bulb for up to 5 years ! can you imagine that ?

anyone using this on their fish tank ?

Think again.. how much is the cost of the initial set? You go to calculate the cost spread out and then see how many years to break even.. if its gonna take more than 2-3 years, its probably not worth.

[Underwater]

Althought MH produce yet the highest light intensity of all aquarium lighting, but it is almost the one which emit the most heat and consume the most electricity,, ! imagine if your chiller break down one day, and when you return home all our fish become cook fish.. this happen to me once..

Ya, that also happened to a reefer whom i once bought his equipmt after he decomm. He said that after a chiller failure, all his precious corals perished within a day being 'cooked' by the MH. Advice wld be important to carry out regular chiller maintenance/checks to lower the risk.

[azlindaza]

Hi there..Just i asking if we use a bigger chiller,example cl650 for 2ft tank,will it save electricity? Coz i think i cool down faster.

[Solo77]

That is one question that is hard to quantify. Overkill chiller consumes more power, hence running might be short but higher consumption might offset the saving. Neverthelss, i will go for slightly overkill chiller as the amout spent and feeling i got from the livestocks will want me to ensure the chiller is able to support my tank and overstocking. Always got 2 aspects to an issue, the saving from utility bill derived from buying a branded and reputable energy saving chiller vs the saving from buying lower end chiller. It also depends on the years that you are in this hobby and durablility of the chiller in enjoying the saving. For me, i choose the first, buying slightly overkill and energy saving chiller.