Costs of running a big tank
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FishyBusiness;49397 wrote: I know that my powerbill dropped when I got rid of my old 250's and my 1/2 hp chiller and went to the soalris...I also stopped blowing fuses
Also Kappa it says you live in Atlanta....are you on City Water? I was before I got my shop up in Doraville and my water bill was killing me here....still is but not so bad now.
I think I'm on city water but frankly I'm not sure. The water bill is rolled up into my condo fees somewhere... I guess when you're the one with the fish tank, your neighbors are probably over paying for water.
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well i'll chime in my electric bill went up $$$$ plus a month, water changes every three weeks 250 gallons each time $44 a bucket 200 gal mix plus a third more of another bucket, fish food $50 a month if you don't believe me ask josh at petland he orders lg packs of frozen special for me,not counting the little things a guys gotta have it never ends as for how much elec last yr before the 450 tank my bill was $350 a month now $500 but i also run a 20,000 gallon pool 24/7 add this all up and you have one cranky wife and work alot of over time and yes i love this hobby. p.s.the 1100 gallon pond is almost done then its time to sweet talk the wife for the big tank 800- 1000 one could only hope. if i could help with one pc of advice run run run while you're still sane sal>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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on the seaweed they have gree ,red need some let me now i'll pu anytime my office is 2 miles ways they are $11 for 100 pack , $5.50 for 50packs i have 50 plus fish and 30 plus are tangs and there fat and happy sal
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WOW is right. Your wife must love you very much Sal!
My electric bill went up $55 when i got the 800-1000w lights on my thing (9 hour photo period). Along with the chiller that have to work extra hard to cool it. BTW, I keep all lids open, 96''X18'' of surface to air with 2 200CFM fans working constantly.
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OK this is one of the FEW lighting subjects I can speak about with some authority... Cameron is right Natural sunlight is the BEST way (and cheapest) to light a tank. First, You do not need a full blown sun day for it to work, heck there are not that many full blown sunlit days on the reef compared to here. Sun and UV will go through most clouds. Second, the MOST light demanding corals live in 3' - 10' of water. Your tank is 18" - 24" deep, believe me there is enough light at 24" even on a cloudy day to support your corals. Cameron is also right, there is often too much light when people use natural light so the down side is for the summer months (The brighest time with the most UV) you should use a UV screen that allows 50-75% of the light through just to protect your corals (again because your tanks is not 10' deep to filter the UV out for the corals!). Third, there is a reason people grow corals in a greenhouse under natural light, It works! Forth, there are green houses in Seattle and Pittsburg (two of the cloudiest and rainiest cities in the world muchless the country.) Heck, one of Anthony Calfo's own green houses is in Pittsburg and he STILL has to use a UV and light screen. And he get snow light you would not believe!!! Seriously, read some works on the subject published by Calfo in his coral propagation book and maybe even download the PodCast from Reefvideos from Calfo's IMAC 2004 speach and he goes in depth about the subject. IMHO, BEST way to light your tank, too bad I have a room above my tank or I would consider it....
There are also Solatubes (domed skylights connected to tubes lined with reflective material that direct the sunlight down). No need for a sunroom or greenhouse, just run them thru the ceiling directly over your tank. There's an interesting thread in the lighting forum on RC about using them. Some people are replacing their metal halides with them and using actinics to adjust the color.
Where we used to live we had a well in our basement. It would be interesting to have a sump plumbed into the basement with a closed loop running down into the well water for geothermal cooling similar to a "green" geothermal heatpump setup.
It's interesting to see conservation of energy becoming more a part of this energy intensive hobby.
Where we used to live we had a well in our basement. It would be interesting to have a sump plumbed into the basement with a closed loop running down into the well water for geothermal cooling similar to a "green" geothermal heatpump setup.
It's interesting to see conservation of energy becoming more a part of this energy intensive hobby.
tsciarini;49735 wrote: I've considered doing the same thing... however, it will need to wait until I buy a house
If you have neighbors above you they probably wouldnt like it either.
Not to scare you, but my 300 gallon runs in the neighborhood of $250 to $300 a month. Its in the basement where it stays cool, but with a half horse chiller, two sequence pumps in closed loop, plus a gen-x that runs the system, not to mention protein skimmer and 6 400 watt metal halides with 6 four foot vho actinics. My electric bill was $540 this month, alot more than a car payment. Believe me, my wife hit the roof. What a crazy addiction.
Richard
Richard
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well i got the bad news i have my house and my quest house so i got both electric bills 750 plus or minus a couple of dollars, so i figured perfect time to really go wild i broke the news i want to finish my basement and get a 800 -1000 gallon tank, but i did say i would finish the yard first her coment was she would consider it when the basement was done. now thats a great wife, and yes she thinks i'm f-in nuts
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Does she have a sister?
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I think I would seriously have issues with myself if my electric bills were over a few hundred dollars... I get annoyed when it breaks $100.
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I think I would have been better off starting to smoke crack as a hobby!Think it would be cheaper.I have about 7-8K in My tank (92 corner bowfront)after only a little over a year(boy if the wife only new).I figure I spend around $60-70 monthly on food,power,etc.)But I`m like familyreefer,You only live once.Great hobby with great people!
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