need help on con ed bills and tanks

[metalslug]

How much more will it cost to run a 180 tank? And how can I run it economically?

 

[Ang]

do you mean electricity
how much more than what?

uh... dont have the lights on all the time?

Not much else you can do to cut power. The filters need to run all the time. Depends on the filters. Fluval 404 uses 15W i think.

 

[jcardona1]

the main things that will drive your electric bill are the heaters and lights. i have 2x 300w heaters. luckily its summer time so well see how it goes in the winter. for lights, as nekojin said, just dont leave them on all day.

not much you can do about your filters as they need to run 24hrs. youll see the most pumps/canister filters draw very few watts and wont notice a difference in your bill

 

[metalslug]

Ok, thanks. Yeah what I meant to ask was if it was very expensive to run one, electricity wise. About how long should lights run? Can heaters be turned on and off, or will that cause unhealthy fish?

 

[pcfriedrich]

Ok, thanks. Yeah what I meant to ask was if it was very expensive to run one, electricity wise. About how long should lights run? Can heaters be turned on and off, or will that cause unhealthy fish?

i assume you keep your house's temperature at about 72-74*. if you have decent heat/air, with a good thermostat, you really don't need a heater for most fish. slight fluctualtions in water temp is fine, as long as they aren't too abrupt (which they won't be in a 180). I couldn't imagine how high the energy draw would be trying to keep 180 gallons at 80* in a house with the A/C set at 70*. OUT OF CONTROL.

just keep your house temp at the lower end of the acceptable range for tropical fish (72* for most species, very convenient). I have my heaters unplugged during the summer.

 

[metalslug]

ok, another thing i need to ask, is I am moving to a new construction home. I ma ground level, but there is a basement apartment below me. How can I make sure my floor can support a 180?

 

[FishGoneWild]

Dowsize to a smaller aquarium like a 120 which is 48" x 24". Otherwise, you'll have to locate a load bearing beam and put the aquarium on then PRAY!!!!