On Wed, 6 Dec 2006 20:22:07 -0000, "nut"
wrote:

Jolly Fisherman wrote:

I wouldn't worry about filtration. It would be more efficient with 2
tanks instead of 3. But the energy expense is minor compared to the
other 2 items. And especially compared to all of your other energy
usage during the day, including your computer. Of course I'm of the
mind set that aquaria are luxury items that are inherently wasteful.
But I'm also a cynic that can't grasp any real significance of me
running plus or minus an extra couple hundred watt devices compared to
the current use and waste of the rest of the world.

Filtration uses less power than heating?

I'm pretty sure the heaters on my 30G tanks have 3amp fuses, whereas my
filters have 5amp fuses... and the heaters only run for some of the day,
whereas the filters are 24/7.

Think about that for a second. You don't have a filter than
continuously draws 600W or a heater that always uses 360W for a 30 gal
tank.

Whereas you probably have around 100+W heater that goes on more than
you think. And your filter draws continously *at least* 1/5 the
heaters power.

My Rena XP3 (350 g/h) draws 19W. Most of the unheated Eheim canisters
use between around 5-30W.

My partner and I have often wondered about the power requirements per tank,
but my way of thinking is that we-get-the-bill-we-pay-the-bill... i'm very
curious to learn exactly how much fish tanks cost to run per week if someone
else can be bothered to do the math.

Don't bother trying to guesstimate with math. Buy an inexpensive
Kill-A-Watt meter and track the *actual* usage. While you're at it
use it to see what your TV and other appliances do when you think
they're "off."

Tank1 - Non-aggressive community
1x 20W Strip light, 150W heater, 2x poweheads.

Tank2 - Convicts
2x 20W Strips, 150W heater, 1x external cannister filter

Tank3 - Dempseys
1x 25W daylight , 1x 15W nightlight, 150W heater, 1 powerhead, 1 small
external cannister

Tank4 - Livebearers
1x 20W, 100W heater, 1 powerhead

Lights are on 12-18 hours per day, heaters rarely kick in cos the flat we
live in is pretty warm anyway.

Of course anybody's assessment implies YMMV as there are *many*
variables and usage patterns.

Most of my fish are most comfortable 80+F and I'm most comfortable in
the mid 60's F. So I rely on heaters perhaps a bit more. Esp on my
smaller tanks. Heck even my brine shrimp/misc egg hatchery gets a
100W heater.

But when I start lighting rooms, turning on a TV, running a computer,
and heating a house, the aquariums don't look like such a big deal.