Bigger tank

[heyandrea_]

Ive been looking at a tank that is 1220x450x450mm - 4ft... I know its not hugest of tanks but Ive never had one that big before..

Still learning, how many litres of water will that be? Will I have to check the strength of my floor to hold it?

My partner is not keen at all, he thinks the power bill will go up significantly!! Can anyone give me an idea of the approximate increase in their powerbill, will have filter, heater, light etc...

Once I purchase it.. I will definately need assistance on how to set it up etc.. Thanks!!

[Bluetom]

to calculate litres 1220*450*450= 247050000 divide by 100000 therefore 247L

As for power bill, wouldn't be massive. Maybe $20 a month

[Ianab]

Sounds similar to my new tank - holds a bit over 200 litres. Bluetoms calcs are correct, but you have to use the inside measurements and subtract something for the rocks, gravel and airspace at the top.

Probably weighs ~250-300kgs when full, so unless your floor is really dodgy it's no problem.

It's going to use a little more power than a small tank, bigger heater, bigger lights etc, but realistically you are probably talking about a few dollars a month extra. If you can afford the tank, you can afford the power to run it too

I think it's a good sensible sized tank, big enough for most types of fish, reasonably priced (when you go bigger you need the thicker glass, much more expensive) and doesn't need a whole room to itself.

As you already have a tank set up it makes cycling the new tank much easier, you can run two filters or move media around (and fish) around to get the new tank running.

Cheers

Ian

[Ianab]

Some guesstimates about running costs...

Heater 200watts runs 50% of the time = 2.4kwh / day

Lights 40 watts also 50% on (12hrs) = 0.48kwh/day

Filter 20 watts running 100% = 0.48kwh/day

Total power = 3.36kwh/day

Per month =~ 100kwh

Power costs about 20cents per kwh = ~$20 per month

I wonder if Bluetom did the same maths for his guess?

Of course that depends on the season, the 50% heater cycle is probably about right for winter, in the summer it would be much less and might get close to zero if your house is warm. Also the power used doesn't just vanish, it actually warms up your lounge, maybe not enough to notice, but if your lounge is 1/2 a degree warmer in winter it's not a bad thing.

Cheers

Ian

[michael.qian]

For a tank that size there will be a fairly significant increase in power bill, not massive as said above.

Filter let's say it's 25W (probabably won't be), will cost about $4 a month.

Light lets say 120W, on 12 hours a day, about $8 a month.

Heater you need 300W or even 400W (2X 150W or 2X 200W), in summer it won't be working much, approx. $25 a month, in cold winter conditions, assuming it's on pretty much all the time, $50 a month.

Plus some air pumps and other little pieces another $2 a month.

so worst case scenario, in the coldest winter, it will cost approx. $64 a month, but otherwise under normal spring/summer conditions, be about $35 a month.

These calculations are estimations based my power charges, if you get charged lower, it won't cost you as much.

But regardless I think $20 a month is too little for a tank that size, majority of the power bill comes from the heater.

[michael.qian]

Don't get scared by my calculations though, realistically it will be less.

I just always assume worst scenarios for every situation to make sure that I can accept the outcome if in fact the worst scenarios happens.

[Caryl]

Based on freshwater only, at a temperature of 22˚C, total consumption for a small tank (38L) is about 150kWh (kilowatt hour) a year. A medium tank (114L) 150 - 200 kWh per year and a large aquarium (208L) 200 - 400kWh per year. This is using basic equipment only and merely an average to give you an idea. Exact usage requires an ampmeter, which measures actual energy used and not the energy based on the max output, as some equipment does not run full time (eg heater).

watts/1000 x hours x kWh cost x 30 = 30 days cost of aquarium

[Ianab]

Yeah.. a 300 watt heater is plenty for a 4 ft tank. I doubt mine is on even 50% of the time. My Jager is rated for tanks up to 600l, so in a 200l it's just cruising.

Probably the biggest factor is the difference in temp between your room and tank. If the room is kept at 18-20deg, and the tank at 22, the heater will hardly be on. But some mornings my kitchen may be 8C and the heater is running flat out to keep the tank in there at 25. But that 80l tank only had a 50w heater - now it has a more sensible 100w, that should only need to run at 50% - even in the coldest weather.

Also the power needed is not directly proportional to the size of the tank, more with the surface area of the glass/water. A large tank has less surface area per litre of water. If you double the dimensions of the tank, you will have squared the surface area (2x2) you will need 4x the power to heat it, but you will have cubed the volume (2x2x2=8x the water).

So a 200l tank doesn't need twice the power that a 100l does.

Too many variables to calculate exactly :roll: but that gives you some idea. Anyway the tank will use less power than a plasma TV, and the program will be more intelligent.

Cheers

Ian

[Adrienne]

Remember heating costs also depend on where the tank is situated. If the room is warm the heater won't come on. Without my tank heater being turned on my inside tanks stay at about 21 degrees celcius, the lights being on also heat the water to a certain degree. Heaters in our house are set to turn off when the room is about 18 degress.

I have a tank the size you are getting and its really good.

[heyandrea_]

Thanks everyone! Lol my partner is rolling his eyes as I tell him this information! :roll: And then he's saying "where are you going to put it?".. good point! I'll make room! Will have to find a stand as well, dont want to spend too much money on that if I can help it! Anyone got any ideas to find good quality reasonable priced stands? Otherwise I could probably get one made, my dad is a bit of a handy man!