[AtlantisVermont]

Can anyone tell me how much their power bill went up when they set their tank up? I've done a lot of reading on it and it sounds like my bill's going to go through the roof.

[jtravapd]

i actually bought a killowatt power reader to check amps and volts. ect....i was totally surprised to see that my tank was running at top 5-6 amps...and using around 650watts..

im running a 180 gallon tank , with two 200 watt heaters, (not on all the time not sure if they were on during the testing) 5 900 series aqua jet powerheads...2 magdrive 1200 pumps, and a coral life 72inch powercompact lighting strip...it has 4 96 watt bulbs ,and 6 leds which use almost no electricity.....my power bill barely changed at all...i mean it flucuates month to month anyway...but i didn't notice any SPIKE or anything...i think i paid 86 bucks last month...i pay more in the damn servis charge then anything...lol...i live in the nyc area....oh yeah, im a single in his 20's man so i dont cook so my gas adds nothing to my pseg bill..lol...if you are using metal halides im guessing your gonna pump up your bill alot...my friend has 3 metal halides going on his 125 gallon tank, and i think he said his bill went up like 50 bucks a month...im not sure what his tank specs are though...whats your setup , it might help us out..also that killowat reader i have costs 20 bucks on amazon.com....i use it all over the house....i was really surprised about my tank , i thought it would be using over 1000watts...but its not even close...

[barbra]

Something is wrong with your math.....
2 MAG 12's: 220 watts total
5 powerheads: 42.5 Watts total
Lighting: 384 watts
You're at 650watts without turning on a heater or plugging in a skimmer.

Most people will notice a larger spike in their bill than has been presented here.

[AtlantisVermont]

So the bottom line is that my bill will go up and chances are it's going to be significantly higher than the previous bills have been. I expected it would go up but I guess I didn't think it would be THAT MUCH more.
I'm running a 75 gallon tank at 80 degrees ( no idea what I have for a heater) with a T5 light and a Rena FilStar xP3 filter that filters 350 gph. I have two power heads Tunze Turbell Nanostream 6045. That's it, I think.

[jtravapd]

Originally Posted by barbra

Something is wrong with your math.....
2 MAG 12's: 220 watts total
5 powerheads: 42.5 Watts total
Lighting: 384 watts
You're at 650watts without turning on a heater or plugging in a skimmer.

Most people will notice a larger spike in their bill than has been presented here.

i know what the companies rate their products at, but im just telling you what the readings i were getting were...the skimmer is on...one of the pumps is running the skimmer...the heater..however was not on when testing....my point being , was i was expecting it to be way over 1000 watts..usage..i even installed a separate line just for the fish tank to run on , which as it turns i didn't need to do...i guess in the long run its better to have it on its own line, incase i go to metal halides or something..

p.s. while fishtanks are my hobby.,..so is drinking..so it is very possible my math is off..hahah....but its in the ballpark......hahhaha...

[barbra]

Originally Posted by jtravapd

.i even installed a separate line just for the fish tank to run on , which as it turns i didn't need to do...i guess in the long run its better to have it on its own line, incase i go to metal halides or something..

p.s. while fishtanks are my hobby.,..so is drinking..so it is very possible my math is off..hahah....but its in the ballpark......hahhaha...

LOL - The first time I wired up 8 lights on a hood I put in a seperate heavy duty cord for each and every one just to feel sure. Then I did it a couple more times and reealized what overkill, I could use half as many cords, timers, etc. and be just as safe.