Energy efficient options?

[SaltyB24]

My husband and I try to be conscious of the environment and our footprint as much as possible. With that being said we are planning to upgrade our current 70 gallon DT to a 150 DT next year. What are products y'all have used that lessen the electricity consumption without compromising on efficiency? I love my tanks but struggle with this part of keeping them

 

[vetteguy53081]

My husband and I try to be conscious of the environment and our footprint as much as possible. With that being said we are planning to upgrade our current 70 gallon DT to a 150 DT next year. What are products y'all have used that lessen the electricity consumption without compromising on efficiency? I love my tanks but struggle with this part of keeping them

In this hobby, sustainablilty overrides costs but I understand your view and best is to get titanium heater, larger skimmer and LED lights which tend to produce results in an efficient manner

 

[gbru316]

LED lighting and DC pumps are going to be your go-to solutions for energy efficiency.

 

[AlexG]

This is more of a DIY option but my DIY protein skimmer is gravity fed using the drain lines from one of the display tanks in my system. Since I have such a large skimmer that already has two recirculation needle wheel pumps I eliminated the need for a third separate feed pump by using the gravity feed. DC pumps or high efficiency pumps are also the way to go to save some energy.

 

[Mark Novack]

Solar on the roof top covers 2/3rds of a high usage household. It is not really an earth friendly hobby. The nice thing is that energy efficiency and personal economy go together.

 

[Sasquatchv]

Solar on the roof top covers 2/3rds of a high usage household. It is not really an earth friendly hobby. The nice thing is that energy efficiency and personal economy go together.

Only with battery storage, otherwise you just export 3/4 of your generation. And High use houshold in Belgium in ultra low usage in US, from what I gathered 15 000kwh/year is average in Houston, Texas.

My husband and I try to be conscious of the environment and our footprint as much as possible. With that being said we are planning to upgrade our current 70 gallon DT to a 150 DT next year. What are products y'all have used that lessen the electricity consumption without compromising on efficiency? I love my tanks but struggle with this part of keeping them

Rooftop solar wtih storage(12-16K in UK or 4-5k DIY), DIY option pays back in 3 years here and will cover most of our electricity needs, wind turbine might be nice for the rainier months.
On a cheaper side:
Cover it with glass for the heating season, set it on 20mm of foam insulation and add 20mm insulation to back glass if it faces the wall. Heating requirements should drop significantly.

Don't use heaters, use chiller/heater heat pump it uses 4-5x less electricity for the same heat output.

In the summer set your aircon to just few degrees below tank temperature, you'll save on both AC and heating for the tank.

Try to keep the sump as high as possible, preferably almost same level as DT, on the other side of the wall. then you can downsize your return pump without compromising on the flow. Deffo avoid basement sump, it may be convinient for water changes and quieter but it is wasting most of pump power to fight the gravity.
(trigger alert) or just go with canister filters .

 

[Rmckoy]

This is more of a DIY option but my DIY protein skimmer is gravity fed using the drain lines from one of the display tanks in my system. Since I have such a large skimmer that already has two recirculation needle wheel pumps I eliminated the need for a third separate feed pump by using the gravity feed. DC pumps or high efficiency pumps are also the way to go to save some energy.

I would love to see this skimmer ….
I have a external Mrc skimmer with a dc pump supplying the skimmer , no recirculating pumps as the water is pumped through a “Beckett ) Venturi style injector
I don’t know if I would get enough pressure with a gravity fed line but it would be interesting to try .

 

[Malcontent]

Don't use heaters, use chiller/heater heat pump it uses 4-5x less electricity for the same heat output.

Do chillers have the ability to heat the water?

 

[ninjamyst]

When choosing LEDs, check the wattage on them. Ask if your tank really need two 215w Radion or can two 100w light be sufficient?

 

[AlexG]

I would love to see this skimmer ….
I have a external Mrc skimmer with a dc pump supplying the skimmer , no recirculating pumps as the water is pumped through a “Beckett ) Venturi style injector
I don’t know if I would get enough pressure with a gravity fed line but it would be interesting to try .

Here is video I did a while back when I had to do some repairs on this skimmer. It's still running great.

 

[Sasquatchv]

Do chillers have the ability to heat the water?

Some do:

TECO Aquarium Cooler TK 500 H

www.aquaristikshop.com

 

[Rmckoy]

Here is video I did a while back when I had to do some repairs on this skimmer. It's still running great.

That’s a beast of a skimmer . My total system volume is just shy of 300 gal .

 

[o2manyfish]

One way to be efficient is to spend your energy moving water wisely. If you have a 150g display tank - there is no need to pump 1500-2000gph thru it.

Look at what is going to be in your sump - A skimmer, a refugium, maybe a reactor or 2 - But what's the max GPH of any of these devices? A skimmer for a 150g DT is probably only pumping thru 300-400gph. So then what the most amount of water that needs to go through your sump - Double that.

You can use a much smaller pump to return water to the tank.

And then use highly efficient powerheads, gyre, pucks, etc in the tank to get the turnover rate that the type of livestock you want to keep requires.

Dave B

 

[Rmckoy]

One way to be efficient is to spend your energy moving water wisely. If you have a 150g display tank - there is no need to pump 1500-2000gph thru it.

Look at what is going to be in your sump - A skimmer, a refugium, maybe a reactor or 2 - But what's the max GPH of any of these devices? A skimmer for a 150g DT is probably only pumping thru 300-400gph. So then what the most amount of water that needs to go through your sump - Double that.

You can use a much smaller pump to return water to the tank.

And then use highly efficient powerheads, gyre, pucks, etc in the tank to get the turnover rate that the type of livestock you want to keep requires.

Dave B

Kinda makes me think ….
years ago there was a number closer to 30x or 50x turnover

so example . My 230 gal I have a 15000L dc pump running at around 80%
Even 100% that’ converts to just under 4000 gal
Divided by the tank volume it’s only 16x turn over per hour .
add in the skimmer which is a external skimmer rated for 300 gal running 9000L dc pump .
I don’t think I’m too far above mine requirements .

 

[Sasquatchv]

Kinda makes me think ….
years ago there was a number closer to 30x or 50x turnover

so example . My 230 gal I have a 15000L dc pump running at around 80%
Even 100% that’ converts to just under 4000 gal
Divided by the tank volume it’s only 16x turn over per hour .
add in the skimmer which is a external skimmer rated for 300 gal running 9000L dc pump .
I don’t think I’m too far above mine requirements .

Isn't 30-50x turnower meant for wavemakers combined flow for SPS?
5-10x turnover for fitration system....and that number was around for at least 20 years.

 

[Rmckoy]

Isn't 30-50x turnower meant for wavemakers combined flow for SPS?
5-10x turnover for fitration system....

Again … I have not seen anything in 20+
years referring to turnover .
but I do remember a lfs preaching 30x turnover for filtration

 

[Nemo&Friends]

Solar on the roof top covers 2/3rds of a high usage household. It is not really an earth friendly hobby. The nice thing is that energy efficiency and personal economy go together.

+1.
We have solar panel on our roof in NC. It covers 2/3 of our yearly energy usage. this is our 3rd year with solar, and the cost of the installations will be paid back in 4 more years.
I strongly encourage anyone with a roof, facing south or east, and not shaded by trees or other building to install them.
Just make sure you contact a reputable company, and check with your power company.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Well I don't think it can really get any more efficient. Maybe small optimizations here and there. You need to keep the tank warm, blast it with bright light, and move a lot of water. You cant really do that and not have a huge carbon footprint. It's sort of like trying to take seats out of your car to save gas.

 

[jabberwock]

uhm, you, as an individual, or family, cannot do anything to offset the energy impacts of any third world or developing nation. In fact, don't even bother jumping through through the hoops of "recycling". It just does not make any difference on a global scale.

 

[damsels are not mean]

I suppose if you really wanted to minimize your footprint you'd use natural sunlight for light and heating and then use solar panels to power your pumps.