Reef Diapers - Why the Waste?

[KStatefan]

That's because electricity is dirt cheap in the US.
Last winter, our electricity rate was €0.81 ($0.85) per kWh. It's currently at 0.74.

We use 8100 kWh per year. Including heating/cooling and EV charging.
Add energy taxes and we would pay €8000 a year for energy.

The solar + battery install that covers that usage (and an additional 2000 kWh) was €21500.
So a little over 2.5 years to pay for itself. And energy prices and energy tax are always increasing.

That does not seem like very much electricity especially with car charging. I use twice that and have no EV charging. Been looking at solar but really does not have a real payback here.

 

[KStatefan]

ProfiDrum USA

ProfiDrum USA: Create a better aquatic environment with a dependable filter that’s made for you.

www.profidrumusa.com

A company needs to make these but smaller and reef-safe. Honestly, the best solution - IMO. Only wastes water.

I took never believed in the rollers; always seemed like a waste and inefficient. Socks seem like the best option for now.

I have never seen one but Seavisions has something similar

 

[ErikVR]

That does not seem like very much electricity especially with car charging. I use twice that and have no EV charging. Been looking at solar but really does not have a real payback here.

Don't underestimate the difference between US and EU housing in terms of efficiency.
The US usage numbers per household scare me... I'm asking myself how the **** can you use that much?!?

8100 kWh is a huge number here. It almost puts us in the industrial usage tax scale. We have a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling. About 2500 kWh goes into the car. The rest into the house (2700 square feet).

Power companies don't even offer residential power over 10000 per household. Those numbers just don't exist here.

 

[bakbay]

Electricity is at $0.31/kWH on average for me and I just paid $800 last month on electricity alone! Going with solar will set me back $88k w/o rebates, but I have to do a re-roof. So…it turned into a 10yr ROI and it sucks! Separately, gas is near $7/gallon where I live and my gas guzzler only takes 91 octane. Real inflation is real. Everything is just more “expensive” now!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

ProfiDrum USA

ProfiDrum USA: Create a better aquatic environment with a dependable filter that’s made for you.

www.profidrumusa.com

A company needs to make these but smaller and reef-safe. Honestly, the best solution - IMO. Only wastes water.

I took never believed in the rollers; always seemed like a waste and inefficient. Socks seem like the best option for now.

I've been thinking on this idea for a while, I haven't moved over to making one because the biggest hold up in my mind is how to smartly discard waste without effecting the stability of the tanks salinity. I mean I have ideas but they're overly complicated.

 

[chthao]

filter cups filter floss. EZ

 

[bakbay]

filter cups filter floss. EZ

Yes — that’s what I have. Buy the 25 POUNDS bag, stuff used for pillows and will last for years! Just make sure it doesn’t have fire retardant stuff.

 

[exnisstech]

@Raul-7 Just curious why are you targeting reef diaper users and not people that use fleece rollers? I would be very surprised if a roller did not generate more waste than 2 diapers a week which is what I go through.
This post reminds me of the people driving EVs and thinking they are saving the planet and have no idea of the carbon footprint made by manufacturing those vehicles.

 

[bakbay]

Don't underestimate the difference between US and EU housing in terms of efficiency.
The US usage numbers per household scare me... I'm asking myself how the **** can you use that much?!?

8100 kWh is a huge number here. It almost puts us in the industrial usage tax scale. We have a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling. About 2500 kWh goes into the car. The rest into the house (2700 square feet).

Power companies don't even offer residential power over 10000 per household. Those numbers just don't exist here.

I just looked at my bill — I think that my usage is almost 3x yours on an annual basis. I need to find out what is consuming power! Yes, having 4 reef tanks doesn’t help but I suspect we got other power hungry appliances out there. Having said all that, my YoY consumption has been flat. Our utility company jacked up the price in the last 2-3 years!!

 

[Jmp998]

Also conventional filter floss was a lot more waste (volume) for me than the diapers. Again not sure which is overall ‘least bad’ for the environment, but the diapers are certainly not more waste than floss or rollers, and I find them easier to use than floss which is worth it to me for $1-2/week.

 

[buruskeee]

'Good' to read we're not the only ones getting screwed with these rates
A few years ago I heard from my old crypto mining buddies that they were paying 5 cents per kWh near Columbus.

Depends what area. In the middle of nowhere (country lands), electricity is dirt cheap because the population density is next to nothing. The denser the population the higher the cost. CA as a whole, NYC, Miami and Orlando, etc all have much higher electric rates than Montana, Nebraska, etc.

For those complaining on a 10 year return - that’s 10% IRR guaranteed on something that is being spent anyways and improves as rates increase (they will never reduce). Tell me what stock will guarantee me that and I’ll put my whole life savings there.

Or pay the electric company forever at their cost, and every year waiting the cost increases to get the project done, along with more sunken costs that went to the electric company (yesterday was always cheaper).

5 cent power areas is hard to justify. I agree.

 

[buruskeee]

Wait… I feel so dumb . This whole time I thought reef diaper was slang for filter rollers and a play on the RedSea naming convention … yeah reef diapers are a pass for me dog

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

Wait… I feel so dumb . This whole time I thought reef diaper was slang for filter rollers and a play on the RedSea naming convention … yeah reef diapers are a pass for me dog

Huh. So did I

 

[buruskeee]

Huh. So did I

Home - Reef Diaper

Never wash another nasty filter sock again! Filter socks are arguably the worst part of aquarium maintenance and are the equivalent

reefdiaper.com

Guess it’s a newer sponsor of R2R lol.

 

[exnisstech]

Home - Reef Diaper

Never wash another nasty filter sock again! Filter socks are arguably the worst part of aquarium maintenance and are the equivalent

reefdiaper.com

Guess it’s a newer sponsor of R2R lol.

Not sure they are new. I've been using them for a year and a half and learned about them here.
EDIT: forgot to mention I love them. So convient, no washing socks and no fleece roller to fail.

 

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I appreciate the sentiment, but reefing in general is pretty wasteful. For example, I waste 90 gallons of water just to make 30 gallons of rodi water.
Of course improvements could be made, but reefing is a hobby of luxury. And luxury is usually wasteful by nature. IMO, the only way to not have the extra waste, is to not have any tanks.

 

[Jamie814]

Last winter, our electricity rate was €0.81 ($0.85) per kWh. It's currently at 0.74.

That's crazy our current rate here is $0.12 per kwh in the Midwest U.S.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

That's crazy our current rate here is $0.12 per kwh in the Midwest U.S.

We see 1/2 of that rate here in CA. Its insane in comparison.

 

[flashsmith]

Well, filter socks certainly don't last forever and eventually the plastic ring ends up in a landfill. Literally everything we use in our daily lives leaves a footprint. I use reef diapers and will continue to use them. Do you have fish and corals in your tank? Think of all the fuel used to go catch that fish or get that coral. Then fly it halfway around the world to get to a wholesaler. Then again put on another plane to be transported to a store or put into a truck to be driven to your house. I could go on all day but this topic is completely ridiculous.

 

[KrisReef]

I really need to change my socks, but I’m getting old and I don’t want to start buying diapers again. Three kids and now I’m through with them.
I still struggle thinking about the marketing decisions to name a product Reef Diaper. I always wonder if they have a cream to prevent diaper rash?
Are they like poly filters and they turn brown when you are done?