I redid my filter and lights to save energy costs lol

[ganoderma]

so i really wanted better lights in my tank cause i like plants...so i convinced my wife that i am doing it to save on electricity. so i wired up some CFLS for my 70 gallon and added a filter (cause our old one was "too small"). long story short there is now 2000 liters an hour (maybe 20 tetra sized fish and a pleco) and i ended up with 4 extra cfls and leaving the old lighting in.

before total watts used were only 60/hour.

now we are at 450....but you cant return open electrical devices so its gotta stay :thumb:


i do have a question though. is there some kinda table or something that shows light penetration through water???

[cocoa_pleco]

sounds awesome!

got any pics?

[Lady Hobbs]

My electric bill went from $25 to $75-83 and I have a tiny apartment. I don't get it. I don't have huge tanks, big powerful lights and massive filter systems.

[cocoa_pleco]

lol, my power bill is huge

if you live here, in over half of the apartments you dont pay for water or power, its unlimited, you just pay a small fee every month

[jbeining75]

My electric bill with two tanks is about $45. Wait till I get the 100 though.... I'm sure that will jack it up.....

[cocoa_pleco]

for some reason my electric bill is almost a grand a month

[ganoderma]

wow lolo, you sure your jsut growing aquatic plants? lol.

i got pics but my cord is mia, i will load them onto my other computer and post some. it is far brighter now.....but i honestly was trying to save on power....it just kind of went a little Tim Taylor style (no gas though).

[ganoderma]

so my plan changed a bit (wife saw what i was doing more closely).

i had planned 9 cfl's and 4 24" tubes. it is now only 4 cfl's and 2 24" tubes which give me about 15000 lumens at about 150 watts...guess thats -ok- :( it was 350 watts before she had her way. oh well, we converted the rest of our house to fluorescent anyway.

so now i have 4 cfls that are 32 watts at 70L/W 2 are 2700k 2 are 6500K....should i use all higher K for plants? should i get even higher? i have some pretty wicked grow bulbs. 128 Wat 8960 L. the 2 tubes are 90L/W 1 is 2700k the other is 6300K 40 watts at 3600 L.

i am worried about light penetration with fluoro lights though....there is 60 cm of water....and i was hoping to get some nicer plants not the low light ratty ones you can see in the pics. as much as i like java ferns....enough is enough.

the pumps are 317 gph on one side and about 500 gph on the other (behind the rocks cause its bigger and ugly). so if i am right that is 3000 liters per hour? there is not much silt in there anymore.

tank size is 4'x2'x2' almost exactly. i got an orchid growing on top of the filter box now too thumbs2:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/ganoderma/IMG_8002.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f270/ganoderma/IMG_7997.jpg

[smaug]

for some reason my electric bill is almost a grand a month
you might want to get that checked out dude,the machine shop I work for doesnt have elec bills that high.you have a problem.

[cocoa_pleco]

i think someone has a extension cord going form the house and is growing weed with a 3000w light or something!

anyways, awesome tank!

[ganoderma]

ya, "someone" :ezpi_wink1: HAHA.

thanks :)

[cocoa_pleco]

nice! a 120g!

[ganoderma]

120 gallon???? is that what mine is....i was under the impression a 90 gallon was pretty damn huge like 6 feet+, no? i thought 4x2x2 is 70 gallons? US gallons that is.

[ganoderma]

ok well it would seem much of the math i learned in school is seeping out the holes in my head rather quickly.....4x2x2 is 16 cubic feet eh LOL. ok so 120 gal it is....

me shud go der an get me somes more fishes. :1: