I redid my filter and lights to save energy costs lol

**ganoderma** · 02-12-2008, 11:54 AM

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

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

**cocoa_pleco** · 02-12-2008, 02:16 PM

sounds awesome!

got any pics?

**Lady Hobbs** · 02-12-2008, 02:50 PM

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** · 02-13-2008, 01:21 AM

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** · 02-13-2008, 02:39 AM

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** · 02-13-2008, 02:40 AM

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

**ganoderma** · 02-13-2008, 07:26 AM

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** · 02-13-2008, 11:10 AM

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