# How much does it cost to run your tank?



## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

I want to know how much it costs to run a tank because my mom thinks it's "expensive" to keep the lights on for longer than 4 hours.
For example, a light uses 30watts? How much does it cost per hr? A 300 watt heater + 30watt light for 10hrs a day + HOB= how much a month? I will find out my kilowatts price, but I don't know how to solve the above. If you could post how much it costs u to run a tank, it would really be helpful. I don't want to sound like a brat, I'm really greatful for even being able to run a tank, just a heads up. 
KWH price is 15 cents in California, is it the same as KW price?


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

Watts X how many hours in a day the lights are on x 365 / 1000 = x how much you pay per KWH =

Example 24 watts x 12 = 288 x 365= 105120 / 1000 = 105KW x .11 cents per KWH = $11.56 per year

I think i worked out once that just to run my 75 gallon, it costs around $650 a year. You also have to consider that fish tanks will produce heat... which will then contribute to your AC coming on for longer too !

*EDIT*
$650 for my 75 gallon & 30 gallon


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## nikonD70s (Apr 6, 2008)

it cost about $25-$35 a month for my 135 gallon during the winter. the main usage are the heaters i have. its cheaper in the summer since i dont even plug in my heaters.


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## Grifter (Aug 23, 2011)

My 30g costs $10 mth less in summer , with 2 canisters and 2x24w bulbs running 8hr a day ( thats at 23c pKw )


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## Mark Fisher (Dec 29, 2011)

It's about $1/day for my 240 gallon.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

I didn't know it was that expensive. O.O
My mom says the monthly electricity bill is 300$.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

after much calculation and the assumption i'll refill my co2 tank monthly. my 75 gallon will cost me 
$15.96 for electricity
and $39.24 for electricity + co2 + tax

water might cost me 1 dollar


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## Couesfanatic (Sep 28, 2009)

Do what you can to bring the electricity bill down and then she might be more willing to let you have a tank. Turn the house lights off when you don't need them, open the blinds, use natural light. Don't use electricity when you don't have to. Unplug things you do not use. If she sees the bill going down, she will be more likely to let you run the tank.


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## dastowers (Feb 19, 2011)

Couesfanatic said:


> Do what you can to bring the electricity bill down and then she might be more willing to let you have a tank. Turn the house lights off when you don't need them, open the blinds, use natural light. Don't use electricity when you don't have to. Unplug things you do not use. If she sees the bill going down, she will be more likely to let you run the tank.



AS a Mom of two sons- I completely agree with ABOVE ^^^^^^^^^


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## IWANNAGOFAST (Jan 14, 2008)

You gotta remember too that the heaters don't run 24/7. They only turn on when they're needed (when the temp drops below the set temp)

Switch to more efficient equipment if you have the money, LED lights for one.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

why not use one of these to see exactly what you're using. then offer to pay for the power used

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001


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## spidangular (Nov 28, 2012)

scapegoat said:


> why not use one of these to see exactly what you're using. then offer to pay for the power used
> 
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001


I read in a form that some public libraries have 1 of those kilo watt meters that you can check out and plug into anything you need in order to determine electricity usage 

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


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## sayurasem (Jun 17, 2011)

300 for a month is pretty expensive. Mine is about $100-120. Never turn on central ac/ heater.


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## scapegoat (Jun 3, 2010)

sayurasem said:


> 300 for a month is pretty expensive. Mine is about $100-120. Never turn on central ac/ heater.


i agree. ours is around 120-150. we've seen 188 depending on the time of year. we also have oil heat, so that helps with the electrical.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

your tank should cos 12.97 per month..
this is assuming your 300 watt heater stays on 33% of the time which is 8 % higher than the standard accepted value of 25%
ur light assuming its efficiency is normal should use 33 watts
and your filter im assuming 27 watts at 24/h per day

heater - 8.56
light - 1.49
filter - 2.92


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## John K (Nov 12, 2011)

There are some variables here, like the temperature that you keep your tanks and the temperature that your house is kept at. A warm house and a cool tank will minimize your costs. Being in southern California, this might be the case for you.

I bought a Kill-A-Watt meter a couple of months ago and did some testing on my 50 gallon. I keep my tanks on the cool side, at around 75 degrees. Room temperature was normal winter temps for me - 67 degrees during the day and 65 at night. Electricity cost is .10 per kwh.

Heater: 2*100W = 36 kwh per month = $3.60 
Light: 2x32w T5 NO for 8 hours = 15.36 kwh per month = $1.54
Power Head: 8W = 5.76 kwh per month = $.62 

Total: 57.12 kwh = $5.71 per month at .10 per kwh

Interestingly, the heater ran for exactly 25% of the time, the figure mentioned by HD. And no, I didn't forget the filter, I don't use filters on my tanks just a powerhead for circulation.


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## A.D.D.i.c.t. (Dec 9, 2012)

$300 is a bit high per month, I'm sure your tank isn't the only thing affecting the bill that could be reduced. There are so many variables to that number. My 10 gallon has a HOB, 26 watts of CFL lighting w/ 10 hours per day, and no heater. I keep my heat in the home set on 75 and the temp in my tank is fine. You could use this as a reason to upgrade your equipment. "But MOM, it's more Efficient!!!" That's what I would do.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

The reason the electricity bill is so high is probably because my dad NEVER unplugs his laptop. It's been plugged for practically a year since the battery sucks on it. Lasts 10 minutes. If I were to unplug it like everyday then add a tank and keep the lights on longer, would there be a noticeable difference in the bill? The charger I think is 60-90watts, can't find the specific model on the internet, but most of them on the Brand say 90watts, and one 65.
Does anyone here know the range of watts an air pump uses to run an air pump?


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## John K (Nov 12, 2011)

I have a Tetra Whisper 10 here that says it uses 2.2 W.


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

Oh. The air pump I'm using uses 2.3W XD.


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## HD Blazingwolf (May 12, 2011)

AquaticStory said:


> Oh. The air pump I'm using uses 2.3W XD.


so the air pump costs $0.25 cents per month

the laptop at 90 watts costs $9.72
that's also assuming its draining the full 90 watts 24 hours per day.. its likely using around 10 watts at idle if the screen is on

so unplugging it will likely do no good

turning the heat down 2 degrees on the a/c unit will likely bring the same monetary gain as not having ur tank FYI
you can also open the window screens during the day to let more heat in, and at night close them to prevent drafts and heat loss. little things help


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## Kinection (Dec 1, 2012)

HD Blazingwolf said:


> so the air pump costs $0.25 cents per month
> 
> the laptop at 90 watts costs $9.72
> that's also assuming its draining the full 90 watts 24 hours per day.. its likely using around 10 watts at idle if the screen is on
> ...


Thanks for the help man. So I'll give my parents 1$ a month. Keep the change. xD They probably wouldn't take it. LOL


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

Yeah, I don't think the laptop is drawing a whole lot of power. even if the battery is completely dead, it will just be drawing about as much power as it needs. A lot of people using off-the-grid electricity favor laptops, both because they can charge when electricity is plentiful (daytime for solar) and use that energy when needed, and also because they tend to use a lot less power then most desktops.

But it's good to think about these things. A lot of our equipment/appliances draws power constantly, even when turned off, just to keep it in a ready-on state, or something similar. One of the things those Kill-A-Watt meters are good for, so that you can see how much energy your TV/dvd/stereo is using when it's supposedly turned off for the night. Some people will plug these things into a power strip, and just turn off the power strip when they don't plan on using things plugged into it for a while.

Good luck with it, hopefully the energy consumption concern is genuine, and not just a scapegoat.


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## Whiskey (Feb 15, 2005)

I bought a Kilo watt meter a few years ago and spent some time tracking energy consumers. I have allot of computers running in my home (I work in IT) and I also have fish tanks, plus I live in an apt in CA (Worst power prices ever). I tracked these devices over at least a week of average use, most of them a month, then did calculations to find out what they cost per month.

My 75G fish tank with 4x54 w T5 costs $15 per month.
A server (Like a dell poweredge) costs about $35 per month
A standard desktop computer running 24/7 (No sleep) costs about $20 per month (Not counting the monitor)
My Laser printer which is well used (~500 pages per month, I'm in school as well) costs $1.87 per month.
My laptop if left to run 24/7 with no sleep mode costs $0.57 per month.
My 25G tank with 2x55 w PC cost $7.50 per month before I replaced it with the 75.

Hope this helps!
Whiskey


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