SRC Member mousecat11 Posted August 20, 2008 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 20, 2008 That is one question that is hard to quantify. Overkill chiller consumes more power, hence running might be short but higher consumption might offset the saving. Neverthelss, i will go for slightly overkill chiller as the amout spent and feeling i got from the livestocks will want me to ensure the chiller is able to support my tank and overstocking. Always got 2 aspects to an issue, the saving from utility bill derived from buying a branded and reputable energy saving chiller vs the saving from buying lower end chiller. It also depends on the years that you are in this hobby and durablility of the chiller in enjoying the saving. For me, i choose the first, buying slightly overkill and energy saving chiller. Buying a slightly overkill chiller is always a good choice.. as it will take lesser time for the chiller to cool the water.... this will also save u on the money when you decided to upgrade your tank next time.. Any idea how much a LED aquarium lighting cost ? Quote My 2ft Tank Tank specification ; 1) 8 mm glass with external overflow tank 2) 8 mm sump tank 3) Main return pump - AB 3000 ( 45 W ) 4) Chiller main return pump - AB 2000i ( 18 W ) 5) Chiller - Artica titanium chiller 1/10 HP ( 75 W) 6) Wave maker - tunze 6206 nano wavebox ( 10 W only ! ) 7) Skimmer - H & S skimmer with AB needle wheel ( 18 W ) 8) CR - RM Calcium reactor with AB 1000 ( 10W ) 9) Denitirator - RM suplur Dnitirator with maxi jet pump ( 12 W ) 10 ) Lighting - Lumen Auqa LED lighting ( 48 W only ! ) 11) Hailei ozone generator ( 7 W ) 12) Oceanus 2 x 2ft LED lighting ( 14 W) for chaeto planting 13) Tunze 6025 ( 6 W) 14) Skimz FR with rowa TOTAL ; 263 W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solo77 Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Bro, branded LED lights are rather expensive. Heard from some reefers that the LEDs can last but the so called transformer/adaptor is not able to last. Hence, not worth getting. Notwithstanding the fact that initial cash outlay may not justify for the saving in long term. U can try Solaris, hehehe...can get quote from Reef Depot...hehe. Buying a slightly overkill chiller is always a good choice.. as it will take lesser time for the chiller to cool the water.... this will also save u on the money when you decided to upgrade your tank next time.. Any idea how much a LED aquarium lighting cost ? Quote Tank : 4 X 2 X 2 with low iron front panel and external overflow Skimmer : BK SM200 with waste collector Return Pumps : Red Dragon 6m3 and Ehiem 1262 FR : 2 X Deltec 509 & powered by AB2000 Nitrate Filter : Deltec NF 509 and tee off from AB2000 Calcium R'tor : Deltec PF 501 with RM secondary chamber Kalkwasser R'tor : Deltec KM500 Chiller : Pansonic 1 HP Compressor with 20m titanium Coil Wave Makers : 4 X Tunze 6055 with 7096 & Vortec MP40w Controller : GHL Profilux Lighting : ATI Powermodule 10 or 8 tubes Water Top-up : Water Top-Up tank powered by Tunze Osmolator External Monitor : American Pinpoint pH and Temp. Monitor for main tank and GHL Profilux Controller to measure temp, pH, Redox Ozonizer : Sander C50 UV : Corallife 6x Algae Scrubbler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member mousecat11 Posted August 21, 2008 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 21, 2008 yes.. i hear about Solaris.. price is scary.. Maybe another cheaper alternative for chiller is using of fan then... ? Quote My 2ft Tank Tank specification ; 1) 8 mm glass with external overflow tank 2) 8 mm sump tank 3) Main return pump - AB 3000 ( 45 W ) 4) Chiller main return pump - AB 2000i ( 18 W ) 5) Chiller - Artica titanium chiller 1/10 HP ( 75 W) 6) Wave maker - tunze 6206 nano wavebox ( 10 W only ! ) 7) Skimmer - H & S skimmer with AB needle wheel ( 18 W ) 8) CR - RM Calcium reactor with AB 1000 ( 10W ) 9) Denitirator - RM suplur Dnitirator with maxi jet pump ( 12 W ) 10 ) Lighting - Lumen Auqa LED lighting ( 48 W only ! ) 11) Hailei ozone generator ( 7 W ) 12) Oceanus 2 x 2ft LED lighting ( 14 W) for chaeto planting 13) Tunze 6025 ( 6 W) 14) Skimz FR with rowa TOTAL ; 263 W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member arcanehacker Posted August 22, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 22, 2008 yes.. i hear about Solaris.. price is scary.. Maybe another cheaper alternative for chiller is using of fan then... ? Then you will see yourself topping up water almost everyday. Fan only covers surface..problem if you have a deeper tank. Quote Why do we use "My 2 cents worth" when 1 cents are not legal tender in Singapore anymore? Shouldn't it be 5 cents worth? "Its easier to blame the 'mantis' or crabs in the tank for missing & dead livestocks.." http://arcanehacker.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member tunicate Posted August 22, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 22, 2008 I've also been thinking about how I can make my next tank a low carbon footprint one. So far, below is what I've come up with: 4 x 1.5 x 1.5 custom IOS design without sump (1) The relatively shallow depth should allow for T5 FL without the use of MH. (2) Smaller return pump as less head pressure is required. (3) No chiller as it's gonna be a FOWLR (4) Basically only 2 pumps running. (1 for return & the other for skimmer) Would welcome any comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member mousecat11 Posted August 24, 2008 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 24, 2008 Wow.. from the look of this setup.. you are already saving quite a few bit... only important to get a reliable and lesser engergy consuming return pump.. since i believe this will be the power head which will have the highest flow rate in the setup.. Are you using any FR ? maybe you can have a two way piping from your return flow from sump to main with one side going to the FR and back to the sump.. i have that and so doesnt need any extra pump for FR.. Quote My 2ft Tank Tank specification ; 1) 8 mm glass with external overflow tank 2) 8 mm sump tank 3) Main return pump - AB 3000 ( 45 W ) 4) Chiller main return pump - AB 2000i ( 18 W ) 5) Chiller - Artica titanium chiller 1/10 HP ( 75 W) 6) Wave maker - tunze 6206 nano wavebox ( 10 W only ! ) 7) Skimmer - H & S skimmer with AB needle wheel ( 18 W ) 8) CR - RM Calcium reactor with AB 1000 ( 10W ) 9) Denitirator - RM suplur Dnitirator with maxi jet pump ( 12 W ) 10 ) Lighting - Lumen Auqa LED lighting ( 48 W only ! ) 11) Hailei ozone generator ( 7 W ) 12) Oceanus 2 x 2ft LED lighting ( 14 W) for chaeto planting 13) Tunze 6025 ( 6 W) 14) Skimz FR with rowa TOTAL ; 263 W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member tunicate Posted August 24, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 24, 2008 Wow.. from the look of this setup.. you are already saving quite a few bit... only important to get a reliable and lesser engergy consuming return pump.. since i believe this will be the power head which will have the highest flow rate in the setup.. Are you using any FR ? maybe you can have a two way piping from your return flow from sump to main with one side going to the FR and back to the sump.. i have that and so doesnt need any extra pump for FR.. Thanks for the tips Larry. Have never use FR before. Does FOWLR need FR? Only have a bag of carbon & Seachem's PhosGuard hanging in my overflow compartment now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member Underwater Posted August 24, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 24, 2008 Thanks for the tips Larry. Have never use FR before. Does FOWLR need FR? Only have a bag of carbon & Seachem's PhosGuard hanging in my overflow compartment now. That should be fine IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member tunicate Posted August 25, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 That should be fine IMO. Thanks for the reply Underwater bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member mousecat11 Posted August 25, 2008 Author SRC Member Share Posted August 25, 2008 i have tried Seachem's PhosGuard before.. but it is not as effective... the best way , cheapest and environmental friendly way is to use Mangroove or Chaeto to absorb your P04 and no3.. if not, very soon you will see brown algera growing all over your tank..!! you cannot imagine how much shit your fish can produce in one day.. Quote My 2ft Tank Tank specification ; 1) 8 mm glass with external overflow tank 2) 8 mm sump tank 3) Main return pump - AB 3000 ( 45 W ) 4) Chiller main return pump - AB 2000i ( 18 W ) 5) Chiller - Artica titanium chiller 1/10 HP ( 75 W) 6) Wave maker - tunze 6206 nano wavebox ( 10 W only ! ) 7) Skimmer - H & S skimmer with AB needle wheel ( 18 W ) 8) CR - RM Calcium reactor with AB 1000 ( 10W ) 9) Denitirator - RM suplur Dnitirator with maxi jet pump ( 12 W ) 10 ) Lighting - Lumen Auqa LED lighting ( 48 W only ! ) 11) Hailei ozone generator ( 7 W ) 12) Oceanus 2 x 2ft LED lighting ( 14 W) for chaeto planting 13) Tunze 6025 ( 6 W) 14) Skimz FR with rowa TOTAL ; 263 W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member tunicate Posted August 26, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted August 26, 2008 ...you cannot imagine how much shit your fish can produce in one day.. I agree with you on the detritus produced in the tank. Especially on a BB like what I have now Stirring up the bottom with an extra wavemaker/pump to encourage detritus extraction to overflow filter is not easy. As a result, I'm contemplating to include an underflow design in my new tank. Has anyone tried this before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanus Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Just to add that MH is much hotter and takes up more watts, so a chiller is almost a must to go with it or the tank could be "cooked". Whereas for T5, you can still do without chiller, and using fan instead...and less tubes such as just 1 blue 1 white too, esp for FOWLR. Since Aquarium lighting make up of about 50% of the total energy usage of your tank.. getting a good sets of enery saving lighting thus is very important in the long run... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member Reefaholic Posted September 29, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 29, 2008 WaY TO save electricity bill is to stop reefing.. now.. the electricity just went up again. luckily i already stop long time ago, if not my monthly bill will be $1k in a hdb flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thairun Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Oh no! IMHO I think u cannot save so much in Reefing Quote Mix reef-Main tank 3x2.5x2.5ftA TI 3ft 8tube Hitachi compressor unit 1HP 1 x AP- 702 Deltec 1 x Coral Lab CR with Ph controller; 1X AquaMedic Kalk Reactor top off Baby fish dosing kh/Sr&Kcl/mg DI water thru kalkwasser 1 x Skimz Fr with BRS gfo 2 x Rio 32hF main pump 1 x Pinpt Orp monitor 1 X Pinpt Ph monitor Aquamedic wave maker Sump 3x1.5ft plumbed together with; 1.5ft cube live rock Frag tank 5x1x1ft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gny Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 With electricity cost per kilowatt going up ~21% and public transport cost going up starting 1 Oct 08, there are reefers who downgrade to smaller tank size or even stop their belove hobby for now. On LED lightings, this has being discuss on-and-off. But current Solxxx & Lumixxx LED lightings initial cost is very high. Looking at Ocean-light.com web site, with its lower cost compared to above two brands. Will Oceanuslight give some insight into your LED products??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member kelstorm Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 Ya, that also happened to a reefer whom i once bought his equipmt after he decomm. He said that after a chiller failure, all his precious corals perished within a day being 'cooked' by the MH. Advice wld be important to carry out regular chiller maintenance/checks to lower the risk. u can get a temp sensor unit to avoid such mishap.. once u program the temp to cut off at say, 29 degrees, should ur chiller fails, this unit will then cut off all the lights.. small amt to pay for such high investment inside the tank. i happen to be selling a unit after i decom.. hahaha Quote Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member kelstorm Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 Then you will see yourself topping up water almost everyday. Fan only covers surface..problem if you have a deeper tank. agreed.. an issue of penny wise, pound foolish Quote Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member kelstorm Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 Thanks for the tips Larry. Have never use FR before. Does FOWLR need FR? Only have a bag of carbon & Seachem's PhosGuard hanging in my overflow compartment now. understand the use of FR.... Using FR to agitate the carbon, which is a much better way than letting a bag of carbon hanging on the overflow. Carbon helps to clear water clarity and remove toxic elements but some brands do leech back. As for Eheim Phosguard, u can save it.. IMO, it is a real waste of money. Go for stuff like Rowa, which had been proven to work very well. Yes, expensive but it works. U can also use kalkwasser to control phos..perhaps control is not the right word to use.... go a search BTW, care to share y u using phos removal media when u are keeping FOWLR? Quote Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member kelstorm Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 i have tried Seachem's PhosGuard before.. but it is not as effective... the best way , cheapest and environmental friendly way is to use Mangroove or Chaeto to absorb your P04 and no3.. if not, very soon you will see brown algera growing all over your tank..!! you cannot imagine how much shit your fish can produce in one day.. chaeto is very effective but u need to provide it with lights and tat means increasing ur electrical consumption by a bit... using good skimmer helps too Quote Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member dfstan Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 guess this has made me to decide my lightings setup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member kelstorm Posted September 30, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted September 30, 2008 guess this has made me to decide my lightings setup! using torch lights? hahaha Quote Let us work together to preserve the world for our children to inherit by being responsible to our surroundings. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, bubbles and memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member MAG Posted October 7, 2008 SRC Member Share Posted October 7, 2008 Ya, that also happened to a reefer whom i once bought his equipmt after he decomm. He said that after a chiller failure, all his precious corals perished within a day being 'cooked' by the MH. Advice wld be important to carry out regular chiller maintenance/checks to lower the risk. Good Day, May i know how to do regular chiller maintenance?Do you get ppl to service it or you open up and clean? Currently im using artica 1/3 and the most ill wash the front cover. Also pls share how to do regular checks-what to check? Thx alot for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanus Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Good Day, May i know how to do regular chiller maintenance?Do you get ppl to service it or you open up and clean? Currently im using artica 1/3 and the most ill wash the front cover. Also pls share how to do regular checks-what to check? Thx alot for sharing. the basic maintain you can do is to use a vacumm cleaner to suck allt he dust on the cooling coil... other than that, you should engage professional to do a maintance it for you.. which should be every six month i think.. another way to check is also to see if the chiller take much longer time to kick in or not ? hope it helps.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRC Member mousecat11 Posted October 8, 2008 Author SRC Member Share Posted October 8, 2008 the electricity bill in sg has started to go up by 22% starting from 1st of OCT !!! which is the highest in last ten years.. Omg... i think i also really need to look into energy effective equipment for reefing from now .. Quote My 2ft Tank Tank specification ; 1) 8 mm glass with external overflow tank 2) 8 mm sump tank 3) Main return pump - AB 3000 ( 45 W ) 4) Chiller main return pump - AB 2000i ( 18 W ) 5) Chiller - Artica titanium chiller 1/10 HP ( 75 W) 6) Wave maker - tunze 6206 nano wavebox ( 10 W only ! ) 7) Skimmer - H & S skimmer with AB needle wheel ( 18 W ) 8) CR - RM Calcium reactor with AB 1000 ( 10W ) 9) Denitirator - RM suplur Dnitirator with maxi jet pump ( 12 W ) 10 ) Lighting - Lumen Auqa LED lighting ( 48 W only ! ) 11) Hailei ozone generator ( 7 W ) 12) Oceanus 2 x 2ft LED lighting ( 14 W) for chaeto planting 13) Tunze 6025 ( 6 W) 14) Skimz FR with rowa TOTAL ; 263 W !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gny Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Thanks for yr reply Oceanus. Yes, I've read 'your' products in the other web-site. Also saw one demo unit at Iwarna last week. Not very 'bright' in my opinion. But with electricity $$ going up by 21% fr now, its an alternative lighting method that will cost less to run in the long run. Its reliability wise needs to be access also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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