Ska's 28 Macro Algae Display

[X-Treme]

Well in your billing summary you are figuring out power usage for your heater RUNNING 24/7. Just because it is plugged in 24/7 doesn't mean it RUNS 24/7. Due to lighting and ambient temps, I would say that your heater actually RUNS (is turned on) 6 hours per day at the ABSOLUTE MAX. Therefore it only draws power for that amount of time. So you would use 600 watts per day rather than your calculated 2400watts.

[skabooya]

very true X-treme but even with those calculations i would only be saving a couple of bucks so i would still be paying over $100 a month for a 28gal tank which is outrageous to me. And you also need to remember that a heater isint completely turned off if it is still plugged in think of it as on standby. There is still some energy being used so that it can detect when it needs to be turned on or off. Its the same as a computer in standby or sleep mode. Technically its still on and using power but not as much.

[fkshiu]

Originally Posted by skabooya

Is it wrong to have a heater running 24/7 ?? I thought that the temp would be regulated that way. Thats the way ive been doing it for years and my temps stay constant. When the temp goes over what i set it too on the heater then the heater shuts off until the temp falls below what i set it too and then it comes back on.
Please explain why its not a smart thing to do to run a heater on 24/7 im confused with this.

What he means is that your heater is only drawing electricity (i.e. "ON") when the little red light is on. You may have it plugged in, but it's not drawing electricity 24/7. Therefore, you cannot say that your 50W heater is using 50W all day long as say your return pump would be.

[skabooya]

Ok i dont know what i was doing yesterday but i think i was typing in 18 instead of .18 or something.
So let me do these calculations online so you guys can make sure im doing it right. Math is not my best subject

Heater 100w
hk1 3.5w
hk2 4.5w
skimmer 10w
lights 160w

the first 4 are 24/7 so i will do them together. they come out to 118watts total divided by 1000 = 0.118kW

then I go 0.118 x 24hours x 0.18 cents x 31 days = $15.80

next: 160/1000 = 0.16kW 0.16kW x 8 x 0.18 x 31 = $7.14

15.80 + 7.14 = $22.94 a month.


That is much better than the $100+ i did yesterday. What the heck was i thinking for those equations? Wow.

[X-Treme]

You are still wrong with calculating that your heater will draw 100w 24/7. If you want a 24/7 figure I would go with 25w. (ie. drawing 100W 1/4 of the day)

[skabooya]

ok so im overestimating slightly. The point is that im not paying $100+ a month anymore. And if the heater isint on all that time then the price will be under $20 a month YAY!!!!

[skabooya]

Update: ... not really much to update other than to let people know im still here. Ive saved up about $525 now.. shesh this is gonna take me forever. The majority of the cash is going into our Newfoundland trip for this summer (family reunion on my hubbys side). My budget is $1200. I went to check out the prices today to see if prices changed... YUP! Everything went up by a lot. My tank costs just for setups are now and extra $200 total. WTF!!! And that doesnt include corals or fish. You have no idea how much it upsets me.
But anyway i managed to shave off $100 for a total of $1018.88 approximately which leaves me about $150 for coral and fish. Yikes.
Heres my new list of what to buy (but im not happy about the price increases for any of them)
Test Kit
20lbs Fiji pink substrate
HK1
HK2
50lbs Instant Ocean Salt (From the original 160gal mix)
100w Ebo Jagger heater
12inch proscraper (from original 24inch)
Tunze Protein Skimmer
Refractometer
Ocean Nutrition small pellets (from other more expensive brand)
Nova Extreme T5 HO 4x39 (price went up on this by a lot)
22lbs dead Rock from bulk reef supply

Corals I really want are:
Ice blue cloves, blue zoas or zoas with blue in them (maily light blue so they are easier to see), some pink zoas for contrast, Gemini Palys (because im a gemini ), Blue shrooms, Blue rics and rics with blue in them, pulsing xenia (the one that looks like it has a blue stripe going through its main stalks and fingers), Something that will move in the current like a hammer or elegance coral <puurrrddyy, and something that is freaky coloured like WOW possible acan or blasto.

Livestock:
2 true percs and possibly a coral beauty (my fav fish)
CUC snails and hermies and cleaner shrimp maybe.



A $200 increase in store prices made a lot of what I want unreachable, stupid economy or canadian/US doller thingie, whatever is ruining my plans BOOOO!!!

[Snaz]

Since you probably won't adding the LPS until at least 6 weeks after the tank is under way you have some more time to save.

I'm sure you know but I thought I'd chime in "just in case" not to add all of your livestock at once.

[Boomboy]

i really like the dimensions of that tank, any new pictures yet??

[skabooya]

No, Its not even set up yet. It still sitting empty because ive been trying to save up money again for it. I had $1000 but i spent it on bookshelves for my office (i needed them).
Because of the price increases i am really re-thinking saltwater I would still love to have one but the cost is just rediculious now.

Ive been resarching so i could do something that is budget wise and 'low tech'

Im trying to see how low i can go for lighting and still keep nicely coloured softies and no lps.
Im more interested in zoas, rics, shrooms, cloves, and xenia anyways
Because these corals like a 'dirty' tank Im wondering if i should just not get the skimmer at all. However I wont be able to do weekly WC. Perhaps every other week or so... But ive read of many people going weeks without a WC and doing only topoffs. Ive even read somewhere of someone not doing a WC for a year!!! Still its not ideal and i dont want the life in my tank to suffer.

I dont know how to edit my list down other than to downgrade the tank but i already have the tank.
So now im wondering if i could go with lower lighting and if so how low and where to buy it. I dont want to spend more than $300 but that doesnt mean i want a $300 fixture. and this includes bulbs.
Im wondering about not getting a refractometer and just going for a hydrometer again
Instead of LR i would be doing dead rock and then seeding it so i can save some cash there
Any other ideas to how i can save more money?


Snaz: yes i already know about not adding all livestock all at once. Im willing to be very patient as you can probably tell by me not having the tank set up yet. The price i quoted previously was just for setup, it doesnt include any livestock.
Boomboy: yea thats why i wanted this size tank because the size is just awsome.