what will my maintenance costs be?

sump · 01/24/2007, 01:33 PM

Ok I know I'm going to spend a fortune. On set up costs, that's fine. On stock, i'll get it when I can and want. What I'm wondering is once I've set up my 75 g reef tank how much will i HAVE to spend each month on electricity, salt, kalk...

What's ur experience?

tkeracer619 · 01/24/2007, 01:41 PM

It all depends on what you want to keep.

I run 3x250w halides and 2 6ft vho's. A sequence dart for CL. Skimmer, and return pump.

It costs me about $120 on power, $15-30 in salt, kalk is negligible.

Thats on a 150.

Paintbug · 01/24/2007, 01:42 PM

it will vary greatly on what equipment you have, how often, and how much water you change, how much and what you feed. i would say roughly $50-$100 if you kept everything top notch. keep in mind you have to add things like bulb usage, clean up crew replacement, etc.

Ron Popeil · 01/24/2007, 01:45 PM

on my system (a 45 cube, a 60 cube, 75 refugium and about 1000w worth of lighting total) i run a electricity bill around $70 a month for a two bedroom apartment (warmer months). throw in $15 to $25 worth of salt once a month or two. maybe $20 worth of food every four months. $120 in bulbs a year. $10 a year on a new CO2 tank. and you have about what i spend a year on my tanks.

its ugly. but pales in comparison to others on this board.

spmedi · 01/24/2007, 02:51 PM

Here are a few tips I've read and did (not phytoplankton - i'm going to try this spring):

#1 - Buy a good RO/DI unit. I don't know what your water supply is but most utilities charge based on about 700 gallons of water, cheaply. Buy your salt in the 160-200 gallons supply. W/ your own RO/DI and say a $50 bucket your looking at about $0.25 per gallon of saltwater. The salt is $0.20-0.24 of that. (doen't count replacing filters though just still a lot cheaper)

#2 - Use this for dosing:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

#3 - Make your own food:

http://www.melevsreef.com/food.html

#4 - Grow your own phytoplanton:

http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html

#5 - Lighting. Most seem to use MH. I chose T5 myself for a few reasons. They run cooler (i didn't want to have to buy a chiller), they last 12-18 mths, they run at less watts, etc.

#6 - Pumps. Look at the watts used per gph of flow. For example if you have say a mag 9 on a CL you will be pushing about 600 or so gph at about 90watts. A powerhead can do the same flow at less than 1/10 of the watts. I think those little nano streams run at 6w and produce 660 gph. Anyway you get the picture. Look at watts/gallons.

spmedi · 01/24/2007, 03:06 PM

also you can calculate your own electrical costs. Just look at your bill and get the cost per Kwh. For example say it is $0.06 per Kwh.

If you use 400w of heaters that come on 4hrs a day, a t5 6x54 which runs all for say 9 hours and blues another 3, pumps totalling 250w, etc. It would be about 12000 watts a day.

That would be like $0.75 a day to run....

I think I did that right.

Just for an example any way.

sump · 01/24/2007, 03:56 PM

yikes!!!
well it hasn't put me off yet, but at least I have an idea what I'm getting into!

GARFVolunteer · 01/24/2007, 05:02 PM

Niffty little calculator here that will calculate the approximate cost of electricity per month: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php

Luckily we have hydro-electric power that costs $.05 per kwh so we pay around $51 a month for our 150... The 60 gallon costs about $7.50 a month...

Thanks,

Scott

sump · 01/24/2007, 05:14 PM

Thanks I'll find out my electricity rate tomorrow.

What type of light is cheepest to run?

GARFVolunteer · 01/24/2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sump
Thanks I'll find out my electricity rate tomorrow.

What type of light is cheepest to run?

Night lights but I would not recommend them...

They say a watt is a watt. However when I run VHOs on electronic ballasts, both the bulb and the ballast run cooler than on magnetic ballasts. A buddy of mine has an in line watt meter The 400 watt MH magnetic ballasts and the 400 watt MH electronic ballasts, both measured 400 watts.

Thanks,

Scott

piscivorous · 01/24/2007, 09:43 PM

don't know what my bill is going to run electricity wise...but we are fortunate to have our own town plant...NOT NYSEG...so I pay about $.01 a watt.

01/24/2007, 05:02 PM	#8
GARFVolunteer Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 1,108	Niffty little calculator here that will calculate the approximate cost of electricity per month: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php Luckily we have hydro-electric power that costs $.05 per kwh so we pay around $51 a month for our 150... The 60 gallon costs about $7.50 a month... Thanks, Scott __________________ Proud Member Idaho Marine Aquarium Society A fair and biased reef hobbyist. "If I were going to set up a tank, and I am going to make some people mad here, I would use VHOs" Dana Riddle 3/2/2007 Current Tank Info: Brand new 150 gallon tall Reef trying Bonsai method, 60 gallon soft coral tank (not GARF style).

01/24/2007, 01:33 PM	#1
sump Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30	what will my maintenance costs be? Ok I know I'm going to spend a fortune. On set up costs, that's fine. On stock, i'll get it when I can and want. What I'm wondering is once I've set up my 75 g reef tank how much will i HAVE to spend each month on electricity, salt, kalk... What's ur experience?

01/24/2007, 01:41 PM	#2
tkeracer619 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Westminster, CO Posts: 17,289	It all depends on what you want to keep. I run 3x250w halides and 2 6ft vho's. A sequence dart for CL. Skimmer, and return pump. It costs me about $120 on power, $15-30 in salt, kalk is negligible. Thats on a 150. __________________ Hobby Experience: 9200ish gallons, 26 skimmers, and a handful of Kent Scrapers. Current Tank: Vortech Powered 600G SPS Tank w/ 100gal frag tank & 100g Sump. RK2-RK10 Skimmer. ReefAngel. Radium 20k.

01/24/2007, 01:42 PM	#3
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	it will vary greatly on what equipment you have, how often, and how much water you change, how much and what you feed. i would say roughly $50-$100 if you kept everything top notch. keep in mind you have to add things like bulb usage, clean up crew replacement, etc. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

01/24/2007, 01:45 PM	#4
Ron Popeil Love them clownfish. Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Vero Beach, FL Posts: 2,268	on my system (a 45 cube, a 60 cube, 75 refugium and about 1000w worth of lighting total) i run a electricity bill around $70 a month for a two bedroom apartment (warmer months). throw in $15 to $25 worth of salt once a month or two. maybe $20 worth of food every four months. $120 in bulbs a year. $10 a year on a new CO2 tank. and you have about what i spend a year on my tanks. its ugly. but pales in comparison to others on this board. __________________ ...he came with a razor blade bound, like us all, for the ocean... Current Tank Info: 150 DD

01/24/2007, 02:51 PM	#5
spmedi Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 285	Here are a few tips I've read and did (not phytoplankton - i'm going to try this spring): #1 - Buy a good RO/DI unit. I don't know what your water supply is but most utilities charge based on about 700 gallons of water, cheaply. Buy your salt in the 160-200 gallons supply. W/ your own RO/DI and say a $50 bucket your looking at about $0.25 per gallon of saltwater. The salt is $0.20-0.24 of that. (doen't count replacing filters though just still a lot cheaper) #2 - Use this for dosing: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php #3 - Make your own food: http://www.melevsreef.com/food.html #4 - Grow your own phytoplanton: http://www.melevsreef.com/phytoplankton.html #5 - Lighting. Most seem to use MH. I chose T5 myself for a few reasons. They run cooler (i didn't want to have to buy a chiller), they last 12-18 mths, they run at less watts, etc. #6 - Pumps. Look at the watts used per gph of flow. For example if you have say a mag 9 on a CL you will be pushing about 600 or so gph at about 90watts. A powerhead can do the same flow at less than 1/10 of the watts. I think those little nano streams run at 6w and produce 660 gph. Anyway you get the picture. Look at watts/gallons.

01/24/2007, 03:06 PM	#6
spmedi Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 285	also you can calculate your own electrical costs. Just look at your bill and get the cost per Kwh. For example say it is $0.06 per Kwh. If you use 400w of heaters that come on 4hrs a day, a t5 6x54 which runs all for say 9 hours and blues another 3, pumps totalling 250w, etc. It would be about 12000 watts a day. That would be like $0.75 a day to run.... I think I did that right. Just for an example any way.

01/24/2007, 03:56 PM	#7
sump Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30	yikes!!! well it hasn't put me off yet, but at least I have an idea what I'm getting into!

01/24/2007, 05:14 PM	#9
sump Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 30	Thanks I'll find out my electricity rate tomorrow. What type of light is cheepest to run?

01/24/2007, 09:43 PM	#11
piscivorous Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Groton, N.Y. Posts: 801	don't know what my bill is going to run electricity wise...but we are fortunate to have our own town plant...NOT NYSEG...so I pay about $.01 a watt.