electric bill

[justin940]

I am getting ready to start my first reef tank. It's a 55 corner overflow. i plan on having 4x65 t5 light,dual pumps,skimmer,2 powerheads and dual heaters. My question is does anyone know how much it will cost to run this system per month? I dont need anything to the penny just trying to get an idea what to expect the first month.

[Daimyo68]

I ran my 50g, with 6x39w T5's, Mag12, Heater, Skimmer, 2 korallias and an MP40w.

Cost about $270 a year/$22 a month

I have a really nice spreadsheet somewhere that figures your average cost when you put in the local $/per watt, and your equipment. I'll see if i can find it.

[Jeff_NJ]

Originally Posted by justin940

I am getting ready to start my first reef tank. It's a 55 corner overflow. i plan on having 4x65 t5 light,dual pumps,skimmer,2 powerheads and dual heaters. My question is does anyone know how much it will cost to run this system per month? I dont need anything to the penny just trying to get an idea what to expect the first month.

You have to calculate your total wattage used in a day. You also need to know what you pay for 1Kw. For example in Central NJ, it was nearly .30 cents per kwh as compared to .10 cents in Charlotte. So a rough estimate is going to be very rough considering the same tank in NJ would cost 3x more to run than if you had the same tank in Charlotte.

It's relatively easy to get a pretty good idea of what a tank will cost you assuming you know what your cost per kw/hour is. Use this link here on RC.

http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical

[Daimyo68]

Found it. It's a Microsoft Excel Worksheet.

Didn't realize that RC had one

Anyways, I just did mine for my 75g setup. Image below

[justin940]

thank you for the info

[MrJawfish]

Originally Posted by Jeff_NJ

You have to calculate your total wattage used in a day. You also need to know what you pay for 1Kw. For example in Central NJ, it was nearly .30 cents per kwh as compared to .10 cents in Charlotte. So a rough estimate is going to be very rough considering the same tank in NJ would cost 3x more to run than if you had the same tank in Charlotte.

It's relatively easy to get a pretty good idea of what a tank will cost you assuming you know what your cost per kw/hour is. Use this link here on RC.

http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/tank-electrical

Thanks for linking this within your post. I have set up a similar spread sheet to track expenses for my entire tank. I think it helps to see when I added things to my tank, what items I add to my tank, when I do preventative maintenance, and how much I am spending along the way. I am a newb in the salt water hobby, but I think this is a savvy move.

Thanks again for the info.

[Fizz71]

+1 on what was said above..it's very regional and equipment choice dependent.

Also note that some equipment like pumps can vary their wattage based on pressure--for example my Tarpon uses more wattage when it's hooked up with 20ft of back pressure than it does pumping free. When your shopping for equipment pay very close attention to the watts and amps...they vary quite a bit..then use the spreadsheets to really figure it out.

Many people underestimate the long term cost of equipment..especially pumps. For example closed loops are a lot more expensive long term than using power heads. If you want to know what it's costing you once you've set it up, I recommend buying a kill-a-watt.