Saving electricity

[DonW]

Lately Ive been on a quest to save electricity while reducing maintenance on my tank.

The sytem:
Dolphin ampmaster 3000 closed loop top
Dolphin ampmaster 3000 closed loop botton
Iwaki 30 return
Mag9 Chiller/ return
PC 1/4hp chiller
PCX40 beckett skimmer pump
3 250w MH 10k bulbs and ballast
Mag 3 ca reactor pump
AM peri for reactor feed
500w pc power supply for 12v fans and automation
Fluidized carbon with mj9
Fluidized rowa with mj9
Enaly ozone generator
300w heater
250w heater
Automated water changes 120g per week

Changed so far:
Removed pc power supply, replaced with 1000ma walwart.
Removed Iwaki 30 all together
Changed to 20k bulbs
Removed center 250w halide
Removed mag 3 ca reactor and replaced with MJ9 driven reactor
Timed the fans with the haides vs 24/7
Cut back photo period from 12 to 9 hrs
Removed carbon mj9/ went to a bag
Removed Rowa mj0/ went to a bag
Staged heaters with automation
Removed ozone
Changed water changes to 40g weekly

Changes comming:
Replace mag9 return /chiller with eheim 1260
Replace pcx / beckett with sedra 5000 NW
Replace sump 4ft vs 3 ft

So far Ive managed to save alot of power and wear and tear on equipment. Removing the iwaki has stopped the chiller operation alltogether even with the fans being cut back. Not sure about the 20K's, but they look a little better. Lost some heat and power with the light reduction. Didnt change much with the small stuff but should be easier to maintain. If all goes well I should save a average of 3 buckets of io per month. The sound level has dropped more than I could imagine and should come down even more with the eheim, the mag 9 is old and loud.
Any other ideas would be appreciated. I'd like to cut back without cutting size or corners.

Thanks
Don

 

[ronj]

WOW!!! that's alot of work....how large is your tank????

 

[Scooterman]

Didn't they tell you that this hobby cost lots of electricity?
LOL

I will run one pump that will supply the chiller & return, also carbon/phosphate chamber & supply the skimmer. If I can I'll supply everything with that one pump & the small sq4200 only uses 160w for the CL. Still more than I want to use but I'm working on it also.

 

[ronj]

how hot does your tank get without the chiller Scooter???? i am right above you in Shreveport right now...mine stays at about 81 degrees during the day...the heaters come on at night because i keep the house 69-70 degrees..i have never used a chiller before....

 

[shallowreef]

me neither and i hope i never will have to.

 

[lizardarm]

don, did you make these changes all at once or was it broken down over a longer period so that you could get a gage of what effect each components replacement was having?

 

[DonW]

WOW!!! that's alot of work....how large is your tank????

No its just a 110 + sump. Not much work its all automated. All I do is clean the skimmer. Its a pretty high tech system.

Don

 

[DonW]

don, did you make these changes all at once or was it broken down over a longer period so that you could get a gage of what effect each components replacement was having?

Ive been changing things here and there over the last two months but the skimmer and sump is the last of it until I come up with more.

Don

 

[Brenden]

Well now you got me thinking. My power bill is CRAZY!!! You said you removed the Iwaki 30 return pump. What did you replace it with? I run a Iwaki 70 as my return. I have a new ampmaster sitting in storage (just in case) wonder if I should swap it and make the Iwaki the spare? I have also killed a few of the MH lights. I think my biggest issue is heat. My tank stays at 80 during the summer but the air runs non stop. It drops to 78-79 in the winter but keeps the house warm unless the outside temp drops below 50.

 

[DonW]

I didnt replace it at all, just got rid of it. My chiller is also a redundant return. But it is getting a eheim1260. 80 isnt bad, without my chiller (before changes) my tank would probably boil. Even with the chiller the automation would have to lend a hand on the hot days.

Don

 

[Brenden]

Maybe I am misunderstanding you. Was the Iwaki 30 not a return from the sump?

 

[DonW]

Maybe I am misunderstanding you. Was the Iwaki 30 not a return from the sump?

Yes, but so is the chiller pump. Chiller pump in sump goes through the chiller back into the display. The CL is plenty of flow and the chiller pump is plenty of circulation. Iwaki not needed.

Don

 

[RGibson]

Don what changes did you have to make on the skimmer to put on the sedra 5000 nw?

 

[DonW]

Don what changes did you have to make on the skimmer to put on the sedra 5000 nw?

That was real easy. I put it up for sale and ordered another skimmer.

Don

 

[Scooterman]

My tank got as high as 82 no lights, I need a chiller. Now with my last tank I'd hit high as 83 or 84 with light no chiller lots of fans. Right now all I have is two pumps no fans no lights & 82 high easy. I'm getting my house breaker panel replaced, then I'll work on power consumption!

 

[DonW]

My tank got as high as 82 no lights, I need a chiller. Now with my last tank I'd hit high as 83 or 84 with light no chiller lots of fans. Right now all I have is two pumps no fans no lights & 82 high easy. I'm getting my house breaker panel replaced, then I'll work on power consumption!

What pumps?

 

[moortim]

Ok this might just be my engineering/outdoor enthusiast side coming out but it sounded good to me.
What you need to do is get an exercise bike of some sort, take off the resistance unit and attach a generator (if you really want to do this then ask someone else for the details, I don't have time ). Then you can wire it up to the power going to your tank and make everyone in your family who wants to watch tv (or the tank) ride the bike. That would not only save you LOTS of power your whole family would get in shape in the process.

I think this would be a great way to save money on your electric bill.

Tim

 

[Brenden]

I tried that but I decided I liked watching the back of my eye lids more than TV. It is a myth that will never work.

 

[Krish]

How's this one for ya! I downgraged the tank size by half, got rid of (2) Tunzes for 2 Quiet One 6000 pumps, (1) Sea-swirl, (1) Aqua Via return pump, (1) aqualifter, (1) 18w power compact for sump on for 17 hours, got rid of dual 250w metal halides for a single 250 w metal halide, got rid 0f 4 fans (3 in canopy and 1 over sump) now I run just two, and because of Bin Ladin and crew, my electricity bill doubled!! (LOL) Well, last month was much better

 

[ronj]

well, just wait until you give your new daughter her first credit card and then see how much you save!!