An aquarium runs continuously and requires a constant energy source. Over time the energy that your aquarium might be consuming can have a pretty decent impact on your electric energy bill.
There are a few things that you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your aquarium. It doesn’t take much to make an impact on how much power your aquarium is sucking out of the power outlets where it sits.
Use Energy Efficient Lighting
Buy lighting equipment for your aquarium that is only powerful enough to provide the lighting that your aquarium requires. It doesn’t make sense to buy an aquarium lighting fixture or hood that requires two bulbs instead of one, for example, if you situation doesn’t require two bulbs.
Fluorescent lighting is also the most energey efficient type of lighting. Fluorescent aquarium lights will consume much less energy than their incandescent or halide counterparts.
If you are keeping coral, you will need to buy more powerful lighting of course. But if you are keeping a smaller aquarium with fish only, you should really consider using only as much lighting as you really need.
Don’t Run Your Lights So Often
In many cases, the main aquarium lighting doesn’t need to be run for as long as you might be running it. Think about the times of day that you are in the area where your aquarium runs and adjust the aquarium lighting accordingly. Try to run the main lighting 8 hrs a day or less.
It also can help to employ moonlight led lights. They allow you to get some light in your tank during the off hours of the main lighting in your aquarium. Moonlight led lights will usually consume very little power compared to your main aquarium lights.
Use a Lower Powered Filter
Don’t buy a power filter that is overpowered for your aquarium. Buy only the size that you need, an only round up one level if you need to round up.
Using a power filter that is correctly rated for your size aquarium will ensure that you are not using more power to filter the water of your aquarium than your require. If your power filter has adjustable speeds for changing the rate of gallons per hour, then it is best to find the most energy efficient speeds at all times to reduce the amount of energy your filter is consuming.
Turn Your Heater Down a Notch
You might be able to get by with turning your aquarium heater down a degree or two, or even more. Study the water temperatures that your particular fish or aquarium inhabitants require and make sure that you are actually not trying to keep your water warmer than the water temperature really needs to be. Make sure you check to see if you won’t negatively affect anything in your tank before doing this.
Buy Power Efficient Equipment
When looking for a certain piece of aquarium hardware, it helps to compare brands and look at the power consumption of the different models you might be comparing.
There can sometimes be a noticeable difference in power consumption between comparable products.
In conclusion… it’s the small things about your aquarium that add up to a total package of energy consumption. These tips should get your mind going in the right direction to conserve aquarium energy.
I’m sure there are many more options available for energy consumption, feel free to chime in if you have any good ideas you’d like to share.
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