Aquarium Saving Energy

inventionAquarium Saving Energy:

 

Fishes are considered low maintenance pets, but many people fail to realize that the cost of electricity involved in this hobby is exorbitant. Filters, lights, heaters and pumps constantly use energy. Over a period of time, the electricity consumed by your aquarium can burn a hole in your pocket. Saving energy is of utmost importance in reducing the maintenance cost of an aquarium.

 

Here are a few steps that you can follow to make your aquarium more energy efficient.

 

  1. Use Energy efficient lighting: Buy only required lighting equipments. Fluorescent lamps consume less energy than halide or incandescent lamps. Thus, they are helpful in saving energy.

 

  1. Use lights only when needed: Use the aquarium lights only for 8 hours or less in a day. You can also use moonlight LED lights that allow a little light in the tank during off hours. They consume significantly less power than the main lights.

 

  1. Use a Low Powered Filter: Use a power filter that is of correct size for your aquarium. If the rate of gallons per hour (GPH) of the filter can be adjusted, then it must be set at an optimum level. The most energy efficient speed helps in saving energy.

 

  1. Turn down the heater: Find out the optimum temperature the fishes in your tank require. If the temperature of the water is more than what it needed, then decrease it by a degree or two. Another solution for saving energy is to use solar energy for heating purpose. Also, an aquarium kept in a heated room requires less energy than the one kept in a non-heated room. You can also keep an aeration stone under the heater. This helps in moving the cold water from the bottom of the tank towards the heater. Additionally, you could save energy by using low output heaters, which distribute heat better and have a longer life than high output heaters.

 

  1. Provide insulation: If your tank is against a wall or in a cabinet, you can insulate the outer walls with polystyrene insulation. Insulation drastically reduces the heat loss. Saving energy by reducing the heating requirements is an effective way to make your aquarium more efficient.

 

  1. Buy power efficient equipment: When you are buying a piece of hardware for your aquarium, make sure that you go through various brands that are available and then select only the most energy efficient one out of those.

 

For saving energy consumed by your water aquarium, you need to keep these small things in mind. They can significantly cut down your electricity costs. Saving energy not only brings personal satisfaction, but also helps in conserving resources of the world.