Some Electrical Questions

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frogdog

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Nov 1, 2018
Messages
2
Location
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Good morning from foggy Vancouver Island:

I have a few electrical questions. I wasn't sure where to ask them, so I'll try here. This is my first question, so please be gentle. :kiss:

I'm planning a first SW reef set up. I have a lot of experience with FW, but zero with SW. So, I'm reading and trying to understand as much as possible before starting to spend $$$$$$.

#1 Do I need a subpanel for this performance? I already have a subpanel for my woodshop in the garage. Is it possible to wire/switch it over for the aquarium stuff?

I haven't added up all the amps, but just intuitively, I get the feeling that this is not going to fly on one or even 2 circuits.

Let's see for the sake of discussion, this is what I have in mind:
For 80G DT:
2 heaters
X powerheads
Lights
occasional canister for polishing

50G Sump:
Light (so I can see to work)
Pump
Heater
Protein skimmer

50G Upstream refugium:
Heater
Light
1 powerhead

30G QT:
light
heater
HOB filter
UV sterilizer
powerhead

and whatever else I'm forgetting.

#2 What do I have to do aside from GFIs to guarantee I don't electrocute myself or my tank inhabitants? What do I need?

Thank you very much for any and all replies.
Cynthia
 
Where is your "tank" room?

Are all the tanks in the same room or in different rooms? Is it near the garage panel? And is there room in the garage panel to a new run for the tanks?

I have a bunch of stuff all on a 15 amp and haven't had any issues.

Some people like to set up a battery back up too for an expensive SW system.
 
Good morning from foggy Vancouver Island:

I have a few electrical questions. I wasn't sure where to ask them, so I'll try here. This is my first question, so please be gentle. :kiss:

I'm planning a first SW reef set up. I have a lot of experience with FW, but zero with SW. So, I'm reading and trying to understand as much as possible before starting to spend $$$$$$.

#1 Do I need a subpanel for this performance? I already have a subpanel for my woodshop in the garage. Is it possible to wire/switch it over for the aquarium stuff?

I haven't added up all the amps, but just intuitively, I get the feeling that this is not going to fly on one or even 2 circuits.

Let's see for the sake of discussion, this is what I have in mind:
For 80G DT:
2 heaters
X powerheads
Lights
occasional canister for polishing

50G Sump:
Light (so I can see to work)
Pump
Heater
Protein skimmer

50G Upstream refugium:
Heater
Light
1 powerhead

30G QT:
light
heater
HOB filter
UV sterilizer
powerhead

and whatever else I'm forgetting.

#2 What do I have to do aside from GFIs to guarantee I don't electrocute myself or my tank inhabitants? What do I need?

Thank you very much for any and all replies.
Cynthia
Hello. I don't know SW but I know a bit about electricity. If everything you listed is in one room that's a lot of power draw for one circuit. You have to remember all the electric receptacles in a room will be on one circuit breaker. I also don't know how old your house is but older homes tend to have multiple rooms on one circuit breaker. So your fish tank equipment won't be the only things drawing power from that circuit. As for switching the receptacles over to that sub panel that's something only a qualified licensed electrician will be able to tell when he looks at your home. It all depends on how your house was wired. And ANYTHING can be done in a house for the right amount of $$$$ [emoji16] [emoji16]
 
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