Cost of running an aquarium?

[The Editor]

Hey all!

Me and the GF are looking to upgrade one of our tanks, looking to go from >100L to <200L range!

We've been looking at the relative costs of running an aquarium (lighting, heating, filters etc..), and we're just wondering if this is something you consider before setting up tanks?

I've been googling around and came across this article, seems pretty good but doesn't give much in the way of specifics for customising to our needs...

So, does the running cost of an aquarium affect your decision to buy one or not..

Thanks!

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

Of course. And good for you considering this before buying. Cost is a huge part of having an aquarium. Like, you buy everything but run out of money for the heater and no money for fish-- you just have a nice glass box then.

I always consider the cost before setting up a new tank. But, I have been shopping off of Craigslist lately, so I can't make it solid. It also helps having a boyfriend who has TONS of extra stuff laying around everywhere and expertise at getting good deals or making your own.

 

[Mouth-Brooder-Fanatic]

so per month what would you say in electricity costs for a 30 gal with 9hr lighting, constant filter and 6hr heater per day?
thats if the tank is established. what do u find the cost is for your tank per month?

 

[Bubble_B0y]

this is a good article (includes calculator)
How Much Electricity?

 

[The Editor]

Of course. And good for you considering this before buying. Cost is a huge part of having an aquarium. Like, you buy everything but run out of money for the heater and no money for fish-- you just have a nice glass box then.

I always consider the cost before setting up a new tank. But, I have been shopping off of Craigslist lately, so I can't make it solid. It also helps having a boyfriend who has TONS of extra stuff laying around everywhere and expertise at getting good deals or making your own.

Initial purchase cost of equipment is easily estimated, IE I can budget for tank+heater+filter+tank decor+fish etc...

I was more after the running cost once you had it all in place, the calculator Bubble_B0y linked to was more what I was looking for. However after looking at a bit it seems very woolly and makes a load of assumptions and is based in USD rather than GBS...

I think I'll have a good look at the items I want to buy, find their power ratings then just look at the utility bills and work it out myself.. It's simple enough for the filters and air pumps (24hr operation), lights can be assumed as 12 hours per day. Difficulty comes in estimating the heater work load, depends on desired tank temp and ambient air temp...

I'll try and explore a load of cases! Wish me luck!

 

[LyndaB]

I'd say there's not much difference between the cost of running a large tank versus a small tank, once you get all the initial equipment, test kit, dechlorinator, food and your fish. There's no way I can tell you what it costs though.

 

[The Editor]

I'd say there's not much difference between the cost of running a large tank versus a small tank

I'd have to disagree there. If we're separating the initial purchase cost of equipment from the ongoing cost of electricity and water then it stands to reason that the larger the tank the higher the price.

Bigger tanks have more powerful lights, these require more electricity hence cost more to run.

Bigger tanks need larger and more powerful filters, the pumps on these devices must also be larger so they will use more electricity.

Bigger tanks have a larger external surface area from which heat is lost, hence a higher duty heater must be used to keep the temperature stable.

This thread for me was just about seeing whether people considered the cost of running a tank once it's set up.

To give you a bit of context: Me and the GF want to sent up a large tank, ideally we'll keep discus. However discus like v. warm water, warmer than most tropical communities. Warmer water costs more to keep warm:

Heating an aquarium can also be expensive. The larger the tank the more heat is required. Further, a tropical fish environment usually requires a higher water temperature making it more expensive to heat compared to non-tropical fish tanks. For example, a 30 Gallon tank heated at 72 F (22 C) will consume approx. 110 kWh per year. The same tank heated at 82 F (28 C) will consume about 440 kWh per year. That is 4 times as much!

Source

 

[Nubster]

My power company told me a few years ago it shouldn't cost more than about $5 a month to run a largish tank per month. We asked because I had my 75g tank up and running and our electric bill seemed very high...ended up being the hotwater tank going bad.

 

[LyndaB]

I'd say there's not much difference between the cost of running a large tank versus a small tank, once you get all the initial equipment, test kit, dechlorinator, food and your fish. There's no way I can tell you what it costs though.

I didn't say there was no difference, I said there's not much difference. That's my opinion and unless you're a master electrician or Reddy Kilowatt, I'm stickin' to it.

This thread for me was just about seeing whether people considered the cost of running a tank once it's set up.

The answer then is "no". Just as I don't care how much it costs to feed, house and vet my rescue dogs, so I don't care about the cost of fishkeeping. Both are worth it.

 

[The Editor]

Fair enough

I suppose... The difference between 10p and 40p might only be 30p, but its still 4x as large.. I guess it depends on the cost of running a small tank in the first place!

I'm gonna sit down with a pad of paper and a pencil and work this out

 

[LyndaB]

Try to get the largest tank you can staying within your budget. It's well worth it. I found I was way too limited with small tanks and didn't get to explore all the species I was interested in. Now, I have 3 tanks, my husband has 1. Prepare yourself, once you cross over to the dark side, resistance is futile.

 

[The Editor]

Well we bought a 3ft 28gal tank at the start of summer, have been fishless cycling it and the filter, but now have decided we want to upgrade it (before we got any fish!)

Currently I'm eyeing up some Juwel Rio 240s (70gal) on eBay locally, the idea is we'll just transfer the filter etc from one to another, insta-cycle

 

[LyndaB]

good choice.........

 

[Ausfish]

I would say for a 200l freshwater tank you're looking at under 15$ running cost per month. Saltwater is a different story cause the lighting is insane to keep corals alive!

 

[huma-huma]

i dont consider the "running" cost of a tank when looking into setting up, i went from a 20g fw tank to a 125g sw tank, ultimately, unless youre running some rediculous Metal Halide lighting, 3 heaters, and reactors, your costs arent gonna be that high. For instance, my 20g fw now has a 100w heater and 2-32w t8 bulbs, my 125 has a 500w +150w heaters, 4-96w cf bulbs.....so you can see where the slight jump in cost comes in.

 

[huma-huma]

Well we bought a 3ft 28gal tank at the start of summer, have been fishless cycling it and the filter, but now have decided we want to upgrade it (before we got any fish!)

Currently I'm eyeing up some Juwel Rio 240s (70gal) on eBay locally, the idea is we'll just transfer the filter etc from one to another, insta-cycle

anddd this is how the addiction starts, next thing ya know, youll have 5 tanks varying in size, all running at once lol

 

[The Editor]

We had both always wanted fish (since before we met), then last Christmas she bought me a small 30L tank and a filter! A crash course in aquatics and fish husbandry and we're addicts!

I just know if I stay in one place for too long I'll end up building a monstrous project tank with as much computer control as I can cram in! None of these shop bought tank computers, this'll be a DIY job from old hardware I've got lying around!

Any way...

 

[jeffp]

I'd have to disagree there. If we're separating the initial purchase cost of equipment from the ongoing cost of electricity and water then it stands to reason that the larger the tank the higher the price.

Bigger tanks have more powerful lights, these require more electricity hence cost more to run.

Bigger tanks need larger and more powerful filters, the pumps on these devices must also be larger so they will use more electricity.

Bigger tanks have a larger external surface area from which heat is lost, hence a higher duty heater must be used to keep the temperature stable.

This thread for me was just about seeing whether people considered the cost of running a tank once it's set up.

To give you a bit of context: Me and the GF want to sent up a large tank, ideally we'll keep discus. However discus like v. warm water, warmer than most tropical communities. Warmer water costs more to keep warm:


Source

electricity here is a little less than $.08/kwh. so 440 kwh = $35 over the course of the year, or $3 a month. so even though it does cost a lot more to run that stuff, the cost is still negligible

 

[The Editor]

Electricity is unfortunately more expensive here in the UK, about £0.13/kwh ($0.21/kwh). That takes it to $7.70 a month straight away just because we're in the UK.

That combined with the fact that we would want to run a tank larger than the one presented in that test case, possibly warmer as well, and it starts to add up...