Equipment
Consumption
(watts/hour)
Daily running
time (hours)
Total daily
usage (k Wh)
Total monthly
( 30 days)
usage (k Wh)
Use this chart
to calculate
your energy
costs. Ask your
local energy
supplier for
the cost per
kilowatt-hour
(k Wh) in your
area and
multiply that
figure times
the usage
per day or
per month to
calculate your
cost per piece
of equipment.
The 2010
U.S. national
average is
approximately
10 cents per
kWh.
for a Basic aquarium
Lighting
( 2 x 250W HQI
and
2 x 54W T5)
5. 88
176.40
520*
9
120*
10
Current pump
22
24
0.53
15. 90
Protein
Skimmer
28
24
0.67
20. 10
4 time switches
8
24
0.192
5. 76
for add-ons to for a fully loaded aquarium
Calcium reactor
28
24
0.67
20. 10
T5 lamps
60
10
0.6
18.00
Moonlight
2
12
0.024
0.72
2 current pumps†
14 W apiece
28
14†
0.392
11. 76
4 (additional)
time switches
8
24
0.192
5. 76
External filter
15
24
0.36
10. 80
* Including consumption by an electronic controller; the lamps are controlled individually by time switches.
† These pumps are controlled by time switches to come on separately, with overlap but no periods without
current. These twin pumps replace the single current pump in the BASIC aquarium, so substitute usage
figures accordingly in your calculations.
How mucH energy
does a reef aquarium use?
I will answer this question using a hypothetical aquarium set up for zooxanthellate stony corals. Dimensions
of this aquarium will be 55 x 24 x 27. 5 inches (140 x 60
x 70 cm, L x B x D) and a net water content of a bit more
than 150 gallons (580 L). There is no separate sump, so
there is no need for pumps to return the water to the
main aquarium. For this imaginary tank we will look at
a “basic” set of equipment and a “fully loaded version.”
The basic version will include all the equipment required
for the smooth running of the aquarium while the high-
er-tech system will have additional equipment to make
the aquarist’s life easier and produce specific effects.
a Basic coral-reef aquarium
lighting: Two 250-watt metal halide/HQIs with a running time of 9 hours a day, and two 54-watt T5s with
a running time of 10 hours a day. But that is only the
consumption of the lamps themselves. The ballasts will,
of course, use electricity too, but the precise amount varies. Some manufacturers of electronic ballasts for HQI
lamps quote a rating of a maximum 10 watts per hour.
Consumption by conventional electromagnetic ballasts
