Low Environmental Impact Tank

[saz326]

What would be the best equipment (real life available equipment) that we could use to have a tank running with the lowest possible environmental impact (e.g. low energy use, low water use?, gravel/sand sourced well)

I was thinking LED lighting and perhaps re-using old tank water by running it through reverse osmosis?

 

[scobie140]

Would reverse osmosis not use lots of electricity and therfore be worse? Its like eletric cars arn't really green, as you need a great big dirty polluting power station to charge them up every 5mile.so the car may not be causeing pollution but you need more electrcity which does cause alot.
Use rain water? prob full of toxins but never tested so don't know

 

[chrisbassist]

rain water should be a lot purer than tap water, since it has already evaporated, leaving all excess minerals and impurities behind.

the only problem you MAY face with that is how soft the water will be. but i suppose that means it should be easier to control hardness... the thing to check is that watever collection system and storage for rainwater you use won't leach anything into the water.

 

[Curiosity101]

I presume you're talking about tropical tanks. If so get a plastic one and put it in the warmest room of the house.
Opt for a low tech tank with regards to lighting by using something like low power LEDS, also I'd stick them on a timer.
Stick a decent sized filter in it so there is definitely no need for an air pump and plant the tank up relatively densely.

Have a water drum outside to collect rain water so you can do water changes that are half half (rain:tap). And put any waste water from the tank out on the garden as it should be high in organic nitrogen and therefore a decent fertiliser.
Oh and make sure there is a good tight fitting lid so you don't have any excess evaporation.

 

[chrisbassist]

Opt for a low tech tank with regards to lighting by using something like low power LEDS, also I'd stick them on a timer.

can I add, an analogue timer will use less energy than a digital one...

 

[OohFeeshy]

Surely glass would be better than plastic because it can be recycled after it's life is over?

I would say, sub-tropical so you don't need to use a heater (there's lots of fish that come under that category). Lots of plants; buying cutting from someone local, for preference. Low light plants would be best, obviously. And lots of them to reduce water changes. Water from the tank can be used for plants. Low stocking levels, most filters are low wattage anyway so you'd just have to decide which one, even possibly a big sponge filter (although not sure what wattage air pumps draw). If you had a sponge filter, the body could be made from something recycled like a food container. Locally bred fish, make your own food.

 

[chrisbassist]

Surely glass would be better than plastic because it can be recycled after it's life is over?

ok, I suppose that's technically correct, but you have to balance that against this:

Acrylic is stronger than glass, so that life will be a lot longer
acrylic is lighter than glass, so less fuel will be used transporting it
Acrylic insulates better than glass, so no matter what temp the aquarium is (tropical, sub-tropical, whatever) it will be easier to maintain a steady temp
Although people think it scratches easier (which it does) those scratches can be polished out, unlike glass, extending the useful life even further.

but I would also argue that the tank which would have least impact would be the tank which was going to be thrown away by someone else, until you took it out of the trash. you're stopping it being trashed (yes, even recycling uses energy) and it also means another unit wasn't produced for you. can't beat those savings from the manufacturing process.

I'd also say that 10 Gallon tanks would probably be best, since when you add more, you have more water to heat (if going tropical) and if going lower you aren't getting the energy saving of using smaller filters/heaters, since you'll still end up with something capable of maintaining a 10G so between 5 and 10 gallons would be your best bet.

and one last point, I would say plant the tank... they may be relatively small and underwater, but every little helps.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Acrylic is stronger than glass, so that life will be a lot longer

I wouldn't really say that strength was a factor, especially for smaller tanks. Tanks don't 'die' because the tank isn't strong enough, in glass tanks the seals eventually go, which can be repaired, in acrylic I'd assume the main factor is when it gets too scratched.

acrylic is lighter than glass, so less fuel will be used transporting it

That's not a particular issue- it's more the size that matters for transportation. The difference isn't even *that* important unless the tank is very big. Also acrylic tanks aren't that common, unless the tank is 3, 5g. So generally you'd have to specially order one.

Acrylic insulates better than glass, so no matter what temp the aquarium is (tropical, sub-tropical, whatever) it will be easier to maintain a steady temp

How much by? Would that *really* matter? Besides, surely not heating the tank at all would be the best option, in which case it wouldn't matter anyway?

Although people think it scratches easier (which it does) those scratches can be polished out, unlike glass, extending the useful life even further.

Polishing out isn't especially efficient though, especially if the scratches are deep. You can polish small scratches out of glass too.

 

[Truck]

I'd go with the walstad method, Glass tank, soil substrate, plants from other members and no water changes.

 

[chrisbassist]

I just have 2 responses to your counter arguments there.

The weight issue. Extra weight causes extra resistance for the vehicle. Extra resistance causes more fuel to be used. If you're using an artic lorry to transport your chosen material, how much that material weighs will be the major factor, not how much is in there. (although obviously for efficiency reasons you want as much in there as will fit so you can make less trips). And don't forget, it's not just the finished tanks which need transporting, it's the material used to make them before they're made.

Secondly

the insulation will mean water temps will take longer to drop overnight, and longer to rise during the day. Even with coldwater, you are therefore providing a more stable environment for the fish.

I think one of the wooden diy tanks would insulate very well, woods a great insulator. Plus you can stuff the frame with rockwool or something.

 

[Truck]

People say acrylic insulates better than glass, but where is the evidence? If there are two tanks of equal size and one is made of acrylic the other glass, then the acrylic one will have thinner materials, whereas the glass will be a bit thicker, so whether or not one insulates better than the other is debatable, personally I think acrylic is awful, it scratches way to easily and is expensive, and is made from oil, where as glass is made from silica, so glass is better for the environment.

 

[kaivalagi]

What about the processing waste for acrylic tanks, I don't know much about the process itself but I would imagine a lot more energy goes into making an acrylic tank? I could well be wrong though

Also the timer comparison is not really a concern, an analog timer has to drive a wheel around doesn't it? Whereas a digital one has to run the circuit using maybe 0.5W at a guess?

I think Truck's suggestion is the best by far, if water changes are eliminated that's a big deal.

Will the tank be tropical or cold water? Maybe go for a cold water tank if the fish you want fit the category okay in the sort of ambient temperature you have in your home

 

[Tom499]

I would pick up a 2nd hand tank locally, technically, the bigger the better, as water is one of the best insulaters, and a larger volume means a far more stable ecosystem.

Then I would fill up the tank and see what temperature it settles at. Rainwater could be fine to use, but although water does "lose" its pollutants when it evaporates, many will know that acid rain can be a major problem. Rain will pick up pollutants in the air so a general water test would be important.

A heavy planting would probably be best, with a couple of low light level species, that grow relatively fast, as these will contribute to dealing with waste products.

Then its a matter of choosing some small critters, and understocking by a considerable margin so water changes can be kept to a minimum or stopped entirely.

This site says acrylic is 20% better at insulating:
http/www.squidoo.com/acrylicaquariums

But I cant see any evidence given. At the end of the day though, a low impact tank would be the same temperature as the room, so insulation wouldn't be an issue.

As already stated, the goal will be to create a stable almost self sustaining tank, apart from the food input and occassional cleaning.

 

[Bignose]

People say acrylic insulates better than glass, but where is the evidence?

http/www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html

The thermal conductivity of glass is around 5 times that of acrylic, according to that chart. That means that if you impose a certain temperature gradient over the same thickness of glass and acrylic, the glass will reach the steady state temperature 5 times faster than acrylic.

 

[Truck]

Thanks for that, but acrylic tanks do tend to use thinner materials than glass due to it being stronger, this is apparent on the tanks I have seen anyway, personally I think that glass has more benefits environmentally than that of glass:

Glass: made from silica not oil, easily recyclable. Some less environmental points: more scratch resistant, cheaper.
Acrylic: Good insulator, lighter- so cheaper to transport. Less environmental points: Clearer, stronger, easier to remove scratches.