Cost: Keeping A 180l Tank At 28°c In Uk (for Discus)

[Mebster]

Looking to get discus fishes and I've heard they need to be kept at a high 28°C. Just not sure how much that's likely to cost in energy bills in the UK. I do know factors such as external temperature will have an impact but just wanted a rough idea.

Thanks.

 

[CezzaXV]

I can't tell you, but I do know that it will make a big difference depending on what size tank you have.

 

[Mebster]

I can't tell you, but I do know that it will make a big difference depending on what size tank you have.

180 liters

 

[minnnt]

Can't help with costs but the tank isn't big enough unless it's a grow out tank for a month or two...

 

[ColR1948]

Funny was talking about cost in the chat room a few nights ago, the guy that answered said it cost very little actually plus once the water is heated it stays warm for a good length of time before it cools then the heater will kick in.
I think but correct me if I'm wrong anybody but if you get a heater large enough it warms the water quicker and doesn't come on as much or something like that any way.
Also don't forget if you have hood lights they too will warm the water slightly plus the hood itself keeps the heat in.

 

[raptorrex]

Bigger heaters do heat up the water faster.
They also use lots more leccie to do it.

It all depends on the ambient temp.
The bigger the difference (between room and water) the higher the cost will be.

No free (almost free) lunches here.
Higher temp means noticeably higher costs.

 

[MBOU]

Personally I never kept my discus at more than 26 deg C anyway unless they were spawning or had fry. Where discus come from, they arent exposed to high temperatures all of the time, they can cope with fluctuating tempratures pretty well. If they are in good health and not stressed out, they are a lot hardier then people expect them to be.

Thinking about it... if i was raising babies in a grow on tank, I might run it at a higher temperature too as it will help with their growth rate.... but just for general 'keeping a few discus' I don't think the temperatures need to be about 26/27.

As for the tank being 180L, it's not going to last them forever unless it is just a bare tank with no overcrowding of plants etc then 3 discus... and even then when they start getting older, they will outgrow it by the time they are dinner plate sized.

 

[Mebster]

Thanks for the replies. I thought 180L tank would be more than large enough. Didn't realize they'd grow that large.

I just wanted a decent size fish that's nice to look at. Bored of guppies and others alike. Any suggestions?

@ MBOU, Id read they slow down below 28 degrees where their uninteresting

 

[sadguppy]

For a tank that size angels are a good alternative, perhaps gouramis, or rainbowfish?

 

[nano55]

I like rams, think they look cool and unless im mistaken you could fit a few in a 180?

 

[Bugdozer]

Regarding "bigger heaters use more electricity", it's not as simple as that. Though in a way, it's simpler.
A given volume of water will require a fixed amount of energy in order to raise its temperature by one degree. If you have a 500w heater, it is capable of outputting twice as much energy in a fixed amount of time as a 250w heater. If a 250w heater will take 10 minutes to raise the temperature of tank water by one degree, the 500w heater will do it in 5 minutes. Total amount of energy expended = exactly the same. The more powerful heater uses more electricity per minute, but it runs for a shorter time.
I could go into how the surface area/volume ratio of small and large tanks affects the loss of heat into the surroundings and therefore how that affects the energy that the heaters need to expend to maintain the temperature, but I can't be bothered.