Environmentally Friendly Tank

[deinonychus]

Hello,

Bit of an odd one this, but I could use some of your creativity.

At some point in the next year, I'd quite like to set up a marine aquarium. Thing is, I'm interested in environmental issues and would rather not have something that uses too much energy.

So, my question is, how can I make a, say, 50g tank energy efficient?

Obviously a reef is out of the question, so I'd be looking at either FO or FOWLR. As this is going to be a compromise, fish will be dictated by what system I go with - which is fine - I like them all. These are the questions I have so far - but please do let me know any ideas you have!


Should I go with live rock? Presumably, live rock means more powerheads than using a filter, but with live rock and a DSB I could cut down on water changes. Also, with a lot of life rock and the sand, could I realistically use tap water and have it process the nitrates (I'm in London - I think they're 30ish..?) I don't really want to be getting into RO units etc.

If I go with live rock, how long do I need to have the lights on for?

Do I really need a skimmer with no inverts? I've heard some people say they're really not essential for FO, but others recommend them for everything...

I assume that heaters are all much the same and there are not significant savings to be made with them. I'd be going with LED lights. Obviously I'll be keeping the stocking levels reasonably low so as not to require extra filtration.


Cheers

 

[andywg]

If you want a low energy tank then actually look at the wattage of what you buy. The power costs of Tunze powerheads are minuscule (8W for 4,500 LPH) compared to most filters.

If you go FO or FOLWR then lights become optional. If lighting by LED make sure you don't get modern LED systems that are running around 3W per LED, but instead use older LEDs on a DIY rig.

FO and FOWLR are fine with tap water, especially with lower light which will stop algae forming. Most fish are fine in nitrates of 30-50 and above.

A skimmer will help go longer between water changes and keep the tank a bit cleaner, especially useful in a FOWLR.

If you really wanted to go lower running costs then you can go for an air powered undergravel filter, though then you are weighing against salt and water costs.

To aid in heating look into insulating the tank on all sides that aren't looked at. Also put covers on to reduce evaporation.

To really make anything environmentally friendly, use second hand old goods. Making new things is far higher in energy costs than maintaining old ones.

 

[Lokis_Daddy]

I don't know much about saltwater equipment and such, so I can't give you any suggestions there, but have you also looked into solar panels to run all the electric equipment?

 

[SkiFletch]

Andy pretty much hit the nail on the head right there. Low wattage pumps like the Tunze, LR, and DIY LED lights and you'll be all set.

 

[deinonychus]

If you want a low energy tank then actually look at the wattage of what you buy. The power costs of Tunze powerheads are minuscule (8W for 4,500 LPH) compared to most filters.

If you go FO or FOLWR then lights become optional. If lighting by LED make sure you don't get modern LED systems that are running around 3W per LED, but instead use older LEDs on a DIY rig.

FO and FOWLR are fine with tap water, especially with lower light which will stop algae forming. Most fish are fine in nitrates of 30-50 and above.

A skimmer will help go longer between water changes and keep the tank a bit cleaner, especially useful in a FOWLR.

If you really wanted to go lower running costs then you can go for an air powered undergravel filter, though then you are weighing against salt and water costs.

To aid in heating look into insulating the tank on all sides that aren't looked at. Also put covers on to reduce evaporation.

To really make anything environmentally friendly, use second hand old goods. Making new things is far higher in energy costs than maintaining old ones.

Thanks for this - very helpful! I was under the vague impression that LR needed a bit of light to encourage all the right sort of stuff to grow in it - is that not the case?

Lokis_Daddy: solar panels would be a good idea, but I'll be moving flats shortly and it might not be practical. Also, my knowledge of electronics sucks and I'm not sure how easily I'd be able to wire it all up - especially as any of the equipment would need to run at night as well. Will certainly look into it though!

 

[cuticom]

The above infos good, but there's something you haven't considered...

If attempting to do a true environmentally friendly salt-water tank there's two topics that need to be addressed.
1. Live Rock, liverock is taken directly from the ocean, removing homes for many critters this can be avoided through either making your own rock, buying rock from another reef keeper who's breaking down their tank, or buying aqua cultured rock.
2. The fish themselves, often wild caught taking creatures from delicate marine systems, sometimes overfishing has destroyed reefs entirely. To avoid this you can buy captive bred fish or buy fish from a reefer who's breaking down their tank.

 

[deinonychus]

The above infos good, but there's something you haven't considered...

If attempting to do a true environmentally friendly salt-water tank there's two topics that need to be addressed.
1. Live Rock, liverock is taken directly from the ocean, removing homes for many critters this can be avoided through either making your own rock, buying rock from another reef keeper who's breaking down their tank, or buying aqua cultured rock.
2. The fish themselves, often wild caught taking creatures from delicate marine systems, sometimes overfishing has destroyed reefs entirely. To avoid this you can buy captive bred fish or buy fish from a reefer who's breaking down their tank.

Thanks for this. I was going to have a go at making my own LR (don't know how sensible that is!)

I will try to go for captive fish. Certainly clowns (which I think I'll basically have to keep in order to get permission from my girlfriend to have a big messy disaster waiting to happen in the corner of the room). Ultimately, my interests are more about global climate change stuff than on ecosystems, but it's obviously something I need to think about too!

 

[SkiFletch]

Heh, well Cuticom is your man for making DIY rock, he made some great stuff recently.

I'll just add that if you use low-wattage equipment like Andy mentioned, your heater will by far use more electricity

 

[andywg]

DIY live rock is really easy, you just have to be more patient. The basic recipe is 5 parts crushed oyster shell to 1 part cement (make sure it is a cement you need to add sand to). Let this set in sand for a day or so, and then cure it in water for about 4 to 6 weeks changing water at least once a week until the cement stops sending the pH up.

Be careful on the captive caught vs wild debate. On plentiful fish (such as many of the clowns) you aren't doing ecological damage. You then have to look at the costs of the moving of the fish from the wild to your tank vs the (usually high energy) costs of domestic breeders.

As a comparison of sorts, everyone got really upset about food miles and said how you should only buy local. It was then pointed out that due to the high energy use of British farming it is better for the environment as a whole to have the sheep bred in New Zealand and shipped over than breed them over here.

 

[deinonychus]

DIY live rock is really easy, you just have to be more patient. The basic recipe is 5 parts crushed oyster shell to 1 part cement (make sure it is a cement you need to add sand to). Let this set in sand for a day or so, and then cure it in water for about 4 to 6 weeks changing water at least once a week until the cement stops sending the pH up.

Be careful on the captive caught vs wild debate. On plentiful fish (such as many of the clowns) you aren't doing ecological damage. You then have to look at the costs of the moving of the fish from the wild to your tank vs the (usually high energy) costs of domestic breeders.

As a comparison of sorts, everyone got really upset about food miles and said how you should only buy local. It was then pointed out that due to the high energy use of British farming it is better for the environment as a whole to have the sheep bred in New Zealand and shipped over than breed them over here.

Thanks for this. It's given me a lot to think about....

I will let you know how it goes when I take the plunge....

 

[Musho3210]

Get an acrylic tank. They insulate better than glass.

 

[deinonychus]

Get an acrylic tank. They insulate better than glass.

Thanks! I didn't know that...