Back again.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Ok... getting a lil annoying here... but believe it or not I finally settled down again and decided to get back on this fishkeeping hobby of mine.

So for those who don't know me (perhaps all of y'all - this board is getting HUGE!) I used to be a member here in this community and I did keep some tropical fish - then... I moved to America - Oh the Red White and Blue love it but man how much it costs to live here. Long story short, now got a descent job, a small studio apartment in West Michigan (still looking for a gf but oh well) Anyway - I am just not as much familiar with how much maintaining a 50g tank (thats what I actually got for $5 from a friend) costs in term of electricity to run the heater, the lights, the filter... you know the whole 9 yards. Because ya know how the winter weather is up here... so before I actually put some aquascaping ideas on paper and have a list of animals, I think its a good idea to hear from folks here about their experience and how this hobby is factored out of their utility bill.

Ok some details: I plan to:

_ Run a tropical tank, medium to heavily planted. This 50g tank is quite deep (in proportion with the other 2 sides) I'd say around 20 inches or a yay bit more)

_keep the tank in my apartment Hmmm during chilly Michigan winter months, it may get down to 70F.

_keeps it away from most source of natural light

_Filter: I really am just going to go with the most efficient one really.

Did not buy any equipment yet, I shall take precaution just because utility bill can be crazy here sometime.

Alright thanks folks, hope to hear from you soon. I will try to be as active as I can.

"Namy"

[Blue Cray]

I moved to America - Oh the Red White and Blue love it but man how much it costs to live here

LOL try moving to canada I live in a small house and its worth $600 000 and thats considered cheap in this area.

If I remember correctly I saw a chart showing the average cost per month for running a fish tank and it's surprisingly little about $3 a month for a 20g tank. That's all I can remember but I hope it helps.

[COM]

I suspect that this hobby has raised my utility bill significantly.

[fishbguy]

Welcome to MI!!!

check out www.miapg.com

where abouts in MI are you located? I'm on the east side, about an hour north of Detroit.

[akangelfood]

Each time I add a decent sized tank, my electric bill increases by about $15 a month.

[euRasian32]

Hey Nam, I remember you. Your english has improved significantly.

Since the utilites are concerned, I would recommend only buying a filter and a heater. You would have to limit your plant selection to hardy and easy to care for plants with little to no special requirements. Stay away from hard to care plants and stray away from planting heavily, to avoid having to do CO2 induction, etc. (another power drawing component)

[lohachata]

nice to see you again max...glad you are back...and hold on to your hat buddy...

[TheOldSalt]

Nam! My man! Welcome back to FF.
It's good to see you back too, euRasian32.

So, Max, you decided to stay, and finally got away from that host family who wouldn't let you on the computer much, eh? Good deal.

The lights are going to be the biggest power consumers on a plant tank. I can only guess, but I'd estimate that your bright lights are going to cost you about 12-18 bucks a month. The heater won't cost any amount worth mentioning, and the filters will probably run well under 2 bucks.

Down here in Alabama we have one thing, if little else, and that's cheap power. We've got power coming out of our ears down here, and it's cheap, cheap, cheap. I've been very lucky in that regard, and was able to run my whole fish store ( over 100 tanks ) for about 100 a month, even at the higher commercial rate. That would be unthinkable up there, but still, the cost of heating your apartment will be many times over whatever it will cost to run your tank. Be sure to plan for those outrageous heating costs.

[Ichthius]

So many oldies coming back. Welcome back Max (and eurussian)

[fishbguy]

Yeah...This past winter it was pretty wierd. It would snow...ALOT, then it would all melt, then it would snow ALOT again, then melt, and it did this over and over till summer.

If your near lansing, check out preuss pets. I've mever been there, but check it out, I've heard alot of great things.

[maxpayne_lhp]

LOL try moving to canada I live in a small house and its worth $600 000 and thats considered cheap in this area.

Could get into some immigration complications... but id love to visit tho.

where abouts in MI are you located? I'm on the east side, about an hour north of Detroit.

Right in the heart of Grand Rapids, baby... as much as I would spend quite some time in East Lansing and all GR is my home now.

Nam! My man! Welcome back to FF.

Ha ha nice to be back too, man its been a long while! You know what they say... you will never know what life throws at ya.

Ok... I digressed. So Heh well I guess I have to look into my past bills and do some math... its time to get lil geeky on this. It appears that Michigan has somewhat a higher cost for residential consumers http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electri...able5_6_a.html

What brand do you guys prefer for lighting and where do you guys usually get them? I may run out this weekend and take a look.

Thanks for the warm welcome -back. hah

[Scuba Kid]

Hey Nam! Welcome back! Missed ya around here. Doing well, I hope.

As TOS said, if you're going planted the lights will be the most expensive in terms of electricity consumption, and the filter and heater won't really cost too much per month.

[fishbguy]

I like Grand Rapids. I've been their a couple of times for the Michigan Bird show in the Deltaplex showroom.

[trashion]

Welcome back! I used a power compact lamp on my tank, it doesn't seem to have too much of a drain on the electricity.

[Lexus]

Welcome back! I just came back to FF as well. Good to see some oldies are still around!

[maxpayne_lhp]

Yeah theres a hold-off I gotta get my furnitures in place and wait for my dad to move out in a month to finalize the apartment. Ill for sure keep you posted. But I think I am going to put it by my bed (got 2 nightstands - 1 big and 1 small I will evaluate and see if the big one is sturdy enough for the tank)

Getting a dog too

Once again, what is the name brand of your light used for just them basic plants? You know how many watts in average?

Danke!

[Scuba Kid]

Cool! What kind of dog? I love dogs.

I bet one of the Coralife fixtures would serve you well. Did you look around the lighting sections of online stores like www.drsfostersmith.com? That may give you an idea of what you want and how much you'll likely spend.