Ska's 28 Macro Algae Display

[Myka]

An AquaFuge needs a powerhead to run the water from your tank into the fuge. AquaFuge's run just like an HOB power filter (like say an AquaClear). It uses a pump to pull the water out of the tank, then overflows back into the tank. You can't use a Koralia to run a CPR AquaFuge, it's the wrong design. The AquaFuge's come with their own powerhead to run it, that is small and has slow flow. The amount of flow you have in the tank has nothing to do with the amount of flow you have running through the AquaFuge. You can use the K3, the skimmer, and the AquaFuge all together with no problem, in fact they will compliment eachother quite well.

The AquaFuge is SO similar to an AquaClear HOB filter in fact, that you can use an AquaClear as a fuge if you'd like to, for A LOT less money. Lots of people use AquaClear 110's (the biggest ones) for fuges. You can find the modded AC110's in the classifieds every once in awhile. Look up AquaClear mods or try this link: http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=38221

[skabooya]

Oh i know the K3 wont power the fuge i was wondering about it in addition to the HOB. But youve answered my question completely.
Now researching AC110 Ive seen it done lots of times my issue with it will be finding a light for it. Other than that its all good now. Thank you

[Myka]

A standard incandescent light strip for a 5g tank fits the AC110 perfectly, and it's cheap! Use a Philips Daylight 6500K spiral compact flourescent bulb, and you're set. It even produces a nice color from the bulb, not uber yellow like the Coralife 6500Ks.

[skabooya]

Well i already got the light in a desk lamp im using over my nano fw planted so i could just use that. It is 6500K
Now im looking at a K2 on one end of the tank and a K1 on the other because like someone mentioned its a long way for a K3 to push water. I dont want to have a near stagnant area. A K2 and a K1 add up to have almost the same flow as a single K3. It will cost more but im just not sure
AND what really sucks is that i have to finish my office build. Im getting sick and tired of waiting for it to get finished by my hubby and his dad. Its been nearly a year! So im gonna take the money saved up and spend it on bookcases. My dad in law was gonna build them which would be cheaper but he wont start them until after hunting season which is in October. I needed my office last year! So i guess this means im gonna have an empty tank until around christmas time Im hoping thats not the case but yea im gonna have to start my saving from scratch again.

[Carrera75]

Originally Posted by skabooya

Now researching AC110 Ive seen it done lots of times my issue with it will be finding a light for it. Other than that its all good now. Thank you

This will work for the AC110
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s...t_ID=pc-al0909

[Myka]

Originally Posted by skabooya

Now im looking at a K2 on one end of the tank and a K1 on the other because like someone mentioned its a long way for a K3 to push water.

Be sure that when you have one on one end, and one on the other that they don't face eachother otherwise they knock out half the flow from eachother.

[skabooya]

Sorry I havent been on in a while. I ended up spending my money on bookshelves for my office $1000+ which i really needed. My knees and bum were getting sore from doing paper work on the floor and digging through piles of books and papers stacked up on average 3ft high on the floor.
Anyway I managed to save up enough money to buy some equiptment YAY! and then BOOM the electric bill comes. Did you know that there is a new residential conservation rate? It just started up Oct 1 of this year. Well you can imagine my ****yness when our electric bill went up an extra $100 because of this.
This is an incentive for people to conserve energy and to do this they are going to charge extra for power. So instead of power costing $0.06550 it is now going to cost in total $0.18 on average BUT it will depend. I quote "If you use less than 2260 kWh on a bi-monthly basis you will pay less than under the previous flat rate structure" it goes on to say "The new rate structure provides a price incentive to encourage conservation"
It says on the hydro website if you use more than 1350kWh you will pay 7.21cents/kwh until April 1 2009 at which time this price will go up to 8.21/kwh cents. But if you use less than 1350kWh then you only pay 5.95/kwh cents until April 1, 2009 when the price goes up to 6.35 cents per kwh and this is on top of the rate we are paying now which is a little over 6 cents.
BUT get this there are 2 steps to this Step one charges 0.5980/kwh and step 2 charges 0.07210/kwh so really you are getting charged 3 times. WHY? i have no idea and when i called they couldnt explain it to me either and only told me to wait until they read the meter again in november and re-bill me. I was like WTF?
So in total i am paying 18cents per kWh.
This means the tank I want to set up will now cost PER MONTH:

Heater = 100watts 24/7
Hydor K1 = 3.5watts 24/7
Hydor k2= 4.5watts 24/7
Skimmer = 10watts 24/7
Lights = ~160watts 8hrs

watts/1000 (conversion to kW) then
kW x hours x kWh cost (18 cents in my case) x 31 (days of the month)
Then you get your answer

For me its $127.38/month AND this does not include normal upkeep costs, salt, water, food, etc. This is just for electric.
Before this my 28gal would have cost me about $50/month. I feel sorry for those that have 100+ gal systems WOW!

So now what do i do. Do i still do salt water or do i switch to something else that is cheaper. *sigh* our economy sucks.

[X-Treme]

Originally Posted by skabooya

So in total i am paying 18cents per kWh.
This means the tank I want to set up will now cost PER MONTH:

Heater = 100watts 24/7
Hydor K1 = 3.5watts 24/7
Hydor k2= 4.5watts 24/7
Skimmer = 10watts 24/7
Lights = ~160watts 8hrs

watts/1000 (conversion to kW) then
kW x hours x kWh cost (18 cents in my case) x 31 (days of the month)
Then you get your answer

For me its $127.38/month AND this does not include normal upkeep costs, salt, water, food, etc. This is just for electric.
Before this my 28gal would have cost me about $50/month. I feel sorry for those that have 100+ gal systems WOW!

So now what do i do. Do i still do salt water or do i switch to something else that is cheaper. *sigh* our economy sucks.

Why on EARTH would your heater be running 24/7????

[marie]

Originally Posted by skabooya

... Did you know that there is a new residential conservation rate? It just started up Oct 1 of this year. Well you can imagine my ****yness when our electric bill went up an extra $100 because of this.
This is an incentive for people to conserve energy and to do this they are going to charge extra for power. So instead of power costing $0.06550 it is now going to cost in total $0.18 on average BUT it will depend. I quote "If you use less than 2260 kWh on a bi-monthly basis you will pay less than under the previous flat rate structure" it goes on to say "The new rate structure provides a price incentive to encourage conservation"
It says on the hydro website if you use more than 1350kWh you will pay 7.21cents/kwh until April 1 2009 at which time this price will go up to 8.21/kwh cents. But if you use less than 1350kWh then you only pay 5.95/kwh cents until April 1, 2009 when the price goes up to 6.35 cents per kwh and this is on top of the rate we are paying now which is a little over 6 cents...
.

Maybe I'm reading my bill wrong but I don't think it's "on top of the rate we are paying now which is a little over 6 cents"
My bill has been separated into 2 parts, before oct 1st and after oct 1 and nowhere after oct 1 is there an extra 6 cent charge just the $.059 and the $.072

Oh yea and I'm paying about $120 a month and I have 4 tanks running, 1 of them is my 175g

[skabooya]

Marie: That is why I called them yesterday to figure this out. It didnt make any sence to me. My bill says that under the normal rate of 0.06550/kWh i would have spent 76.05 last month. Which is what i would have had to pay before.

Under that it says Usage Charge step 1 and step 2 "Oct 01 to Oct 16 (residential conservation rate 1101) Basic charge: 16 days @ $ 0.12380/day"
Step 1 then goes on to charge me $21.23 and step 2 charges me 63.81 and then gst 8.29

Now the charge of my 75.05 for the normal usage plus step 1 and 2 and gst and the rider rate and the clean energy fund levy My total comes out to $174.79 for everything in my house.

So they basically charged me 3 times. Now, what i was told on the phone by these people was to wait until the november reading for a re-billing. She said that it would make more sense next month but If im paying a total of 18cents / kWh staying under the 1350 kWh line then i will be paying about 2Cents extra /kWh (20 cents total) if i go over that AND it will all change April 1 when the rates go up. SO then the norm would be 19 cents normally if i stay under the 1350 line and 21 cents if i go over.

And marie whats your secret to only paying that much for your tanks??
I currently have only one tank running (i tore down the other two) and its FW. I got rid of my hot tub, switched to cold water, changed all the bulbs in my house, etc etc etc and Im paying more now than what i did last year. WTF??? makes no sense to me. Please Please tell me your secret.

X-Treme
Is it wrong to have a heater running 24/7 ?? I thought that the temp would be regulated that way. Thats the way ive been doing it for years and my temps stay constant. When the temp goes over what i set it too on the heater then the heater shuts off until the temp falls below what i set it too and then it comes back on.
Please explain why its not a smart thing to do to run a heater on 24/7 im confused with this.