Optimising your aquarium's electricity consumption: practical tips and advice

Aquariums are popular in France. With 33 million fish in our homes, it's vital to keep a close eye on the electricity consumption of these facilities. This consumption can often be surprising, especially for large reef tanks. Today, I'm going to share some practical tips for optimising electricity consumption of your aquarium. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, these tips will help you save energy while ensuring the well-being of your fish.

Aquarium: from electricity consumption to possible savings

To reduce your aquarium's energy costs, you need to look at several areas of consumption:

• Lighting
• The filter
• Heating

A 100-litre aquarium can cost around €35 a year. But with a few adjustments, you can significantly reduce this bill.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the key aspects of the electricity consumption of an aquarium. Here's how to optimise lighting :

• A fluorescent tube consumes more energy with a ballast. Opt for a electronic ballast to save around €5 a year.
• Reduce the lighting time, opt for LEDs or use a dimmer switch. Reflectors can also double the amount of light.
• If you have a peak/off-peak subscription, use off-peak hours to reduce your electricity consumption. consumption.

By adjusting these few parameters, your energy bill for lighting will fall significantly.

The filter

The pump and filter play a crucial role in the energy consumption an aquarium :

• Choose energy-efficient brewing pumps and adapt their flow rate to your specific needs.
• Use two small pumps instead of one large one for better energy distribution.
• Clean the filter regularly to avoid excess consumption.
• Invest in top-quality pumps. Avoid low-end models, which consume more and are less efficient.

These adjustments will allow you to better manage the aquarium's consumption while ensuring optimum filtration.

Heating

Heating is often the main source of electricity consumption in an aquarium, especially in winter. Here are a few tips:

• Place the aquarium in a warmer room to limit temperature variations.
• Adapt the temperature to each species of fish and adjust according to the season.
• Leave a 2 cm gap between the aquarium and the wall and use a sheet of insulation at the back. Choose an acrylic aquarium rather than a glass one.
• Use a cover to collect condensation in winter.

I remember one customer who set up his aquarium near a window. As pretty as the view was, his consumption electricity costs increased due to temperature fluctuations. Simply moving the aquarium to a warmer room reduced the bill considerably.

Invest in equipment that consumes as little energy as possible

To reduce costs over the long term, invest in energy-efficient equipment:

• Modern LEDs consume less energy than T8 fluorescent tubes.
• The energy-efficient pumps are a reliable solution for reducing consumption.
• Sunrise and sunset controllers can optimise lighting even further.

Technologies are constantly evolving. Brands and manufacturers are working to develop more energy-efficient ranges. Keeping up with these developments and gradually replacing your ageing equipment will guarantee you significant savings.

A thorough understanding of the needs of the host population

To avoid over-consumption, it is vital to know the specific needs of your fish:

• Avoid overheating the water. Too high a temperature speeds up the metabolism of fish, which can also affect their health.
• Adapt the volume of your aquarium to your energy budget. Sometimes a smaller volume not only reduces the electricity consumption but also maintenance costs.
• Keep water consumption under control. Choose a closed aquarium to minimise evaporation.

Another anecdote, I advised a family on the needs of their goldfish. They had a huge aquarium for just three small fish. By adjusting the size of the aquarium, they saved not only on energy but also on water and maintenance products.

Controlling water consumption

Although it may seem less obvious, water consumption has a direct impact on energy costs:

• Choose a closed aquarium to limit evaporation.
• Adjust the frequency of water changes to suit the fish population.
• Use online calculation tools to estimate electricity costs for different types of equipment.

Here's a table to estimate the electricity consumption of different aquariums:

Aquarium volume	Dimensions	Pump	Heating	Lighting	Annual consumption (€)
240L	120x40x50 cm	15W	150W	85W	93.434€
30L	35x25x35 cm	4W	50W	11W	18.695€
500L	N/A	40W	UVC 9W	N/A	41.772€

Optimising your aquarium's electricity consumption requires a few simple but effective adjustments. As a young pet shop floor manager, I like to share these tips with my customers to help them maintain a healthy, eco-responsible habitat for their fish. Adopt these tips and enjoy your aquarium while reducing your energy costs. And believe me, your fish won't complain!