Adding power to the aquarium is not often a problem. A fish tank is not a power hungry system. Admittedly, it does use quite a number of sockets to operate the various units required for the life and the health of the fish. It is quite conservative in its power demands when compared to televisions, computers and many other entertainment appliances. These may pull a lot of juice to keep them running correctly. However, often an aquarium demands just a few extra outlets to get the power the aquarium accessories require.
The standard aquarium system usually requires at least three outlets when adding power to the aquarium accessories. The various primary functions in the aquarium ecosystem require at least one each. One for a heater, one (at least) for the filter, if there is only one being used. Finally, a socket for the aquarium lighting. Other accessories such as air pump for optimum surface agitation may also be used, requiring another plug.
Even with all these required outlets, If one considers the electrical requirements of an average 10-30 gallon aquarium, adding power for their minimal requirements is not a drain. Even with a 150 W heater (for the larger aquarium), the electrical requirements of a fully operating aquarium would be about:
150 W - Heater
6-12 W - Filter - If dual filtration is used add another 6 - 12 W to the hourly power consumption
15 - 20 W - Fluorescent Canopy
6 - 12 W for an airpiump of the system has one installed
When the heater is running, the total requirements would be maximum of 182 Watts without a secondary filter and air pump. Add a maximum of 24 more watts per hour if both are added. This situation, with extra filter and even an airpump, is actually rare these days. Now, consider that the heater rarely works a lot over the space of an hour.
When the correct temperature has been reached and is properly set, it often off more than it is on. When that is the case, it only burns energy when it heats, which is only occasionally. The thermostat requires it to run only when the temperature is under the heater's setting.
Otherwise, the energy consumption of a lit aquarium is up to 32 Watts (for a 20 Watt bulb and 12 Watt filter)as the only running aquarium equipment. When the tank is dark and the light is turned off for the the evening, it might only be using between 6 - 12 Watts an hour!
Not a lot of energy consumption for the beauty that an aquarium offers the surrounding area.
Although the power consumption is minimal, one must consider, however, how the power is delivered to the aquarium. Since the energy required is so small, it is not difficult to provide the quantity of power required. There should be no stress on the circuits in any way.
The real problem is to deliver the power to three plugs. The typical wall socket provides only two outlets from the wall. This is easily solved if there are two power outlets with a pair of sockets close to the aquarium. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case for modern homes, or even business.
In many common cases, the aquarist with only a single wall socket with two outlets uses the most common solution when adding power. The use of a multiple socket power bar of some sort is the usual solution. The problem here is that the most common installation of these units is to leave them on the floor directly beneath the aquarium to keep them out of the way. There is great danger that any water that escapes the aquarium to get into the power bar. This is quite a likely scenario in this installation scenario. There is a lot of potential for an electrical fire should free water somehow get into the hot electrical parts and short.
In a previous tip - The Importance of a Drip Loop - Set up Tip 11; we mentioned the real need for a drip loop to be in place at all times. Leaving a power bar on the floor negates the possibility of an effective wire drip loop being formed and kept available over the life of the system. In most cases, unless the power bar is mounted on the wall or suspended above the floor in some way, there is the potential for problems to occur with this solution.
We prefer to use a six socket adapter plugged over the actual wall socket. Since the electrical draw is so low anyway, there is little, if any, danger of overloading the outlet when the three to five sockets are filled with aquarium equipment. We don't recommend using any remaining outlets for anything else than aquarium appliances. This will ensure there is never any danger from power consumption overages. The benefit of using a wall socket adapter in this way is that the configuration ensures there is a good possibility that drip loops, which are so essential, are always in force. Properly formed, they will remain that way over the lifetime of the fish tank and provide passive safety from accidental water spills that otherwise could cause a catastrophic fire in the home or office.
| Price : $188.20
