Home-Reef

With the high energy costs these days, there has been a lot of discussion on how the diehard reef aquarium hobbyist can still afford to maintain their systems. A lot of aquarist have thought about cutting back on their lighting systems, and look for alternative ways to light their tanks. The unfortunate trade off is risking the health of the aquarium inhabitants. There are many different ways to save some energy costs when running your systems, whether it’s the use of more fans to help cool the water to ease the load of our chillers, or by simply redesigning the entire lighting set up.
What other methods do you use to help cut back on energy costs?

The most important step in plumbing your aquarium is planning out your design. I like to draw out a diagram on paper of how I want the setup to look. For some it is important to keep a clean and neat look to their design, but a common error in their design is using all sorts of corners and special fittings to “wow” their friends and family. The most important thing to remember is to use as little corners and fittings as possible. The more turns you have in your design, the more friction and back pressure you create. Try to keep things simple and in straight lines. The easier it is for your main pump to push water through your system, the longer your pump will last and the less headaches it will cause you. A quick tip is to always use a ball valve and union fitting before and after any pump or piece of equipment that you include in your design. This will allow easy access to clean and make repairs to your equipment, with out having your tank water spilling out all over.