How do you power your reef?
 

I have been feeling really guilty lately about the amount of energy I am using for my reef tank and am looking for an alternative.
When I think of the wast it generates it makes me think of those poor polar bears drowning. I use MH's so that means I have to use a chiller. Two 300W heaters, four MJ 1200, Mag 12 for return, Sedra 7000 for skimmer, for what...so I can look at some fish?! There's got to be a better way.

Re: How do you power your reef?
 

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9534899#post9534899 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69 [/i]
[B]I have been feeling really guilty lately about the amount of energy I am using for my reef tank and am looking for an alternative.
When I think of the wast it generates it makes me think of those poor polar bears drowning. I use MH's so that means I have to use a chiller. Two 300W heaters, four MJ 1200, Mag 12 for return, Sedra 7000 for skimmer, for what...so I can look at some fish?! There's got to be a better way. [/B][/QUOTE]

[img]http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/happy0194.gif[/img]

Wow, that's clever :rolleye1: . You remind me of grade school bullies. Grow up.

WOW! Such deep seeded hostility. I am just looking for an alternative and trying to reduce my carbon footprint. Please tell me how you power your tank so I can follow a good example.

I rent, I can't install solar panels or windmills. I have to use the power that is offered to me. Like I said, grow up.

So I guess I could just buy carbon credits then? Where do you get those from?

As if you are going to do that. You're just trying to be cute. I would love to do those things, and I will, it's just hard when I make under $10,000 a year right now. Yes, that's right, not $100,000, only $10,000. I assure you, my footprint is relatively small simply because I'm poor as dirt.

While I am sure you will igonre this. You did ask.

[url]http://www.carbonplanet.com/home/shop.php[/url]

I am sure there are plenty of others.

Another option is green power schemes. I do not know if there is one where you live you may have to ask your energy provider.

Man,you're so thick. Anyone can see that.

Basicly what we want is countrys aroud the world to start generating power in better ways. By not burning fossil fuels which is a major contributer to GW & Climate change.

Can you not see that its a good thing? Are you that pig headed and ignorant? It's pathetic that all you do is call people hypcrites for having a reef tank. cant you see it would'nt be any different if we didnt have a reef tank we would still need electricity for our homes.

It's not so much how you use it,but how you make it.

[url]http://www.npower-deals.co.uk/npower-juice.php[/url]

.

I saw on 'Living with Ed' that he uses a bicycle to produce enough energy to toast bread. Maybe you could hook up a bike to your aquarium...Of course you would then need more energy intake and that requires food. To make food requires energy like diesel for tractors and electricity to process the food, gas to distribute the food, and on and on.

Hrrm, how about a gerbil or rabbit powered wheel. They can graze off your grass in your yard and power your aquarium.

There are lots of ways coming out now where you can generate your own power. For sure in the next 5-10 years consumer available, and affordable devices will come out.


Hippie, I don't get the hostility you show against this guy? Sure, it's just a thought to try and reduce your electicity consumption, but it's a positive one.... unless there is some history between you two or with virginiadiver that I don't know about.



Anyways, I see no need to argue. Carbon credits only help so much, they're a nice idea, but in my opinion are not a viable solution.

Reading it over... the poll is pretty ridiculous...

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9540571#post9540571 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rosseau [/i]
[B]Reading it over... the poll is pretty ridiculous... [/B][/QUOTE]
Absolutely it's ridiculous. Starting a thread to ask a legitimate question is one thing, but trolling threads like this one are asinine. A controversial question is fine, but to start a thread solely to mock and belittle large groups of people is uncalled for.

Grow up.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9541403#post9541403 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rosseau [/i]
[B]Grow up. [/B][/QUOTE]
Are you talking to me? If you are, maybe you should read the thread he was involved in just before starting this one. Then you might understand.

I wasn't talking to you. Rather I was reiterating your point.


I can however see how you may have arrived at that conclusion.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9537282#post9537282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HippieSmell [/i]
[B]As if you are going to do that. You're just trying to be cute. I would love to do those things, and I will, it's just hard when I make under $10,000 a year right now. Yes, that's right, not $100,000, only $10,000. I assure you, my footprint is relatively small simply because I'm poor as dirt. [/B][/QUOTE]

I see were that could make it difficult. I assume you are either in school or just graduated. Been there, done that. Paying back student loans and just starting out can be tough.
Even at a $100k per year, it would be tough to live the green "life style" considering almost $25k for a hybrid car or $20k for solar panels. What's a person to do?

I've looked into some of the carbon credits and it looks like for just a couple of hundred dollars you can offset a TON of Co2. That seems like something even a "poor" ideological person could afford. I am new to this so, HIPPIE...which one do you use. I wouldn't want to do the equivalent of buying the Brooklyn bridge...if you know what I mean. How would I know that they are really planting the trees?

First off, a reminder to all.....

[flamealert]

If we can all check our attitudes at the door and debate the points without resorting to the unneeded mud slinging there is much that we can learn from each other with these debates. However, if that can't happen, this thread will be closed sooner rather than later.

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9544049#post9544049 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69 [/i]
[B]Even at a $100k per year, it would be tough to live the green "life style" considering almost $25k for a hybrid car or $20k for solar panels. What's a person to do?[/B][/QUOTE]

Indeed some of that technology is priced beyond many peoples means for the immediate outlay of cash needed. Hopefully things such as solar panels come down in price.

For some simple low budget things, simply replacing your incandescent light bulbs with power compacts is a great way to go. I've got 13watt PC bulbs everywhere now, even my garage floodlights. Heck of a savings (both financially and "carbon footprint") compared to running 75 or 100 watt incandescents.

For a more grand scale, support things like wind farms ;)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9544429#post9544429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef [/i]
[B]Indeed some of that technology is priced beyond many peoples means for the immediate outlay of cash needed. Hopefully things such as solar panels come down in price.

For some simple low budget things, simply replacing your incandescent light bulbs with power compacts is a great way to go. I've got 13watt PC bulbs everywhere now, even my garage floodlights. Heck of a savings (both financially and "carbon footprint") compared to running 75 or 100 watt incandescents.

[/B][/QUOTE]

Good idea. That's why I went with t-5 lights on my aquarium. MH's just seem seem like an obscene waste of energy just for the pretty ripples on the water surface.


[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9544429#post9544429 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by billsreef [/i]
[B]For a more grand scale, support things like wind farms ;) [/B][/QUOTE]

Do you mean support ideologically or practically? ;)
I wouldn't know where to begin to figure out how to build a wind farm.

On a slightly different note; how do you deal with the water waste problem? I saw a report from UNICEF about the dire straights of the worlds drinking water. Along with the MASSIVE waste of energy that reef tanks contribute, the wastefulness of perfectly good drinking water is hard to justify. I mean could you imagine, rising global temps. AND no drinking water :eek1:

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9544629#post9544629 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by virginiadiver69 [/i]
[B]Do you mean support ideologically or practically? ;)
I wouldn't know where to begin to figure out how to build a wind farm.[/b][/quote]

Ideologically. I'm not one of those NIMBY's in regards to things like windmills. There are some plans for doing large scale wind farms offshore of Long Island, it's something I support and if should hit a ballet I'd vote that way too ;) If I could put a windmill generator in my backyard I would, but currently they are against the zoning regulations in my town :(

[b][quote]
On a slightly different note; how do you deal with the water waste problem? I saw a report from UNICEF about the dire straights of the worlds drinking water. Along with the MASSIVE waste of energy that reef tanks contribute, the wastefulness of perfectly good drinking water is hard to justify. I mean could you imagine, rising global temps. AND no drinking water :eek1: [/B][/QUOTE]

In my case I have a nice deep well with fairly clean water that only needs some simple deionizing, no waste water ;) Even if I did have "waste" water, it could be used for watering plants and washing things ;)

Just to give you an idea, I am currently looking at a grid feed solar system for my house. Unfortunately it will be a few years till I can afford it, but to start with it will cost just over AUD$9000.00 (approx USD$6600) to get a 525W system installed complete. This system does not have batteries so it feeds power directly to the grid to offset your power bill. Then you can upgrade from there when you have the money. I am sure there would be better prices in the US (there is for just about everything else).

Wind power probably gets a better return and there are smaller units for domestic homes, but it usually depends on the area / neighbours / council if you can install one or not.

As for Waste water, I do not waste any water with my RO unit. All of the waste water goes straigh into the washing machine and gets used next wash. Sydney has a bit of a water crisis at the moment so it all helps. I will be changing it soon so that it goes directly into a rain water tank which will supply the washing machine, garden and hopefully toilets.

I forget what power rating was on the solar systems I looked at awhile back, but they were quite a bit more than that.

Wish I could do a windmill, but several years ago (about 15 or 20) a guy down the road from me put one up. Lot's of people objected to it :rolleyes: Hence the town added to the zoning laws to prevent anyone else from doing the same thing. This in a rural town with plenty of old windmills still standing from the days when they were used to run irrigation pumps :rolleyes: