electrics for new marine fish tank
Mark Trueman
Im in the planning stage for a new marine tank and would like some thoughts
on the electrics.
This tank will take quite a high load, with 2 or 3 250 watt metal halide
lights, pumps, and various other hardware attached. My current fish tank is
a lot less demanding and just runs a couple of flourescents and a couple of
pumps off a spur off the ring main. I expect that a spur will not be able to
handle the high load i am expecting so its time for a rethink.
Firstly some background. The tank will be between two rooms, the kitchen and
bathroom. The kitchen has an electric oven cable running to it (10mm) but
this is not actually used on an electrical oven. It is in fact terminated
into a wylex 5 way consumer unit, which then has a couple of mcbs connected
up to the cooker hood lighting / extractor fan and cooker ignition.
What i would ideally like to do is run a "mini ring main" inside the fish
tank cabinet (a board with 5 or so double sockets mounted on it and wired up
in ring format) from this consumer unit, using a correctly rated mcb/rcd
(probably a maximum of 1kw being used at any time). Should i put a standard
32amp mcb in the CU or something lower (15 amp?). What about rcd protection
(with this being a potential mix of water and electrics, i assume that this
will be a good idea). The tank is only a 2m run from the consumer unit.
Thanks in advance for any pointers/ warnings-
Mark
Alan
"Mark Trueman" <markt...@NOSPAMdsl.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:41011070$0$6445$cc9e...@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
Mark,
As an owner of a similar setup I can help.
The total load of your tank is far less than you think. OK, so the halides
are 250w each (total 2 amps), and the other equipment will use no more than
a further 2-3 amps even when the heater(s) are on as well as air & water
pumps, UVs etc.
A 5 amp feed will be more than enough. Actual running current will be less
than 1 amp typically once the MHs have fired up etc. It's the initial surge
that is big.
My 6' Seabray has 2x 250w MHs, 400w heater, chiller (on a fair bit in this
weather), 2x water pumps (35w external filter and 50w pump in sump), 25w UV,
2x air pumps, tank monitoring computer, protien skimmer and a load of other
small equipment.
I run the lot through a big UPS to keep it going through power cuts.
Also, factoring in amount of time heater\chiller is on, and lights off at
night, average power is surprisingly little.
Alan.
use...@isbd.co.uk
> Hi all,
>
> Im in the planning stage for a new marine tank and would like some thoughts
> on the electrics.
>
> This tank will take quite a high load, with 2 or 3 250 watt metal halide
> lights, pumps, and various other hardware attached. My current fish tank is
> a lot less demanding and just runs a couple of flourescents and a couple of
> pumps off a spur off the ring main. I expect that a spur will not be able to
> handle the high load i am expecting so its time for a rethink.
>
watts, even if the pumps etc. doubled that (which I doubt) you're
still only talking about 1500 watts. That's around 7 amps if it's all
on simultaneously, fine to put on a spur on a ring circuit.
If you really were using much more than that you'd boil the water!
--
Chris Green
Ian Stirling
> Mark Trueman <markt...@nospamdsl.pipex.com> wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Im in the planning stage for a new marine tank and would like some thoughts
>> on the electrics.
>>
>> This tank will take quite a high load, with 2 or 3 250 watt metal halide
>> lights, pumps, and various other hardware attached. My current fish tank is
>> a lot less demanding and just runs a couple of flourescents and a couple of
>> pumps off a spur off the ring main. I expect that a spur will not be able to
>> handle the high load i am expecting so its time for a rethink.
>>
> From what you say it's still peanuts. Three 250 watt lamps totals 750
> If you really were using much more than that you'd boil the water!
It's worth thinking about seperately venting the metal halide lights, unless
heating is needed all the time.
At the least, a thermostatic fan to pull the heat out from the lamps
when the tank gets too hot.
Andrew Gabriel
"Alan" <alz_...@nospam.ntlworld.com> writes:
>
> Mark,
>
> As an owner of a similar setup I can help.
>
> The total load of your tank is far less than you think. OK, so the halides
> are 250w each (total 2 amps), and the other equipment will use no more than
> a further 2-3 amps even when the heater(s) are on as well as air & water
> pumps, UVs etc.
> A 5 amp feed will be more than enough. Actual running current will be less
> than 1 amp typically once the MHs have fired up etc. It's the initial surge
> that is big.
>
> My 6' Seabray has 2x 250w MHs, 400w heater, chiller (on a fair bit in this
> weather), 2x water pumps (35w external filter and 50w pump in sump), 25w UV,
> 2x air pumps, tank monitoring computer, protien skimmer and a load of other
> small equipment.
>
> I run the lot through a big UPS to keep it going through power cuts.
>
> Also, factoring in amount of time heater\chiller is on, and lights off at
> night, average power is surprisingly little.
I used to have a goldfish bowl...
--
Andrew Gabriel
Andy Hall
wrote:
Putting them into a hood with open top and bottom that is suspended a
little way above the tank is a good way to do this.
THe bright halide lights are necessary for some species of
invertebrates in order that the zooxanthellae algae that live in them
are stimulated and produce the required nutrients for the host animal.
The downside is that they produce a lot of heat which has to be dumped
by ventilation, or in hot weather chilling may be needed as well.
Evaporation from the aquarium helps as well, but of course means that
make up water needs to be added to compensate.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
Ian Stirling
About half the energy that goes into the light comes out as photons.
So, even at best, cooling the lights only removes about half the heat.
Dave Stanton
> What i would ideally like to do is run a "mini ring main" inside the fish
> tank cabinet (a board with 5 or so double sockets mounted on it and wired up
> in ring format) from this consumer unit, using a correctly rated mcb/rcd
> (probably a maximum of 1kw being used at any time). Should i put a standard
> 32amp mcb in the CU or something lower (15 amp?). What about rcd protection
> (with this being a potential mix of water and electrics, i assume that this
> will be a good idea). The tank is only a 2m run from the consumer unit.
>
> Thanks in advance for any pointers/ warnings-
>
> Mark
If you don't have a RCCD on the rest of the system, then I would think
thats a bloody good idea
Dave
--
Some people use windows, others have a life.
raden
<and...@cucumber.demon.co.uk> writes
--
geoff