Kids and the electric bill

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
Thanks for the input everybody. Another thought of mine: If you're trying to teach responsibility, would the amount of money the tank puts on the electric bill make a difference on whether or not you make him pay? i.e. If the cost was $20 instead of $100/month would you still make him pay?
Sepulatian, how much does a kwh cost you? My shop takes 5 times your cost to pay the electic bill! :scared:
Who said anything about California?

Sorry, having a brain fade, KWH? My shop is small. It is a music/fish store. Dynamic Drums and Aquatic Oasis. Not a large store, but a very nice store. I had about 300-350 gallons total. Like I said, not a large store. I had all seperate aquariums though, not walls of tanks running through the same system. My store is set up as home aquariums, each one running as a home tank would run.

 

[viper_930]

haha ok I guess the gig is up.
Three months ago my dad slapped the power bill in front of me after I switched tanks and added another halide. I offered to pay the difference but he declined. I just took one tank down recently and setup another today. Now I gotta pay my share. It's not the cost I'm worried about though, I make plenty just selling frags I've grown. I was just curious if others would do the same as my parents.
lol sign guy funny story.

wattsupdoc, It's actually two tanks (frag tank and new display) or three if you count the sump. All together it's about a 70 gallon system. I had been paying for everything except the electricity. Now I even pay that. I know they liked my first tank in the family room, but that's no more. The tanks I have now are in my room . There wasn't enough space in the family room to expand with a frag tank.

Sep, kwh is a killawatt-hour. Cost around my area is 18 cents. Size of the store sure makes a difference. Mine's got over 3000 gallons.
Thanks for your opinions guys. At least now my mind would be at ease when I fork over the $$.

 

[sepulatian]

Viper, I'm tellin ya, explain the research you are doing and that it will be great on your resume!!!!! They wouldn't want your resume to be flimsy now would they? They are furthuring your future career, even if it has nothing at all to do with fish. Your portfolio will be stronger with your years of experience on these boards as a moderator. It is volunteer work. You are volunteering and were promoted to the highest possible level! You can't do all of that without experience! It would work if you were my kid! Ah, it should at least buy you to only have to pay a portion of the difference!

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
Thanks for the input everybody. Another thought of mine: If you're trying to teach responsibility, would the amount of money the tank puts on the electric bill make a difference on whether or not you make him pay? i.e. If the cost was $20 instead of $100/month would you still make him pay?
Sepulatian, how much does a kwh cost you? My shop takes 5 times your cost to pay the electic bill! :scared:
Who said anything about California?

well we knew u were talking aboutyourself

 

[krazyk]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
Maybe because I am in NY, but my house is 2,500 sq feet. I have 4 tanks running at the moment. I do have gas heat and stove though.

Must be nice, I'm in a 1100 sq ft apartment and my elec is $190 a month...
I also have gas/heat stove... Two tanks, two pc's on 24/7 as well.. Then you figure in laundry (washer/dryer are elec) kinda makes sense... National Grid's delivery charge is where I get bent over...
:scared:

 

[cowfishrule]

hell, my fw tank ran about $30/ month in power.
i had to fork it over.

 

[reefkprz]

IN part yes to teach them that with everything there is a level of responsibility if you want something you need to be able to manage all aspects of its care (of course if they had a minnimum wage job I would probably skimp on the numbers and not make them pay the full amount so as not to discourage them) this is a fairly expensive hobby and hard to pull off on a minnimum wage part time job. of course my electric bill is astronomical anyhow so I dont think I'd even notice the jump of adding one more tank.

 

[maxalmon]

The frag tank I just installed is running 2x250mh and 2x96 actinics, powerbill jumped $110 a month, this one is being converted to a FOLWR and then I'm installing a 210g which I had planned on using 3x250mh and 4x96actinics, just roughly figuring out my bill will jump about $150-160 for that lighting combo would put my yearly total around $1800 so i've decided to go with the 72" Solaris, costs a lot more initially, but figure it will payfor itself in 2 years.

 

[just fishings]

OK OK Everyone has made me feel bad. I live in a 1,100sqft house and I have (2) 75gal, (1) 10gal, and a 60gal running all have mh but the 10...lol. My last month power bill ran $438 and i never got to the cents before fliping out. What is the deal??? I live in North Carolina so I can't say our power cost more than some of yours? I am ready to tair the tanks down!!!

 

[michaeltx]

Originally Posted by just fishings
OK OK Everyone has made me feel bad. I live in a 1,100sqft house and I have (2) 75gal, (1) 10gal, and a 60gal running all have mh but the 10...lol. My last month power bill ran $438 and i never got to the cents before fliping out. What is the deal??? I live in North Carolina so I can't say our power cost more than some of yours? I am ready to tair the tanks down!!!

what lights are you useing and for how long. There isnt much other than the lighting that can run a bill up like that. TRUST me the lights can do some damage though. In Texas I ran dual 250 watt MH and my bill jumped almost 200$ I also had 17 different tanks setup and the bill didnt go up enough to complain about till I put the halides on.
mike

 

[cowfishrule]

on my fw 55, i was running 2 emp 400's, and 2 65wt lights 14 hr/day.

 

[nigerbang]

Originally Posted by just fishings
OK OK Everyone has made me feel bad. I live in a 1,100sqft house and I have (2) 75gal, (1) 10gal, and a 60gal running all have mh but the 10...lol. My last month power bill ran $438 and i never got to the cents before fliping out. What is the deal??? I live in North Carolina so I can't say our power cost more than some of yours? I am ready to tair the tanks down!!!

Dont worry...My PB is around $240 a month..Nothing to do with the tanks really...I just leave lights on..Big Screen on, Video Games, CPU,etc..But my house is all electric..Didnt factor all the power and water in when I bought the house at 19..

 

[zanoshanox]

I'm 17, when i first started this hobby (about four years ago) i had nothing but HOB filters and 15 w florescent tubes

Now, thousands of dollars later and many lessons learned, i have 1 65 g with 2x150 mh, sump, skimmer, more pumps, even more pumps...extra equipemtn....300 w heater (you know how it goes)
So now, my bill is at least 50$ a month, and before the upgrade i had never payed for the electricity to my tank before. Now that I'm older, and have a minimum wage job that i've held down for about a year at my LFS, I felt that it was time for me to do my part so i offered to pay for it, and my mom said we'd split it (since she gets just as much joy out of the tank as I do) and so we did. (my mom is a very generous woman, mind you)
As for me, if my son/daughter were to have a SW aquarium, I'D PAY FOR EVERYTHING AND SUPPORT THEM 100%! No, but seriously i'd probably pay for it while they're younger, but once the upgrades start to pile up and my child gets older, i would make it their responsibility.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
Now I gotta pay my share. It's not the cost I'm worried about though, I make plenty just selling frags I've grown.
Yes, I'm sure you are makin out on the frags.

I noticed a few of them, really would like to have some to. Especially as I'm ramping up for SPS in my 65. I have to say, SWEEEEEET!

It's funny, I'm going to be 40 soon and you totally blow me away !

I probably will never have the knowledge you allready do and probably wont be able to match you'r display. Can we see a pic?

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
In Texas I ran dual 250 watt MH and my bill jumped almost 200$
mike
2-250w mh, even at .18 kwh, should only be about .09 an hour. On 10 hour cycle should be but about 27-28 bucks a month.

 

[grumpygils]

Originally Posted by ViPeR_930
I was just wondering what some of you parents would do. If your child/teen decided to start a saltwater tank and it ran up the electric bill 100 bucks, would you make him/her pay that $100? Of course we would say he/she does have a min. wage job in order to get income.
There is no way it upped it $100. I have 2 X250s, 3 X 175 W MHs and over 1000 W PC/VHO and mine is not up over $100. At least I don't think so because my wife would nail me on it.
Mc

 

[michaeltx]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
2-250w mh, even at .18 kwh, should only be about .09 an hour. On 10 hour cycle should be but about 27-28 bucks a month.

well guys it did and thats why I got rid of them I couldnt beleive how much it went up and neither did anyone else. long time ago I posted my bills which are not in the database anymore but needless to say the only change was the halides and the bill dropped after I got rid of them. Now thats not saying the electric company wasnt overcharging since it was a co-op and I didnt have anything else in the area to compare to but still it jumped very high.
Mike

 

[binky1246]

When I lived at with my parents they didn't even tell me how much the electric was. I had a 55g with an iguana in it. I had a 55g saltwater tank with a nurse shark. I had a 75g saltwater reef tank. A 20g saltwater tank with a puffer in it. When I moved out I upgraded the iguana to a 125g tank. My point is, when I moved out, it was a huge wake up call. I almost couldn't afford the utilities bill. I think your parents are doing the right thing.

 

[30-xtra high]

i definatly wouldn't make my kid pay it (i'm only 14 tho..) but i make the electric bill go up 100$ AT LEAST just from my pets.. but you gotta remember.. it's the parents job to support their children.. i don't go buy a dog.. and make it work on a farm herding sheep for food.., i get a dog expecting to pay for its food, getting it water, and get it's playfulness, and lovingness in return.. parents should have their children expecting to pay for them till their 18th birthday, and then expect small things such as yardwork, and chores in return, along with good times..

 

[triggerphish]

so 30 xtra high would you pay your child's speeding ticket and court costs if he/she gets in trouble? Parents are responsible for certain things in a childs life beyond those boundaries (set by parents) it is then the childs responsiblity. as a parent I definatley love to assist in my childs hobbies, they are important. but making the child pay is also teaching the child a valuable lesson.
I like your perspective though, it makes me think :thinking: