What can I get with 3.25 wpg?

[tigerbarb]

I was originally wanting an anemone & was planning on getting a 175 watt MH retrofit kit for my 20g, but the electric bill is high enough as it is, so I am looking into some lowlight alternatives. I am leaning towards this PC retrofit kit now. http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS...241x65watt5050
With 3.5 wpg, can I get a torch coral? frogspawn? any other soft corals that resemble an anemone?
Thanks,
Tigerbarb

 

[netimreefer]

I don't think you are supposed to have links on the forum

 

[stanlalee]

you could keep LPS assuming its the standard 16" high 20g tall size. A 175w halide is not going to skyrocket your electric bill. you are only running it 6hrs a day and unless you have switched to all low watt twisty bulbs your house is probably full of 50w and 75w watt bulbs running longer than that throughout the day. its probably the equivalent of running an outdoor light in your driveway during the evening hours. Your probably going to have to run those lights 4hrs a day more than you would the halide which would equal 112hrs a month or 28hrs more a week and the results wont be nearly as good so its not really worth the savings. 4x24w T5 HO could be substituted for the halide as well.

 

[salt210]

not to mention the cost of constantly replacing the pc bulbs

 

[tigerbarb]

So... for example, if my electric bill is at about $400 as it is,(random example, like I said) how much do you think the bill be if I run the 175w halide for 6 hrs a day?
Also, I'm going to have to contact the site that's selling the MH retrofit kit and if they don't respond, that deal is out the window.
http://www.aquaticlight.com/catlog.php?cPath=22
Lol, click the link labeled "buy".

 

[subielover]

FYI-You should delete the link, it is not allowed on this site

 

[tigerbarb]

Originally Posted by subielover
http:///forum/post/2769089
FYI-You should delete the link, it is not allowed on this site

Oh, sorry.
Really, I don't see why a link to bigals is not allowed on a forum. It's not like I'm linking to another forum, or another site that sells marine live stock/a competitor. In fact, there's no way a link to a page on a site for aquarium equipment could do any harm. It might, though, if I were to post a thread talking about how great the bigals site is, but not if I'm just posting a link to a page about a light I want. Anyway, just thought that this site should limit their no-linking rules to rules against linking to competing sites.

 

[ghiggi]

Originally Posted by Tigerbarb
http:///forum/post/2769064
So... for example, if my electric bill is at about $400 as it is,(random example, like I said) how much do you think the bill be if I run the 175w halide for 6 hrs a day?
To determine how much your bill will go up, all you need to do is find out what your electric company charges you per kilowatt. It should be on your utility bill. Then fill in the following equation:
((Total wattage x duration x 30 days) / 1000) x cost per kilowatt
Example1: 175w x 6hrs x 30 days = 31500 / 1000 = 31.5 kilowatts per month x $0.12 per kilowatt = $3.78 more per month
Example2: 65w x 10hrs x 30 days = 19500 / 1000 = 19.5 kilowatts per month x $0.12 per kilowatt = $2.34 more per month
So you can see that even if you live in an area with high electric costs (12 cents per kilowatt) it is only going to cost you less than $4 per month to run the halides. And, you are only going save $1.14 per month by using the PC retrofit. If your electric bill is already $400 per month, is $4 more dollars really going to be that much of a strain? I'd go with the halides or an upgraded T5 setup.

 

[tigerbarb]

Originally Posted by ghiggi
http:///forum/post/2769416
To determine how much your bill will go up, all you need to do is find out what your electric company charges you per kilowatt. It should be on your utility bill. Then fill in the following equation:
((Total wattage x duration x 30 days) / 1000) x cost per kilowatt
Example1: 175w x 6hrs x 30 days = 31500 / 1000 = 31.5 kilowatts per month x $0.12 per kilowatt = $3.78 more per month
Example2: 65w x 10hrs x 30 days = 19500 / 1000 = 19.5 kilowatts per month x $0.12 per kilowatt = $2.34 more per month
So you can see that even if you live in an area with high electric costs (12 cents per kilowatt) it is only going to cost you less than $4 per month to run the halides. And, you are only going save $1.14 per month by using the PC retrofit. If your electric bill is already $400 per month, is $4 more dollars really going to be that much of a strain? I'd go with the halides or an upgraded T5 setup.
Lol, my bill isn't already $400, it was a random example. Now I just need to find out how to contact my electric company.