Amp draw for 230g tank?

[TexAgReefer]

I know a lot of people will run new, dedicated circuits for their fish tanks. I would love to do this, but it won’t be easy. What I really want to know is if it’s truly needed.

Can anyone with a 230g tank on an apex or power monitoring tell me the amp draw for your tank?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

It really depends on the tank and environment. My 80g tank needs 500w in heaters to maintain temp because it's in my basement. Some people with tanks twice as big use half the heat I do because their tank is in their living room.

It's really easy to calculate the power draw. Add up the power usage in watts that your ideal equipment list will use. Divide by 120 to get amps.

 

[Gablami]

I know a lot of people will run new, dedicated circuits for their fish tanks. I would love to do this, but it won’t be easy. What I really want to know is if it’s truly needed.

Can anyone with a 230g tank on an apex or power monitoring tell me the amp draw for your tank?

It’s not “truly needed”, it’s just nice to have. One of the many redundancies we use to keep our tanks safe and running for many years (hopefully). I ran my 150g system last system without a dedicated circuit.

The main draw is going to be heaters. How many watts of heater do you have? And what else is on this circuit? Is it the same circuit as the kitchen? Or is there really not much else on the circuit and you can block off other outlets so a vacuum doesn’t get plugged into it?

 

[rwreef]

A 20amp breaker at 120v can support 2400W
A 15amp breaker at 120v can support 1800W

Just start adding up loads...lights/pumps/heaters etc..

 

[GlassMunky]

Depends what else you have on the circuit weather or not it’s “needed”
But here’s the power draw for my 210reef with 65g sump

 

[WVNed]

A 20amp breaker at 120v can support 2400W
A 15amp breaker at 120v can support 1800W

Just start adding up loads...lights/pumps/heaters etc..

Then look at your sweeper, see how many amps it draws and consider if someone plugs it in on that circuit and turns it on.

 

[Jet915]

I have a 120 gallon with 20 gallon frag. 2 years ago when it was 116 degrees outside, the circuit tripped. I have alot of pumps which include UV and chiller. Luckily, I was home when it tripped and was able to get power from a different circuit. I ended up getting a dedicated 20 amp circuit for piece of mind.

 

[rwreef]

Overall it is going to be impossible for us to provide the exact power usage of your tank in your home. You will need to either measure or calculate the current load on the breaker you plan to use. Then to take into account the existing load + new aquarium load and see if the circuit can handle it. I would account for 80 to 85% max load on the breaker to allow for margin. Calculate using your max power (worse case)

 

[TheHarold]

My 300g takes about $35 a month in basic needs, averaging 400w, EXCLUDING lighting.

With lighting (not shown in data because it’s is plugged directly into a different circuit) it is another 1000w max, or perhaps doubling the average to make it ~800w.

 

[ichthyoid]

Overall it is going to be impossible for us to provide the exact power usage of your tank in your home. You will need to either measure or calculate the current load on the breaker you plan to use. Then to take into account the existing load + new aquarium load and see if the circuit can handle it. I would account for 80 to 85% max load on the breaker to allow for margin. Calculate using your max power (worse case)

Great point!
It is important to derate amperage to allow for a safety margin & start up ‘in-rush’ current on electrical circuits. This is especially important after a power outage, if all the equipment starts at once. Also a good reason to consider multiple circuits on larger aquariums/systems.

A good rule of thumb on a household circuit is to only connect equipment with a current draw equal to 80% or less of the breaker’s rating.
Ex:ample:
15 amp circuit=12 amps max.
20 amp circuit=16 amps max.

If you are having a new circuit(s) pulled, any licensed electrician should be able to look up the NEC specs., to be sure.

 

[92Miata]

A 20amp breaker at 120v can support 2400W
A 15amp breaker at 120v can support 1800W

Just start adding up loads...lights/pumps/heaters etc..

Circuits for tanks should really be sized as continuous loads - so subtract 20% from that.

(It's also safer because you're less likely to have phantom trips from things like inrush current/etc.

 

[TexAgReefer]

It’s not “truly needed”, it’s just nice to have. One of the many redundancies we use to keep our tanks safe and running for many years (hopefully). I ran my 150g system last system without a dedicated circuit.

The main draw is going to be heaters. How many watts of heater do you have? And what else is on this circuit? Is it the same circuit as the kitchen? Or is there really not much else on the circuit and you can block off other outlets so a vacuum doesn’t get plugged into it?

It’s in the living room, little to nothing else on the circuit.

Thanks for all of the input! I’m an engineer so I certainly understand the math and the calculations. Really looking for more of what most people have experienced because while I can add up my current equipment, there are always things that get overlooked.

I think I could get away with the current 15A circuit considering the temperature I keep the room at along with the fact that there is basically nothing else but my tv. That said, I am going to try and put in a 20A dedicated circuit.

The installation of the outlet will be easy. The difficult part will be feeding the wire into the breaker without removing the drywall.

 

[rwreef]

Don't forget the GFCI ;)

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

I know a lot of people will run new, dedicated circuits for their fish tanks. I would love to do this, but it won’t be easy. What I really want to know is if it’s truly needed.

Can anyone with a 230g tank on an apex or power monitoring tell me the amp draw for your tank?

I wanted to know what my kilo watt per hour usage was. And then I'll look at my electric bill to see what my electric company charges for kilowatt per hour. Ours is $0.20 for one kilowatt hour

We hit 112 degrees here where I live yesterday and my usage for the whole day was $2.50 for that day