True power usage of Power compact fluorescent lights?

[jtvang125]

Going by the wattage of the bulbs I currently have 300 watts of lighting for my aquarium. I'm thinking of upping it to 450+ watts. This seems like an insane amount of power usage but I know PCF are more efficient. So my question is, are my lights really drawing that much power? If not, is there a way to calculate it? TIA.

 

[Oceandevi]

Are you using Power compact bulbs or Compact fluorescent bulbs? 2 very different things.

power compact are U shaped and get very hot and do use the wattage they are described as. CFL are bulbs used in standard household sockets and use much less wattage.

 

[bobsmith1492]

Compact fluorescent bulbs display on the box or base how much power they actually draw, usually along with a number comparing the light output to an incandescent.

 

[Oceandevi]

And I am still curious what bulb you are using. When you say power compact and aquarium I think of these. http://www.aquariumsupplies.co.za/images/LT-JLPLB-W36W.jpg

Or are you using these?
http://scarybulbs.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/cfl-bulb.jpg

 

[jtvang125]

And I am still curious what bulb you are using. When you say power compact and aquarium I think of these. http://www.aquariumsupplies.co.za/images/LT-JLPLB-W36W.jpg

Or are you using these?
http://scarybulbs.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/cfl-bulb.jpg

It is the first one. It's a 4 lamp fixture with each lamp at 65W. That's 260w altogether.

 

[Oceandevi]

Those bulbs are not efficient. They produce insane amounts of heat. I have 3 fixtures that use them. They really are hogs

 

[Mday]

Those bulbs are not efficient. They produce insane amounts of heat. I have 3 fixtures that use them. They really are hogs

Those are flourscent bulbs, too, from the looks of things. Flourscent bulb systems (including ballast) still produce heat, and do get hot to the touch.

 

[Modelworks]

When buying CFL read the package carefully. To boost sales a lot of them have the watts numbers in large bold print but that is the light output compared to an incandescent bulb and not the actual usage which is usually printed in small print.


I just saw this article, if the aquarium is heated why not use the heat from the lights to heat the water .
http://hackaday.com/2010/02/26/cooling-leds-by-heating-the-water-saves-on-electricity/

 

[Oceandevi]

Those are flourscent bulbs, too, from the looks of things. Flourscent bulb systems (including ballast) still produce heat, and do get hot to the touch.

Yes they are considered worse than a straight bulb. You end up wasting energy by having the bulb bend back to itself.

 

[Oceandevi]

When buying CFL read the package carefully. To boost sales a lot of them have the watts numbers in large bold print but that is the light output compared to an incandescent bulb and not the actual usage which is usually printed in small print.


I just saw this article, if the aquarium is heated why not use the heat from the lights to heat the water .
http://hackaday.com/2010/02/26/cooling-leds-by-heating-the-water-saves-on-electricity/

I don't think he ever meant CFL bulbs. The led setup is neat.

 

[RU482]

When buying CFL read the package carefully. To boost sales a lot of them have the watts numbers in large bold print but that is the light output compared to an incandescent bulb and not the actual usage which is usually printed in small print.


I just saw this article, if the aquarium is heated why not use the heat from the lights to heat the water .
http://hackaday.com/2010/02/26/cooling-leds-by-heating-the-water-saves-on-electricity/

good idea, unless you need light AND the aquarium starts creeping beyond ideal temps.
/mmmm, boiled fish

 

[OUCaptain]

good idea, unless you need light AND the aquarium starts creeping beyond ideal temps.
/mmmm, boiled fish

Most reef tanks using these insane lights also run chillers to keep the tank cool during lights on time. Then we use a heater at night.:hmm: The light is required for the corals and other critters. Efficiency can not be a major concern when it comes to marine tanks. It's getting better though.

Accurately monitoring your power consumption may be the only way of knowing the TRUE power usage.

 

[cheap5.0]

Going by the wattage of the bulbs I currently have 300 watts of lighting for my aquarium. I'm thinking of upping it to 450+ watts. This seems like an insane amount of power usage but I know PCF are more efficient. So my question is, are my lights really drawing that much power? If not, is there a way to calculate it? TIA.

Reef Geek reporting in!

In order from lowest PAR (http://www.hobilabs.com/cms/index.cfm/37/1288/1301/1407/3241.htm) output to highest:

NO T8>NO T5>Power compacts>HO T5/Metal Halide/VHO T12 (the last 3 are pretty much a tie...).

Instead of jumping up to 450 watts of power compacts, you should be looking at upgrading to T5's if you want to stay with fluorescent tubes. Lower energy usage per foot, double life span compared to power compacts, better bulb selection, nicer fixtures, ect...are all good reasons to move too T5 HO's from something else.

What size tank? Im actually running 440 watts of T5 HO over a tank....its a mammoth fixture (28" wide), but it lights it up and makes my house glow

Also as for the "True power usage" question. IME, flourescent ballasts are anywhere from 60-80% effecient. So if the bulb is 65 watts, the ballast is drawing around 80 watts from the wall. Rough guess....buy a Kill-A-Watt to measure for your self.

 

[jtvang125]

Well I just got my PC fixture not too long ago and would hate to sell it at a large loss just to jump to T5s. Plus aquarium light fixtures are freaking crazy expensive.

This will be for my 110g planted tank but now that I think about it my 300w might be plenty for the plants I have. Thanks for the info.

 

[0roo0roo]

why do you need 400 watts of light to light an aquarium anyways. the fluorescent lights use as much as they are rated. 65watt tube uses 65watts. which is not the same as with a cfl where if it is rated as 100watt equivalent it only uses 25watts. do you mean you want 450watts equivalent of incandescent light? or really 450watts of draw on fluorescent lights which is a goddamn insane amount of lighting for fish

 

[crownjules]

What size tank? Im actually running 440 watts of T5 HO over a tank....its a mammoth fixture (28" wide), but it lights it up and makes my house glow
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Man, that's a lot of light. Have you got a clam in your tank? Even for SPS that's borderline overkill for what I'm assuming is a 3' long x 1-1.5' deep tank.

This will be for my 110g planted tank but now that I think about it my 300w might be plenty for the plants I have. Thanks for the info.

CFLs are fine for planted freshwater tanks. You only need T5s/halides when you get into reef keeping and growing corals. Their light demands are much higher.

why do you need 400 watts of light to light an aquarium anyways.

Reef tanks are the only ones that require it. Corals have very high lighting demands in order to grow and thrive. It's not so much the amount of light you have (in pure watts) but the intensity and amount that is able to penetrate the water and reach them. Some corals can be kept using CFLs but you are limited in that selection.

 

[Dewey]

I used to keep a reef. Tons of light are great for keeping coral, especially SPS. I used more than 1KW on my 90 gallon and was able to grow coral and harvest it. Clams also grew huge under the light. To get that kind of light you probably won't be able to use flourescent bulbs.