Is your aquarium “Green”? Not in the algae ridden dirty sense (it shouldn’t be green in that way either), but in the power-efficient sense?
You may have read my article about LED lighting in August of last year, which discussed how energy-efficient, low-voltage LED lighting has proven to be the greatest advancement in aquarium technology in the past decade. Well, you may as well turn the calendar to the next decade of aquarium tech, because low voltage pumps are the next big development and they are quickly taking over.
Most of the in-tank “power-heads”, or wave making devices, I wrote about in November have switched to low voltage pumps in the past couple years. Now, your energy inefficient main recirculation pump is ready to be upgraded to this more environmentally friendly type (it also happens to be more friendly to your electric bill, which never hurts!).
These new DC pumps offer an energy saving alternative in the submersible pump line-up. Some of their features are:
DC Powered:
Running on 24VDC, these pumps use less than 50% of the electricity required by other submersible pumps.
Controllable:
The pumps feature a 6 speed controller with 10 minute feed mode.
Less Heat Transfer:
This feature is important for not raising aquarium water temperature.
Silent Operation:
These DC pumps offer no hum from fans or impeller spinning. Even the quietest pumps don’t compare to the new generation of DC aquarium pumps.
Fully Submersible:
The pumps are fully submersible, for easier installation.
Pressure rated:
Pushing water up a far distance, dealing with back pressure of a protein skimmer, or using a cartridge filter in line? No problem, these pumps can handle it!
With features like these, it’s hard to believe that DC pumps are also fairly affordable. Simply put, there’s no reason not to give them a try in your setup.
