You will not suffer a power cut while switching and you won’t have to explain yourself to your existing supplier! It doesn’t cost anything to change and it all happens seamlessly so you can just sit back and save money.

If you are unsure which comparison website to use then try Uswitch.com. They compare ALL of the energy suppliers and not just the top ten like some companies. They have helped over 1.5 million people to switch and are constantly making it quicker and easier to switch. If you are not great on computers you can even send them a copy of your energy bill and they will work out the cheapest deal for you. Click on the banner below to go straight to their electricity calculator and see how much you could save. You are not obliged to sign up to a new supplier if you don’t want to. If you have already changed supplier this year you should still check if you are on the cheapest deal. I usually check about once a year or more if there has been a recent price rise.

If you love keeping fish then pretty soon the community tank in your living room just isn’t enough! You will want to get an even bigger tank to house more of your favourite fish. Or how about a second tank to keep a different species? Maybe you would like to start a breeding project? Before you know it, you will have tanks scattered all around your house and you may start thinking about building a dedicated fish room. A fish room or fish house, as they are often called, is a space where you keep a collection of tanks together. You can use a spare room or cellar for this purpose but a lot of people like to use a separate building outside like a brick shed or garage. You can even build one yourself if you have the skills, or pay someone to build it for you.

The main benefits to running a fish house are;

• The tanks are easier to keep clean and maintain if they are grouped together
• Water changes and feeding time are much easier
• It can work out cheaper to heat and filter a group of tanks
• You can keep all the fish you want!!!

Although I mentioned using a spare room in your house I would not recommend it. Fish houses tend to be very wet and humid places with lots of condensation. This can ruin your internal walls and ceilings. Plus you are very likely to have spills and leaks to contend with that will almost certainly ruin your carpets and floor boards. So an external building with brick walls and a concrete floor would be your best option.

Planning is very important! Running a fish house will cost time and money so plan carefully before you start putting all your tanks in the garage. A decent plan will save you in the long run. The following tips are things you should think about now rather than later.

• Insulation – You must insulate any external building used for fish. The more insulation, the cheaper your heating costs. But which type of insulation? How much is necessary?
• Electricity Supply – Have you got power going to the building? Can it handle the load from all the pumps, heaters etc.? Think about installing a separate fuse box.
• Condensation – This can be a problem in a well insulated fish house. Condensation can ruin walls, cause mould, rot wood, and short-out electrics.
• Humidity – A fish house with high humidity can be very uncomfortable to work in. Think about installing a small bathroom fan in the wall to help.
• Water Supply – Lots of tanks = lots of water changes! You really need a tap in your fish house. You don’t want to carry gallons of water from you kitchen to the fish house.
• Drainage – If building from scratch then consider having a slightly sloping floor leading to a drain. Or you could use an old sink and pipe the waste water to an external drain or on to your garden. Dirty fish water is a great fertilizer for plants!
• Filtration – Are you going to filter each tank individually? Or connect your tanks to a central sump/filter? The latter increases water volume and can work out much cheaper. Although there is greater risk of spreading illness and disease.
• Heating – Are you putting a heater in each tank? Just heating the sump? Or heating the room itself?
• Air supply – How are you going to aerate the tanks? Are you using air-driven sponge filters? Are you using several air pumps or a single air blower?
• Water Storage – You will need something to store water in to raise the temperature, remove chlorine and aerate if you wish. Where are you putting it? How big does it need to be?
• Lighting – Have you got any windows or natural light getting in? Much cheaper than artificial lighting but can cause serious problems with algae and over-heating. Are you going to have a light over every tank? Florescent or LED?
• Safety – Electricity and water are a dangerous combination. How can you keep yourself (and your fish) safe?

The Wattson

In my opinion, the best monitor you can buy is the Wattson by Kyoto. You can buy one in our Eco-store. They are easy to use and set up, and look great in your home. Although it is double the price of many other monitors available, it is worth every penny! The average user can save up to 25% off their energy bills every year. Which means that the Wattson pays for itself in just a couple of months! Plus all the other monitors are just ugly compared to this ultra-stylish piece of equipment. Just place the Wattson reciever in any room and it displays a running total of the energy you’re currently using, in big red glowing numbers. You can set it to show the total in watts or pounds sterling. It even tell the time. But that’s not all! The Wattson also works out your average consumption and tells you in real time weather you’re above or below that figure in funky ambient colours. The lights change from blue, when your consumption is low, to red, when its high.

Should I buy a Wattson?

If you want a super easy and visual way to save electric and money, then yes! The great thing about the Wattson is that you are always aware of how much electric you are currently using. Every time you sit in your living room or pass the doorway you will notice the lights. If they are glowing red you will feel compelled to start switching unnecessary appliances off. Its quite addictive and will get the whole family involved! I have three young children and they love it! Before I got the Wattson, all three children would be sat downstairs watching TV but I would go upstairs and find every bedroom alive with lights, play-stations, Xbox’s, and Tv’s. It was very hard to encourage them to switch things off when not in use. They have no concept of wasted energy or money at that age. Now though, things are very different! If any one of them spots the Wattson glowing red, they immediatly run around the house switching everything off. They go mental if I try to use the tumble dryer!

Will it help me save money in my fish room?

Yes, absolutely! When I first bought my Wattson I switched everything off in the house except for my fish tanks. I then had an idea of exactly how much it costs to run all my tanks. It was a lot more than I expected! It gave me a big incentive to think of ways to bring this cost down. I could then try different ways to make my hobby cheaper and see the instant reductions to my figures.

Another great feature of the Wattson is that you can connect it to your computer with a USB cable which is supplied. Then with the free software called ‘holmes’ you can view your daily, weekly or monthly energy usage. This is great if you have lots of fish tanks in an outside shed or garage as you can discover just how much your usage goes up and down depending on the weather. Heating your tanks, especially in an outside building, will usually be your biggest energy drain. By comparing the energy used to the outside temperature can be hugely helpful. For example, I noticed that on one particularly cold and windy night in January, the temperature outside was 6 degrees colder than the rest of the week. I compared that to my charts on the computer and noticed that my energy more than doubled on that night. So I searched my fish room and found a gap around the insulation where cold air was getting in. I filled it in and saved money instantly!

A couple of weeks later I decided to add a fan in my fish room to help circulate the warm air, but I wasn’t sure where to place it. So over the next few days, I tried it in different positions and monitored the changes with the Wattson. I was soon able to find the most cost effective place to put it! There are a lot of other ways to use your energy monitor to cut your fish keeping costs. I have gone into much more detail in the post, Using an Energy Monitor.

How do I set my Wattson up?

It could not be easier! A sensor simply clips around one of the 2 wires running between the electricity meter and the fuse box and can be installed safely, in seconds, with no need for any electrical knowledge or assistance. The display is wireless and handheld and can be placed anywhere in your home.

Can I use a different energy monitor?

Yes, of course you can! Any energy monitor will save you money if used correctly. I prefer the Wattson but feel free to use any monitor you are happy with. I love the Wattson because I don’t have to keep checking it. Its always there, glowing at me in the background, reminding me to switch things off! Its not just me who is raving about the Wattson. It has had great reviews in the press since it was released. It has appeared in issues of Wired Uk and Mens’s Health magazine. Just last year it was ranked as 33rd best product ever in Stuff magazine. Beating products such as the X Box 360, the Nintendo Game Boy, and the Nintendo DS Lite!

“Great concept in a gorgeous gadget – saving the planet has never been so cool”                Stuff Magazine

If you want to buy a Wattson Energy Monitor or find out more information then please go to the Eco-store or click here!

If you are lucky enough to have a fish room or fish house, which is basically a collection of tanks in a dedicated spare room/garage/or shed, then please read: Heating a Fish Room.

If you just have the one tank in your house then heating wont be too much of an issue. These days most houses are centrally heated so a simple heater thermostat from an aquatic shop will do the job just fine. However there are still things you can do to reduce your heating costs especially if you own a large tank or several tanks around your home. These tips are listed below.

• Place your tank in the warmest room. Most people like to have an aquarium in the main living room. This is usually ideal as it is often the warmest room as people spend most of their free time there. Plus you probably want your tank to be seen and admired! I would not recommend placing your tank in a unoccupied room like a spare bedroom. As the heating may be turned down in these rooms and it would be harder to spot any problems if your not in the room very often. I would also be careful about placing a tank in the kitchen. Kitchens often have big fluctuations in temperature. It can get very hot when cooking in there but it can also get quite cold as a lot of kitchens don’t have radiators and often have a back door.
• Don’t place tanks in front of a radiator or window. Just as we don’t want our tanks to get too cold we also don’t want them too hot. Radiators and direct sunlight can heat water very quickly! Sunlight can also cause other problems like algae or green water.
• Get the right heater. The basic rule is 1 watt of heat to 1 liter of water. It is fine to have more than this but don’t go lower. I would always recommend having two heaters per tank, placed at either end. Heaters can and do fail so it is always best to have a back up. If you have a 300l tank then two 150w heaters would be fine. Having two heaters should also heat the water quicker which means they are on for less time which saves you money. Ideally you want the two heaters set to exactly the same temperature. Although different heaters may not be perfectly calibrated so keep an eye on them to see if they both click on at the same time. You can then slightly adjust one if you need to.
• Make sure you have enough circulation. You need to have water moving around the tank to distribute the heat evenly. Most internal or external filters will do this job adequately although correct placement of the inlets and outlet pipes can help. This is another reason to have two heaters especially in a long tank. Also make sure the heaters are placed fairly low in the tank, as warm water rises, and place them at an angle not vertically or horizontally.
• Always use a tight-fitting lid or cover. Most heat loss in an aquarium is through evaporation. So this is very important. It also reduces the amount of water lost in the air which means you won’t need to keep topping your tank up.
• Insulate! If you are keen to save money and reduce your carbon footprint then you need to insulate. If your house is not properly insulated then forget about your fish tanks and get it done as soon as you can afford it. You will save a fortune off your energy bills if your roof and loft space is properly insulated. Cavity wall insulation also helps a great deal. During the winter months you can also insulate your fish tanks. Just simply cut some insulation boards or polystyrene to size and fix it to the back and sides of your tank. If you don’t have a background picture in your tank then I would paint the insulation as white polystyrene can startle your fish and make them nervous. I usually paint mine dark blue but black is fine. If you are artistic you could paint an interesting background with trees, rocks, or anything you like. If painting, be careful not to get any near the water as most paints are toxic. Use silicone, blue tack, or sellotape to fix the boards as you will need to remove them when winter has passed.
• Use reflectors in your light units. If you use strip lights, usually T8′s or T5′s, to light your tanks then make sure they have reflectors. They are silver and curve behind the bulbs to help reflect the light down into the tank. Not only will they maximize the amount of light going into your tank but they also reduce heat loss. You can buy reflectors to fit most bulbs or you can make your own with tin foil. My 6 foot tank in my living room doesn’t have a lid, just a sheet of cover glass. So I got a long piece of roof guttering, cut it to size, fitted end caps, and glued tin foil (cooking foil) to the inside. Then I fitted two plastic clips to hold the light bulb in place as you don’t want the bulb to be touching the foil. It worked great, however I have since upgraded to LED lighting as they are much more energy efficient. You don’t need to use reflectors with LED’s as they create focused points of light. They don’t generate much heat either.
• Use an old quilt. Even in the coldest days of winter it is often too expensive to run your central heating 24 hours a day. I run mine for several hours in the evening then switch it off when I go to bed. I then set it to come on an hour before I get up in the morning. The temperature can drop quite significantly during the night so after switching off my tank lights before bed I throw an old quilt over the whole tank to keep it warm. Always remember to take it off in the morning and make sure that the lights are off and that the quilt does not cover any air pumps or other electrical items as they can overheat. I would also recommend that the room is darkened before removing the quilt so as not to startle your fish.

Electricity and water don’t mix. Actually they mix very well which is why it is a deadly combination. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity and the electrical conductivity of other materials is enhanced when they are wet – including human skin. It therefore is imperative that the utmost care is taken at all times when dealing with the electrical equipment in your fish house. Bear in mind that even the smallest pump of only a few watts rating is still connected to the mains electricity supply of 240v, which is strong enough to kill a human.

Glass, on the other hand, is a very poor conductor of electricity. If a pump or heater in one of your tanks is broken and the internal electrics become exposed to the water, it is unlikely to affect your fish. The main reason for this is that electricity always tries to return to the ground. Fish are completely insulated inside their glass tank and are not connected to the ground in any way. Therefore electricity cannot flow through them as there is nowhere for the electricity to go. It is a different matter for humans, who are usually connected to the ground by virtue of standing on it, so if you put your hands in a tank where there is a live electrical source due to broken equipment, you run serious risk of being electrocuted. This is especially likely in a fish house with a concrete floor, as these rest directly on the ground. To prevent serious electric shock there are a few simple rules you should follow;

• Make sure all electrical items in the tank are switched off before you put your hands in. If there is any doubt with regards to safety, then they should also be unplugged. In some cases pumps and other equipment can still function even if there has been a fault, so do not rely on the equipment still being running as a sign that all is well.
• Always wear trainers or other rubber-soled shoes in your fish house.  This prevents a circuit being made and thus, the electricity cannot flow through you!
• Fix plug sockets as high up in your fish house as you can. I would recommend using water-proof sockets like you would use in the garden. These should also prevent moisture from condensation getting in as well.
• Keep a supply of kitchen towels handy at all times. So you can quickly dry your hands before touching plugs or switches. They are also handy for mopping up spills and cleaning the front of your tanks.

Electric shock is obviously the biggest danger in your fish house but there are other things that can cause you injury. Below I have listed a few other things for you to think about.

• Be careful on stools and ladders! It is easy to fall and hurt yourself, or worse, crack a tank or sump. If you have tanks that are high up on stands, use a spare pump and length of hose when filling them. This avoids lifting heavy buckets of water up ladders. In my fish house I have fixed a ladder to the wall so that I can safely reach the top tanks without fear of toppling over.
• Look after your hands! Constant immersion in water can dry and crack them, try using moisturizer before bed.
• Look after your back! Be careful when lifting heavy buckets or tanks. Remember to bend your knees and keep your back straight.
• Medications can be carcinogenic so avoid getting it on your skin. Think about investing  in some elbow length gloves.
• Check all pipe joints and fittings regularly for leaks. They are often under pressure and can burst without warning. If this happened would your electrical sockets and plugs be safe?

I have this information on a laminated piece of paper in my fish house. It is a daily reminder to myself but also for anyone else who happens to be in my fish house. When I go away on holiday I have a friend who pops in to feed my fish and make sure all is well. My kids also often help me in my fish house. So it helps to have some safety tips on display for everyone to see. A couple of other points that I have also added to my safety notice are shown below. There are not really safety tips but I feel are very important to remember.

• Keep hands free from soap and don’t keep any soaps or detergents in fish house. That goes for petrol cans, oil, paint etc..
• Be careful with heaters, switch off and leave to cool before removing from tanks. The same applies to pumps and filters which are costly to replace!
• Keep records of water changes, medications, eggs lain etc.. (I keep a white board on the back of the door).

If you do get a radiator installed make sure you keep a close eye on the temperature of the fish room and turn the radiator down if nessesary. You may have a room thermostat in the house but fish rooms are usually small, enclosed, and well insulated. So the temperature can rise very quickly when the radiator is on! Personally, I would keep the radiator set quite low to just provide some free background heat. You will be suprised how much difference it can make on a cold winter night!