Fish tank room electrical question

[acolaojr]

Should I dedicate one or two 15 amp breakers to the tank?

 

[acolaojr]

Its going to be a 180 reef

 

[Reefinny]

I ran one dedicated 20 amp line to my fish room.

 

[Jim]

I ran 4-20 amp dedicated lines for my 300

 

[acolaojr]

wow 4 separate 20 amp breakers. Did you use them all or was that for "just incase"?

 

[Jim]

wow 4 separate 20 amp breakers. Did you use them all or was that for "just incase"?

Yes and I have 3 EB8's with my Apex hooked up to them. Most of those outlets are being used also.

 

[b-ridge]

Wow Jim. What do you have hooked up that you need 3 eb8's? I couldn't think of 24 things with a fish tank that would need to be plugged in and controlled.

 

[Jim]

I'm using 10 outlets for all the lights alone. Main tank, fuge, frag tank and QT. Plus heaters, pumps, CO2, dosers, fans,etc. And I don't even plug my MP40's and MP60 into the Apex.

It's amazing how many things need to be plugged in on a large system.

 

[b-ridge]

That's amazing. It didn't seem like that much stuff was plugged up when I was at your house. But then when I think about your fish room I am totally mistaken

 

[Dre]

Check up the amps you plan to use. You can't ask someone else that question we don't know what equipment you're going to use. My 90gal use less than 10amps

 

[Dre]

Having a dedicated breaker for the tank is a very good idea but to tell you how many 15AMP breakers you'll need is up your design. My Chiller use 5amps. You might not need one. Sec, is MH light fixtures. 2 amps. Pumps 1 amp. You might use Led's i don't know...

 

[Adamc1303]

If you're already running wires and opening your panel you might as well run 2 lines.

 

[theMeat]

One line is plenty, even with chiller, return pump, and mh. unless you're running a huge tank, with a crazy big return pump from the floor below. Good idea to run a gfci breaker, or gfci outlet, and ground the tank water with a probe.

 

[FiNeMaN]

If the wall and panel is already open, I would run (2) separate lines. Might be over-kill now but at least u prepared for anything in the future.

 

[michaelm2431]

I like to have 2 separate circuits. Years ago my return pump fried and tripped the breaker. Everything was on the 1 breaker. Today, if that happens, I have return on 1 and other stuff on the 2nd one.

 

[salpet]

if you are going to run breakers you can't go wrong with adding more rather than less, you never know when you are going to need a spare

 

[theMeat]

By that logic i'd sooner hook up a stand by generator, just in case.

If you do have 2 dedicated lines, that means you have 240 volts, instead of 120, in contact with tank water. That could be the difference between getting a good shock and dying, so would certainly, most definitely, have a ground probe in that situation.

 

[Jaftica]

2 Separate 20 amp circuits in my sump room

 

[FiNeMaN]

By that logic i'd sooner hook up a stand by generator, just in case.

If you do have 2 dedicated lines, that means you have 240 volts, instead of 120, in contact with tank water. That could be the difference between getting a good shock and dying, so would certainly, most definitely, have a ground probe in that situation.

(2) dedicated lines does not mean the lines have to be 240 volts.

 

[theMeat]

(2) dedicated lines does not mean the lines have to be 240 volts.

true, if they come from the same half/phase of a 220 service