How much?

[speckles]

I use to have a eastern tiger salamander, and two axolotls. My tiger salamander didn't have any equipment on his tank. But the two axolotls had two sponge filters. My father-in-law made me get rid of them. I was wondering how much does it cost to run a sponge filter per month. Does anyone know? I'm hoping if I can prove they are reasonably cheap to maintain I can get one or two.

 

[keiko]

Depends on what kind of air pump you use and how much you're paying for electricity. But they're really very cheap. Tell him that his TV uses way more electricity and it's not necessary for him to watch it to stay healthy, but the axies need the filter.

Edit: Just wanted to add that I once talked about this with a friend who told me that he was only paying maybe 30-40€ more per year because of his aquarium and that included the lights, filter and air pump.

 

[speckles]

Thanks for the answer. I just found out one of my lfs is bringing in some axies. I will even pay more in rent to own one again. They are fascinating creatures. I trust this lfs they have researched about axies. So say its two ten gallon air pumps on two sponge filters. No lights, no heater and no other equipment.

 

[LSuzuki]

The biggest Tetra air filter I could quickly find on-line (Tetra Pond Pump - Whisper Air Pump) draws 7.5 watts. That is 7.5 x 24 x 365.25 = 65,745 watthours/year = 65.754 kilowatthours/year.

The average residential rate in Indiana (EIA - Electricity Data) is 11.1 cents/kilowatthour.

So, this very-over-sized air pump would cost you $7.30/year to run.

Be generous and pay your father-in-law an extra $1 per month.

Joking aside, is it possible your father-in-law was annoyed by the noise of the pump? My husband notices the noise much more than I do. I suggest getting the quietest air pump you can find, even if it costs more.