Power Planning

I hesitate to answer, because the question seems obvious...one for each item you want to plug in.

How many will that be? Hard to say. Likely 2 for lights. One for a pump if you are running a sump. 4-6 for power heads. One for a ground. One for a protein skimmer. Two for heaters. That's 13, without adding in much in the way of tech, and just covering basics. Without knowing what components you want to run, how many power heads, the lighting, etc...you're asking people to guess.

And beyond just how many outlets, you need to consider the juice required to power all of that, and have the outlets running through appropriate wiring. Throwing them all on one 20 AMP fuse is just begging for a fire.

It isn't the amount of outlets, it is the amount of circuits you will need. Not knowing any of your equipment it is impossible to say. My 75G requires 1 circuit, and 1 outlet. I then have a UPS plugged into the wall outlet and a controller with 16 outlets that plugs into the UPS, but since I run LEDs, my total amperage is much less than 15A, which is a typical circuit.

What kind of vehicle is best for me?

That may as well have been your question. There are so many variables that *you* need to fill in so you can get help in making a determination. My comment about finding the equipment (from his earlier thread) you think you'll need or use is still not only valid, but necessary. Maybe go to one of the marine forums, and talk about equipment. From there, you can decide what kind of light fixture(s) you'll want, how many/what size heaters, pumps, powerheads, wavemakers, controllers, temperature probes, skimmers, automatic top offs, whatever, you'll be likely to want both now and in the future, and from there, you'll be able to determine the right numbers for you. For example, if you're using a rimless tank, I think it's recommended that you stay away from wavemakers so they don't constantly stress your seams with varying pressure.

20 isn't overkill, but as the others said, it depends.

A 14 gallon Biocube will use for 4 plugs right out of the box. My 75 is extremely minimalist, and still has 10 things plugged in, using one circuit. I've seen setups where just the lighting takes that many plugs and dedicated circuits are used.

For a 300... powerheads and lighting are probably going to be a major variable in this. Type of lighting, brand/type of powerhead, etc..

I wish we could come out and say 1 outlet per 20 gallons, .2 amps per item plugged in, and 25 watts per hour per item plugged in. Such a simple formula would simplify things. This hobby doesn't lend itself to such simplification. I know for a fact that the 10 my betta is in is set up differently, even if it's only slightly so, than the 10 that has my RCS and snails. It's a safe bet that my 10s are different from just about every one else's. The variety is part of what makes the hobby so fascinating. So many different ways to achieve the same goals, so many different ways to stock and so many filtration, lighting and heating options it makes my head spin thinking about them all. If I could, I'd have a dozens of tanks, just to try different things.

authmal said:

If I could, I'd have a dozens of tanks, just to try different things.

Click to expand...

And that's why there are so many tanks in my house.

That and a tendency to put only 1-2 species per tank.

It's NORMAL. Shut up.

OrionGirl said:

And that's why there are so many tanks in my house.

That and a tendency to put only 1-2 species per tank.

It's NORMAL. Shut up.

Click to expand...

Methinks thou dost protest too much. :screwy:

authmal said:

Methinks thou dost protest too much. :screwy:

Click to expand...

At last count, there was a nearly even number of filled and empty tanks.

That I don't have enough fingers and toes to count all of EITHER does not indicate that I am missing the normal number of digits.

You probably have enough fingers and toes. I can count to 1024 just on my fingers.