I am currently renting a crappy apartment and the water bill is included. In the near future I'm buying a house. I have no reference of what water costs so any help would be appreciated. I plan on keeping a 100g barrel full of aged water hooked to a water pump for water changes.
Well, I am guessing, but I don't think it will affect your water bill that much. We have a big ol' bathtub, but usually take showers. I'm sure it holds over 55 gallons. Since only about 1/3 of the water gets changed a week, I'm guessing it affects us about as much as taking a bath instead of a shower once a week.
According to my last water bill I figured it at about .0075 per gallon (less than 1 cent per gallon used) But depending on where you live water prices could be alittle different
Water is cheap. Unless you plan on running a reef tank with metal halide lights and a chiller, utilities on an aquarium are cheap. No getting the equipment, thats another story.
IMO - I dont think fish tanks have much of an impact on the water bill or the electric bill. As you can see in my sig. I have more than just one tiny tank. I have only noticed a $10 increase with the electric bill...and your water bill is most of all cheep. The only thing that makes my electic bill high is the summer heat. (I live in AZ)
Cost isn't everything. In some places there are strict limits on total water consumption. This is true in southern California much of the time and I don't doubt it is true in many of the drier states. You need to know if there is any water shortage where you are. The extra $5 a month it costs me here to keep a large aquarium is nothing compared to the major money it would cost me if I lived in a place with water rationing and blew through their limits.
I'm sure it depends on where you are, but I doubt it will have much impact. My water bill has stayed the same (minimum monthly charge) from before I had any tanks and I now have 5 that I do weekly 50%+ water changes on.
when i lived in a house with 3 55 gallons, our water bill was never more than $20 a month.
however, different parts of the country have different water prices, and during a drought (which we never have here) the prices could easily skyrocket. i know theres a city just a 2 hour drive from here who's water bill is ridiculous and would probably make anyone think twice about adding a fishtank.
