!!EMERGENCY!! Electrical shock!

[Neptune 555]

I am getting an electrical shock when I touch my reef water or the reef metal on my tank. I am trying to ID the faulty equipment by unplugging items of my tank BUT I don't know if I have properly found the faulty item unless I touch the water again and shock myself. Their must be a better way? Help? So far my fish are fine but I can't leave them all night in this distress.

suggestions please!!

180 gallon reef.

Neptune.

 

[Sosuke]

I think a grounding probe is what people use for their tanks.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Likely a faulty component. A grounding probe for reef tank is a must have.
Likely components are heater
return pump
power heads

Unplug all of these and see if the jolt has stopped. If so, plug in return pump and test. if none, go to the heater. If none plug in power heads until you feel it and you will then have located the culprit
Voltmeter will also work instead of sticking finger in water

 

[Pistondog]

All aquarium equipment must be plugged into gfci outlets, and the tank should have a grounding probe.
Install both asap.
To troubleshoot, unplug all, then plug in 1 at a time until gfci trips.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You have multiple posts . Please post in ONE thread only as you will accumalate conflicting answers.

 

[Neptune 555]

I can't get a grounding probe or a voltmeter until tomorrow am. will my fish live??

 

[Brian_68]

I think a grounding probe is what people use for their tanks.

If you have leakage from a piece of equipment you want to find out which one is causing the problem first. If voltage is leaking it could kill the rest of the tank with contaminants due to some faulty equipment. A ground probe will keep you safe, not necessarily the tank.

 

[MERKEY]

If you can pull each item such as heater and power head and test in another glass container, that may help narrow it down.

You can also get a voltage reader and start moving things from the tank and see when it stops. Of course tomorrow

 

[vetteguy53081]

I can't get a grounding probe or a voltmeter until tomorrow am. will my fish live??

Fish are resistant to these jolts . . . BUT . . . . When continuous strange behavior such as a rapid and jerky swimming pattern or frequent quivering of tank inhabitants is observed, many aquarists have discovered that the cause was stray voltage. Fish have sensors on their bodies, such as along the lateral line and on their noses, which are sensitive to changes in electricity in the water around them. When these sensors receive a continuous supply of abnormally high electricity, it throws their systems out of kilter.

 

[vetteguy53081]

here is how to test with voltmeter :

- Purchase or borrow a voltage meter. They can generally be found for less than $20 at most automotive parts or hardware stores
- Turn the selector to "120 AC Voltage."
- Insert the tip of the black probe into the third or "grounding" hole in an electrical outlet
- Insert the metal tip of the red probe into the aquarium water
- Watch the meter needle for any movement. Any needle movement indicates a voltage leak in your system. Digital meters will show a number reading.

How to Identify the Voltage Leak Source​

- One at a time, disconnect each electrical appliance (heaters, pumps, lights, chiller) associated with your aquarium, retesting for voltage as described above after each unit is disconnected
- Heaters and water pumps (power heads) are the most frequent cause of voltage leaks. These devices have 120 volts of electricity feeding into them, which is enough to do a lot of damage in a saltwater aquarium
- When the damaged electrical device is found, disconnect it from the electrical circuit carefully. Keep your hands out of the aquarium and don't handle equipment with wet hands in order to avoid electrical shock.

 

[Rmckoy]

Voltmeter is the only other way .

process of elimination ...

Plug one at a time and put fingers in the water .
if no shock , plug another in until you feel the tingle .

that last piece of equipment is the cause and needs to be replaced

it is probably the worse thing to do knowing eventually you’re going to get a little zap .

 

[mdb_talon]

I can't get a grounding probe or a voltmeter until tomorrow am. will my fish live??

They should be just fine until tomorrow. The current is in the water but not grounded which is much better for them(not necessarily for you).

Do NOT only get a ground probe without also getting GFCI...get both or you are creating a more dangerous situation for both yourself and inhabitants. If you dont feel comfortable changing an outlet or breaker yourself you can biy a GFCI powerstrip to plug everything into.

 

[ZoWhat]

90% of the time its a heater

Start unplugging all the things that come in contact with the water.... then plug each thing individually until you hit BINGO

 

[Dolphins18]

It will be fine if you wait until tomorrow. The important thing is to not put your hands in the tank, it is not necessary and technically creates a ground (through you). That may not be good for the fish, but stray voltage is unlikely to harm them much over night, just keep the hands out of the water.

 

[Rmckoy]

90% of the time its a heater

Start unplugging all the things that come in contact with the water.... then plug each thing individually until you hit BINGO

The old kor power heads...
had 4 running off a old Red Sea wave maker controller . All 2 of 4 were creating surge
The hand in tank to get shocked method ...

 

[Rmckoy]

Get your wife to put her hand in the water after you unplug each piece of equipment .

 

[ZoWhat]

Get your wife to put her hand in the water after you unplug each piece of equipment .

I slightly disagree.... FIRST call to see that her Life Insurance Policy is paid up... then move forward

 

[Neptune 555]

Thank you! I found the fault the heater. I will get a volt ometer tomorrow. Testing that I have this right using my hand was horrible!

 

[CanuckReefer]

Thank you! I found the fault the heater. I will get a volt ometer tomorrow. Testing that I have this right using my hand was horrible!

Don't buy the $20 one....that's all I will say.

 

[Rmckoy]

Don't buy the $20 one....that's all I will say.

I haven’t bought a heater In over 10 years .
Possibly one of the advantages with t5’s
The heater barely ever comes on