I am getting shocked, but no one else feels anything. Help!

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Hi, so tonight I went to move my powerhead and got a pretty harsh shock. I put my rubber gloves on and got it out. Called my husband to check and he felt it and said nothing. So I touched water again to be shocked pretty hard a second time. My husband told me it must be static shock, so I called my dad and he felt nothing. I still am feeling a VERY harsh shock. I don't get it. My kids thought it was so funny they tried and nothing. Am I going crazy. I have felt slight zaps before being stupid with my plugs, but this is to the point Im scared to touch it again and I have checked everything and everything looks fine. I think at this point everyone thinks I am crazy. What is going on????

Open cuts can feel like electrical shock. If one clips nails really short, breaks skin again feels like electrical shock.

 

[Wayneb332]

I would say the heater. I had a aqueon heater do that to me.

 

[Wayneb332]

I would say the heater. I had a aqueon heater do that to me.

The heater might have been off when he showed you and turned on when you stuck your hands in.

 

[Hybrid Ken]

Now see I heard ground probes are bad for the inhabitants of our tank.

When you ground it you give a path for the electricity to flow and now the electricity is flowing through the tank.
Kind of like when you touch the water and feel nothing when you have thick soled shoes or standing on wood there is no path but if you stand on some water or cement you provide a path and can feel it.... Another example is cut a wire and the electricity will cease to flow, now touch it to ground or path and it will... Once the current is moving our fish and other things are now in that path...

Actually the fish and you for that matter are less conductive then the salt water (ever wonder why there are only fresh water electric eels? because a fish in fresh water is more conductive then a fish in salt water) That being said you can still get killed under the right set of circumstances. The ground probe will draw current/voltage away from you and your tank inhabitants.

 

[billyd0214]

don't know if you solved this but I saw this. happens to me all too often. these heaters and pumps go bad and leak electricity into the water. I hate getting zapped. I got one of these cheap voltage testers from menards...

IDEAL® VoltAware™ Non-Contact Voltage Tester

Introducing VoltAware?, the sleek, non-contact voltage tester designed by the innovative minds at IDEAL®. It's easy to use and packed with features that will help you on the job. VoltAware? quickly identifies hot conductors, breaks in wires, and the presence of AC voltage at receptacles...

www.menards.com

.....and just touch the outside glass. if there is electricity in the tank .... it will beep (mine also flashes). then unplug each item one at a time and test the tank again. leave each pump, header, whatever unplugged until you find it and you can touch the tester with no beep. keep unplugging and keep testing. when you find it... replace it and plug all the other stuff back in. I would like to why these pumps and heaters go out this often. I just replaced two pumps.. and took some water from my 44 gallon salt water garbage can (for water changes) .. and just got shocked. it never ends. and the pump AND the heater are bad.