Poll: Do you use a grounding probe??

[Sabellafella]

I know this isnt the place but maybe summon [HASHTAG]#Randy[/HASHTAG] Holmes-Farley to see his take on this?

 

[Sabellafella]

Or [HASHTAG]#reefsquad[/HASHTAG]

 

[Humblefish]

I have a a titanium ground probe in tank and another in the sump. When you mix water and electrical equipment, it's only a matter of time before you have stray current in the water. In most cases, you can't even feel it. But your livestock probably does.

 

[Wiz]

I have a a titanium ground probe in tank and another in the sump. When you mix water and electrical equipment, it's only a matter of time before you have stray current in the water. In most cases, you can't even feel it. But your livestock probably does.

How does a probe stop the danger?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Please understand the difference between VOLTAGE and CURRENT. Google if you need to. Voltage is what you have in your tank if you have a leaking piece of equipment with NO GROUNDING PROBE. It's there, but no place to go. Think of a bird sitting on the high voltage wires strung between those poles in front of your house. The voltage is there, but no impact on that little birdie sitting on the wire because it has no place to go (ie not grounded).

Now current is the flow of electricity. When a car hits that pole and knocks a wire to the ground and it sparks and lights fires....that's current. If you have a grounding probe in your tank, and there is voltage....you also now have current....the flow of electricity. It's current that kills, not voltage.

 

[Wiz]

Please understand the difference between VOLTAGE and CURRENT. Google if you need to. Voltage is what you have in your tank if you have a leaking piece of equipment with NO GROUNDING PROBE. It's there, but no place to go. Think of a bird sitting on the high voltage wires strung between those poles in front of your house. The voltage is there, but no impact on that little birdie sitting on the wire because it has no place to go (ie not grounded).

Now current is the flow of electricity. When a car hits that pole and knocks a wire to the ground and it sparks and lights fires....that's current. If you have a grounding probe in your tank, and there is voltage....you also now have current....the flow of electricity. It's current that kills, not voltage.

So probes are bad?

 

[thenanoreef]

Well probes give the current some where to go. Current stressed my fish out so badly it ended up killing them. They would exhibit odd behavior of rubbing up against rock, and hiding all the time. Just my $.02

 

[redfishbluefish]

This is my opinion:

1. Probe alone - Protects you, but bad for your tank.
2. Probe with CGFI - Protects you and your tank, but trips easily, leaving the tank without power.
3. No Probe - Protects your tank, but gives you a shock.

 

[Wiz]

Cant tell if you mean the probe helped or hurt. Seems that there is no "current" without a probe. Only voltage. Is that what your refering to?

Well probes give the current some where to go. Current stressed my fish out so badly it ended up killing them. They would exhibit odd behavior of rubbing up against rock, and hiding all the time. Just my $.02

 

[Wiz]

I dont mind a shock. Rather keep my fish alive

This is my opinion:

1. Probe alone - Protects you, but bad for your tank.
2. Probe with CGFI - Protects you and your tank, but trips easily, leaving the tank without power.
3. No Probe - Protects your tank, but gives you a shock.

 

[Humblefish]

How does a probe stop the danger?

My bad, I should have said stray voltage instead of current.

Stray voltage is considered one possible contributor to HLLE in fish, as is running cheap carbon and nutritional deficiency. A grounding probe gives your aquarium a positive electrical ground, thus eliminating (or absorbing) stray voltage from the water.

 

[Wiz]

So a probe is good for the fish? What about current running through it? Isn't that the same as voltage in it to the fish?

 

[Sabellafella]

Ok so by everyones take on this i decided to take results of everything thats running in my tank and deduct from 21.000 vs , skimmer is .9, return is .5 , heater is, 17.0(with it completely submerdgedd,), gyre is .2, ati and 2 reefbrites 2.0 give or take,,,,, i took the tip of the heater out of water and my lighting turned off at the time now im reading 1.9, Moral of this is instead of using a grounding probe being the circuit issue ill just have to make some changes for piece of mind lol

 

[redfishbluefish]

If your not confused now, I've got one more tidbit for you that will blow your mind. The stuff in your tank that has a spinning magnet (powerheads/pumps/etc.) is producing induced voltage. Nothing to do with the voltage in the wires coming into that piece of equipment. It's generated by the magnet spinning in a field. So you will always find some small amount of voltage in your tank from this INDUCED VOLTAGE.

 

[Wiz]

Geeeez lol

If your not confused now, I've got one more tidbit for you that will blow your mind. The stuff in your tank that has a spinning magnet (powerheads/pumps/etc.) is producing induced voltage. Nothing to do with the voltage in the wires coming into that piece of equipment. It's generated by the magnet spinning in a field. So you will always find some small amount of voltage in your tank from this INDUCED VOLTAGE.

 

[thenanoreef]

Cant tell if you mean the probe helped or hurt. Seems that there is no "current" without a probe. Only voltage. Is that what your refering to?

Wow it seems that I also mixed voltage an current up. So corrected I mean that The voltage without a probe irritated my fish, but the current with the probe does not. I know against what everyone else says, but this is what happened in my tank. Not saying its correct either

 

[AdamNC]

Grounding probe placed in the bubble trap for my hob skimmer, no sump, and a GFCI.

 

[AmatuerAuer]

Redfish, I agree with your posts. Now let me ask a follow up. If you do not use a probe and we all agree there is ambient voltage, if I can call it that, from all sorts of equipment - Do you believe it has any negative effects on the health of your livestock? HLLE for example or any other malady?

 

[redfishbluefish]

I haven't noticed anything unusual with fish, inverts or corals. Out of curiosity, I just pulled out the multimeter and tested my tank......4.4 volts. And this tank has been running since 2008 with three original fish.

 

[Waters]

I have always used probes without any issues. More of a peace of mind.....it is better than my wife finding me dead on the floor from a electrical induced heart attack