Stray current concern

[Mycota]

So in the past 5 days or so my zoas and frogspawn and galaxia stopped opening fully but do open partially. Everything else seems fine including anemones.

I have
2 clowns
4 hermits
4 snails
Zoas
Frogspawn
Galaxia
Bubble coral
Large green pallys
Ricordia
Favia
Rock flower nems

Water parameters are:
Temp: 76
Salinity: 1.026
Ammonia: undetected
Nitrite: undetected
Nitrate: slightly above zero but below 5
Phosphate: 0
pH: 7.9
Dkh: 8
Calc: 520

Even though everything seemed in check i went ahead and did a 50% water change and new carbon in case chemical warfare is going on in the aquarium. Everything has at leaat 4+ inches around each frag.

I noticed when moving the frogspawn to a very low flow area last night that i could feel a stray current in my fingernails. I dont have any kind of meter to test it but by unplugging everything and testing one piece at a time i figured out alot of equipment is causing it. The IM stock return pump (nuvo fusion 20), IM ghost skimmer, jebao wp wave maker, and the heater all created stray current when plugged in.

Is this normal or just bad luck that literally everything is creating a current. I have read the magnetic impellers on the pumps can cause it to some degree. I will probably replace the heater as i dont think it should be coming from it at all.

Perhaps the stray current isnt even the issue with the coral.

Thanks!

 

[Crabs McJones]

So in the past 5 days or so my zoas and frogspawn and galaxia stopped opening fully but do open partially. Everything else seems fine including anemones.

I have
2 clowns
4 hermits
4 snails
Zoas
Frogspawn
Galaxia
Bubble coral
Large green pallys
Ricordia
Favia
Rock flower nems

Water parameters are:
Temp: 76
Salinity: 1.026
Ammonia: undetected
Nitrite: undetected
Nitrate: slightly above zero but below 5
Phosphate: 0
pH: 7.9
Dkh: 8
Calc: 520

Even though everything seemed in check i went ahead and did a 50% water change and new carbon in case chemical warfare is going on in the aquarium. Everything has at leaat 4+ inches around each frag.

I noticed when moving the frogspawn to a very low flow area last night that i could feel a stray current in my fingernails. I dont have any kind of meter to test it but by unplugging everything and testing one piece at a time i figured out alot of equipment is causing it. The IM stock return pump (nuvo fusion 20), IM ghost skimmer, jebao wp wave maker, and the heater all created stray current when plugged in.

Is this normal or just bad luck that literally everything is creating a current. I have read the magnetic impellers on the pumps can cause it to some degree. I will probably replace the heater as i dont think it should be coming from it at all.

Perhaps the stray current isnt even the issue with the coral.

Thanks!

Possibly dumb question, but you didn't recently cut your nails before putting them in the tank did you? I'd find it very hard to believe that every piece of equipment was causing stray current.

 

[Mycota]

Lol yea i had just cut my nails the day before. But felt nothing if i unplugged everything which lead me to believe it wasnt salt causing pain in a cut.

Perhaps that made me much more sensitive to the current?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Lol yea i had just cut my nails the day before. But felt nothing if i unplugged everything which lead me to believe it wasnt salt causing pain in a cut.

Perhaps that made me much more sensitive to the current?

Possibly. #reefsquad any stray current experts in the group?

 

[GoVols]

@Brew12
Are you available?

Thanks, Freddie

 

[dbl]

Freddie beat me to it. @Brew12 is one of the go-to guys here. You can pick up a meter at one of the big box stores - they're not very expensive. It may help with the diagnosis.

 

[Mycota]

Thanks for all your help so far guys. What are those meters called? I may grab one sometime soon just to have on hand.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I am no expert, but if concerned a
Vertex Titanium Grounding Pole is about $15

 

[Mycota]

Cant it cause electrocution if it is grounded and you stick your hand in? I know little about electricity so I'm probably wrong.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What Light is on the tank?

You’ll want an inexpensive mulit meter. Get one with very long probe wires.

https://m.sears.com/craftsman-multi...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CJqjyKbZ8dkCFYwLgQodh_YPPw

 

[Mycota]

Kessil A160we us my lighting. Running at 40% intensity 10% color for 5 hours with a 2 hour ramp up/down on each side.

 

[jda]

If more than one item needs to be unplugged, then it could be a power strip. You can get stray current through salt creep if a power strip is near the tank. Light cords near the tank can jump as well.

Other than this, you should be able to narrow it down to just one item.

Harbor Freight has a cheap multimeter. You can search on how to test. Every tank will have some, so do not expect zero. You should be able to see it drop in huge numbers when you unplug the offending piece of equipment. Typically speaking, start cheap to expensive, AC to DC... it goes down this way most of the time... MaxiJets used to be the #1 offender for me until I stopped using them.

 

[Mycota]

If more than one item needs to be unplugged, then it could be a power strip. You can get stray current through salt creep if a power strip is near the tank. Light cords near the tank can jump as well.

Other than this, you should be able to narrow it down to just one item.

Harbor Freight has a cheap multimeter. You can search on how to test. Every tank will have some, so do not expect zero. You should be able to see it drop in huge numbers when you unplug the offending piece of equipment. Typically speaking, start cheap to expensive, AC to DC... it goes down this way most of the time... MaxiJets used to be the #1 offender for me until I stopped using them.

Thanks! I didn't even think of the power strips. One is ancient. Ill replace both this weekend and try to get a meter too.

 

[Mycota]

As a side note the galaxia is looking awesome again and about half my zoas are fully open. Frogaspawn is still looking crappy (of course my favorite). Didn't leave anything unplugged so nothing really has changed.

 

[jda]

It probably is not a stray current issue, but a voltmeter can let you know for sure.

 

[Mycota]

darn. Looks like one of the two frogspawn heads is beginning to eviscerate itself. Figure that head is gone. Hopefully the other makes it. Dropped lighting intensity down 10%. Not really sure what else to do.

 

[Mycota]

So forever on the response but for what its worth everything recovered. Wasnt any stray current. Must have just been the salt in my freshly clipped finger nails. I never did discover the cause of the stress on the corals. The tank was only 4 months old at that point so probably a mini cycle i didnt catch on testing or some other new tank garbage that happens.