electrical short (shock)

[cruzin94066]

I am having problems with my tank. My Alkalinity is high(20) and my calcium is low(300). I don't exactly know how to fix the high alkalinity except for water changes so that's what I am doing so far.

A question that I would like to know is how you can tell if there's an electrical short or not or if I am getting shocked by electricity. Last night when I was cleaning the tank my hand did not feel like it was getting stung by my corals or the tingling sensation that I get from cleaning the tank every once in awhile. It felt different. It felt like I got shocked or like I touched a wool sweater after having getting it from the dryer but a tinier scale leaning towards static electricity. All my pumps and heaters are brand new not even three weeks old. The two pumps are rios and the heater is a stealth heater from visitherm.

Thanks

 

[JaMan]

Unplug each item until you feel a change. don't unplug anything while your hand is in the water though.

A big water change would help. Also stop adding buffer, and add only Ca. until the numbers get closer to ideal Then start adding both Buffer and Ca again.

 

[AC/RC]

Do you have equipment on GFI outlet? If it is and there is a short it would trip. Sounds like you do not and when you put your hand in the tank you are the ground! Have the ground wire at the outlet checked, or at the electrical panel, or at the ground rod by the panel or meter box. And put a GFCI outlet in! They will work properly without a ground wire, because it read voltage leakage between the hot and neutral wires, and does not require a ground to work properly. All though without the ground wire the there is no equipment ground. Best too fix grounding problem and add GFCI outlet.

 

[sidjam]

i second the GFCI. they are a must imo.

 

[GreyG35]

Definitely put in a GFCI outlet, or use one of those power strips/extension cords that has one built in. No sense getting killed for lack of an $11 outlet! :eek2:

 

[Fast Fred]

Definately a GFCI!!!!

You could also install a ground probe in your tank so that the GFCI trips out before YOU are the ground.

It is also my understanding that voltage in the tank can cause Lateral Line Disease/Erosion in fish. I'm sure it's not too healthy for corals either.

Look here:

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=UL1711

 

[DaveAngie79]

gfi's are a great idea
just look anywhere else in your house that have an outlet new water they are all gfi's or should be
i bought mine a Homedepot it was like 7 dollars
i have the shocking broblem myself
it was my blower pump inside my tank
killed one damsell everything else lived

 

[cruzin94066]

Hi everyone
Thank you for the quick reply. I went to Lowes and bought myself a GFI extension cord. And I went to my LFS and bought a ground plug that I will install tomorrow.

 

[loyalty]

thats good. while i advocate dying doing something you love, reefing isn't one of them

 

[Spuds725]

==removed==

 

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6655220#post6655220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cruzin94066
Hi everyone
Thank you for the quick reply. I went to Lowes and bought myself a GFI extension cord. And I went to my LFS and bought a ground plug that I will install tomorrow.

Do not install the ground probe until you have properly installed and tested the GFCI.

You need to also get a multitester from Radioshack and test the voltage from the tank water to ground. If you detect any you need to disconect one device at a time until the voltage disapear and you have found the culprit.
If you have fluorecent lighting (HO, VHO or T5) and that is the culprit you may find that amy times the reflectors create a field that generates voltage in the water and does not mean that the thing is defective, you just need to connect a ground cable to the metalic reflector or the hood if you have one.
Please do not use yourself as the tester.