shock in my tank

[adrian52492]

i have a electronic charge in my tank when i plug in my retuen pump at first it was in an extension cord and the shock was really bad then i pluged it in to the wall and it went down a bit but i still have a little tingle how do i get rid of it im going to get a ground probe tomorror will that work and why is the charge in my tank and not in the pump ?

 

[drummereef]

You shouldn't be getting ANY shock regardless of the grounding probe or not. Very dangerous. Sounds like a short in the pump, imo. Be careful in any event!

 

[Scuba_Steve]

if you havelimited it down to the pump id get a new one. ground probe is def a good thing too

 

[adrian52492]

ok will it mess with my fish ? and i keep it on just for tonight ?

 

[Icefire]

Should be okay.

Are you sure it's a shock you get and not just a tingle from a cut/open wound?

Grounding probe are pretty useless, if you have a GFI it will trip it faster, but that means no more pump working.

Also a grounding probe make the current flow all the time in the tank VS just voltage.

Just change the pump.

 

[adrian52492]

ok i do have a cut on my left thumb but my dad mom uncle and freind dont and they feel the shock to but im going to just change the pump tomorror and what if the new pump still puts out the shock ?

 

[fish 511]

hey adrian, hows the tank doin? still have the 210 or are you back with the 55? BTW, I would just return the pump and get a new one

 

[Icefire]

Try to unplug other item like heater/powerhead. If it's doing it only with the pump, just change it.

 

[adrian52492]

hey fish im almost ready to start my 210 i have 200lbs of l/s and im getting 150lbs of lr so far i have 6 pc lights 96w three 50/50 and the rest 10,000k i have a mag 24 for my return and a skimmer i got off ebay for 100buks.Also i still have the 55 at my house waiting for my boss to pick it up im running a wet dry still the two hob filters a css125 skimmer and a uv sterlizer the water is crystal clear will post some pics,Also big als said i have to much filteration lol but its necessary with all thoes fish i recently added 4 pepmermint shrimp it looks really nice my boss is going to get more live rock and some m/h lights also is 1.026 to high for my tank in saltany i herd it should be at least 1.025 for the shrimp but their doing good its fun to watch them eat.

 

[Dogfaced Puffer]

I have the same exact issue! I get a shock (a pretty strong one) if I have a small cut on my finger. It's not just me - others have tried it. I sourced it to my heater. But I changed the heater out and it still happens with a new one. It's not the outlet either.

What is the deal? Why does the current feel so strong with a cut and unexistant without a cut? Why is it not affecting my fish/corals?

 

[rustybucket145]

Your fish and corals are not grounded, so therefore the electrical current isn't really flowing through them. By touching the tank you are, in most cases the only route to ground. If you have enough electrical current for you to feel it, you definately have a problem.

If you do not have a GFCI receptical DO NOT use a grounding probe. This will allow the voltage traveling through your tank skyrocket if something goes wrong. The GFCI is there to keep this from happening. You can have a GFCI without a grounding probe but not the other way around.

Dog: Did you ever think that maybe the new heater you got was faulty as well? I would unplug it and see if you still get shocked, if you don't, take the heater back and try again. (make sure your heater can be totally submerged).

 

[Dogfaced Puffer]

Rusty,
What do you mean by a grounding probe? The outlet is not GFCI.

 

[rustybucket145]

GFCI recepticals are kinda similar to a breaker in your breaker box. The difference is that breakers trip when there is an overload. GFCI's trip as soon as a path to ground is identified (ie, a person getting shocked by stray voltage).

A ground probe is simply a titanium or stainless rod with a wire connected to it and the wire is connected to ground. This allows any stray voltage to go directly to ground, which in turn alerts the GFCI that ground has been found and the GFCI trips.

Otherwise you would have to put your hand in the tank, let the electricity travel through you to ground before the GFCI trips. Which although it sounds rough isn't bad at all and it will save your life in the case of a severe voltage leak.

The reason you can't use a probe without a GFCI is this.... ok, say you have a voltage leak in your tank. The ground probe is absorbing all of it and taking it to ground. Ok, so then you put your hand in the tank and for some reason (ie, wet bare feet, hand on metal...etc) you become a path of least resistance for the stray voltage. So instead of making it's way through the ground probe it finds an easier path to ground through you. No GFCI means no tripped circuit..... means bad shock and/or death to you in some cases, although rare.

 

[Dogfaced Puffer]

Gotcha. Makes sense. Thx.

 

[Worldwithin]

Another way to check to see if it is actually the cut on your thumb is to take a cup of your water out of your tank, and stick your thumb in the cup, rather than the tank.. Does it feel the same??

Chances are it is the pump, and not the cut. The cut just allows for a more direct route through your skin (the protective barrier) for the electricity to pass through.

:fish1::hammer:

 

[adrian52492]

hey it was my return but now i need to change the pump on my skimmer

 

[DouglasTiede]

Please make sure all your outlets for your aquarium are on GFCI.
I'd like to see you around to keep posting on RC.
It is also a wonderful peace of mind should that "little" electrical short turn into a larger one and ZAP!

I had a GFCI trip one day while I was cleaning my tank. I was scared as all get out. I realized that that trip probably saved my life. Turns out the short was in a T5 light so I was always ok, however if it had been a heater or a powerhead or something in the water. My wife would have gotten a nice insurance settlement and probably bought a 500g

 

[gistsc]

I agree, GFI is your safest bet. They are relatively cheap and should be installed anywhere within arms reach of a water source.

 

[jcroteau]

I find that it is typically a heater that's shorting and causing he current in the water. Unplug your heater and see if you get a shock. If you still get a shock, unplug your pump and do the same. Keep checking one electrical device at a time. You'll isolate your problem and TADA! you'll find your problem.