electricity in tank, how to test for it?

[kamikaziechameleon]

Ok, not getting into the middle of the discussion just updating you guys on findings. I have 4 electric devices in my tank, 3-300 watt jager heaters and 1 700 watt pump. I used the multi-meter per the earlier recommendations, set to 200 whatevers on AC I put the positive in the tank and negative in the ground, was getting about 12 whatevers. Unplugging my heaters it showed that two of them where supplying 10-11 whatevers between them.

I haven't removed them in part because I have to get replacements or the tank will crash in temp. I'm writing to ask if that amount is a problem or not. If its normal I'll get a ground and call it a day.

Thanks guys for all the feedback. I may have an engineering back ground but Electricity is not my area at all. I just didn't retain that info from school because I never use it at work.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

researching this there seems to be 3 diff camps for 3 good reasons.

Conductivity in saltwater tanks and the risks of the added minerals make the notion of a ground(generating current) a bad idea period because there are just allot more variables in play.

The notion that voltage in a tank that comes from non failing appliances in aquariums is not dangerous until ground creating currents that are far more damaging to fish, many devices self ground if they short so placing a ground in a tank can amplify the problem rather than fix it.

Grounding in sumps is good because it removes ambient voltage from your aquarium... That is assuming your lights are not contributing, if your lights are too low on the tank supposedly they can add voltage to the tank and if you ground in your sump you create a long stretch of current that will have a more dramatic impact on your fish.

Anything to add to this fellas??? I have no way to remove my heaters from my tank so that the tops are not submerged... I didn't realize it would even be a problem on a functioning device...

 

[Meyjeffery]

Actually I use a grounding probe in my tank and have eliminated the tingling I got when I had powerheads in my tank. I currently do not use any internal pumps in my tank, only my titanium heater. But as noted small amounts of electrical discharge from pumps and other electrical units in your aquarium have been linked to hole in head. I myself believe this to be so, as I was given an oscar with hole in head, and after 2 months in my tank noticed an improvement. Besides the probes are not for completing a circuit but grounding the tank, and they are relatively cheap.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

Actually I use a grounding probe in my tank and have eliminated the tingling I got when I had powerheads in my tank. I currently do not use any internal pumps in my tank, only my titanium heater. But as noted small amounts of electrical discharge from pumps and other electrical units in your aquarium have been linked to hole in head. I myself believe this to be so, as I was given an oscar with hole in head, and after 2 months in my tank noticed an improvement. Besides the probes are not for completing a circuit but grounding the tank, and they are relatively cheap.

I noticed this, if I leave my hand in the tank the tingle depletes. I think the shock I was getting was potentially from build up though the multi meter showed a relatively constant charge, 1 heater is functioning perfectly 1 less so the other definitely leaking some volts. I expected it to be the pump but no such case(thank god, pumps are not cheap!)

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

I have lots of equipment and wouldn't mind systematically testing it all. I read somewhere that using a GFCI to test is advisable as it will detect some of the finest voltage issues. I had be throwing a GFCI prior that was supposed to regulate my tanks and so I bypassed it, I now bet it was these heaters when they were on that circuit! I could setup a tank with a GFCI dedicated just for testing. Question is to generate a fault do I ground or not ground the test tank???

 

[Bderick67]

GFCI works by detecting minute differences is current(Amps) not voltage. Use your mulimeter to test for voltage in your tank, eliminate each piece of equipment until you find the problem.

Amazing how many people us ground probes thinking they are helping their fish. When in actuality they are exposing their fish to an electric current. In freshwater aquariums, if you have stray voltage in your tank you need to eliminate the device creating the stray voltage. When you ground the tank you create a current path. When your fish swim between the votlage source and the ground probe they are exposed to electric current.


Much like a bird sitting on a high tension power line, the bird is fine even at voltages exceeding 200,000 volts. If the bird had a ground probe in it's beak it would be electricuted becuase of the current flowing through it's body.

 

[Madness]

GFCI works by detecting minute differences is current(Amps) not voltage. Use your mulimeter to test for voltage in your tank, eliminate each piece of equipment until you find the problem.

Amazing how many people us ground probes thinking they are helping their fish. When in actuality they are exposing their fish to an electric current. In freshwater aquariums, if you have stray voltage in your tank you need to eliminate the device creating the stray voltage. When you ground the tank you create a current path. When your fish swim between the votlage source and the ground probe they are exposed to electric current.


Much like a bird sitting on a high tension power line, the bird is fine even at voltages exceeding 200,000 volts. If the bird had a ground probe in it's beak it would be electricuted becuase of the current flowing through it's body.

Finally another person that gets it. I said this exact same thing earlier. You guys that continue to refuse to understand the issue with a ground probe, go right ahead, use them. If a scientist told you that something you were eating was going to cause you harm, you would probably stop. Well a 25 year electrician is trying to tell you that a ground probe WILL HURT YOUR FISH, why do you seem to ignore it?

 

[Madness]

Here are a couple write ups that explain the EXACT same thing that I was saying. But its your choice.

http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/problemsolving/a/grounding.htm

http://angel-strike.com/aquarium/GroundingProbes.html

 

[trizzot]

I had this problem, And I could even feel the shock thru the glass. I simply started unplugging things one by one until i could not feel it anymore. Its not that hard and it can be done without playing with a meter and stretching wires to outlets. Mine was a bad titanium heater.

 

[kamikaziechameleon]

GFCI works by detecting minute differences is current(Amps) not voltage. Use your mulimeter to test for voltage in your tank, eliminate each piece of equipment until you find the problem.

Amazing how many people us ground probes thinking they are helping their fish. When in actuality they are exposing their fish to an electric current. In freshwater aquariums, if you have stray voltage in your tank you need to eliminate the device creating the stray voltage. When you ground the tank you create a current path. When your fish swim between the votlage source and the ground probe they are exposed to electric current.


Much like a bird sitting on a high tension power line, the bird is fine even at voltages exceeding 200,000 volts. If the bird had a ground probe in it's beak it would be electricuted becuase of the current flowing through it's body.

I've read many different things. Grounding is not apparently bad inherently, but many people ground a tank before testing for faulty equipment. It is not unusual for a tank to have ambient voltage in it, not a high amount we can perceive from touching the tank but an amount none the less. This is why grounding is recommended but not before testing your equipment individually even proximity to lights and other devices can emit a lesser charge into a tank.

From what I understand if you remove all faulty equipment then ground a tank so that it doesn't build that "static" charge if you will then everyone is better for it. Fish are highly sensitive to electromagnetic anything and as such I expect a ambient charge in the tank could be very upsetting to them, especially certain fishes like ghost knives.