Has anyone ever been killed electrocuted by their aquarium?

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EDzLebanon

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 8, 2017
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Hello all!
Well my actual question is whether it is safe to keep my aquarium lights on while I clean it ? Coz otherwise I cant see what I am doing for one and also my oscar always seems to sneak in on me to nip my arm haha! I don't think I have ever heard on the news of any hobbyist that got killed after a shock from an aquarium, but then again maybe they don't mention such things on the news ;)

So I usually switch off everything except for my lights, which are led lights that sit on the aquarium top thanks to some sort of plastic attachments . The lights are covered below by a large plastic pannel. I once asked an electrician and he said not to worry its safe since its all plastic. But for the first time I removed the lights to photograph them to post in here, and I noticed water condensation inside! So it might be more serious that I had thought. And our electricians here are not so bright so Im worried a bit. I always fight with my family members over this because they cant help but point out the danger I am putting myself into everytime they see me cleaning the aquarium. So which is it? I will post images so you can help me figure it out. Do I need to buy new lights? Is there an external light people use while cleaning to see what they are doing? I tried an electric torchlight but it wasnt bright enough. And after I thought I was done, I turned on the aquarium light just to realize I still had lots of spots to clean. Anyway with the current state of the led pannel now with the water condensation l just noticed, maybe being electrocuted while cleaning is the least of my worries, maybe merely turning them on might cause a fire or something????
Please help me figure this out, thanks in advance!

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I keep the hood lights on while I clean my tanks as well.My tanks are in a rather dimly lit room and I need the lighting in order to clean them effectively.I don't forsee any problems unless if perhaps the light strip gets knocked into the water somehow.
 
I wouldn't worry about that condensation either...as long as the unit is sitting upright properly the droplets shouldn't have a way of getting to anything vital.
 
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You'll be alright,no need to worry. I have LED on my saltwater tank that has all kinds of salt creep on it and is still does fine and I do water changes with them on.
 
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When I had my reef tank going a power head malfunctioned and was dumping voltage into the water. I had been messing around in the tank for weeks with this thing like that and didn't know what was happening. I was doing a water change and spilled some water on the floor near a heating vent in the floor that was metal and I was barefoot. But once I made the mistake of standing on the vent and reaching into the tank at the same time it was like getting punched in the face!!! I hit the floor. Almost pulled the tank over onto myself on the way down.

I'm not telling you that story to scare you, just sharing a story.
Saltwater is highly conductive. And salt creep can be dangerous.
But it's very simple to take care of. Every time you clean the aquarium just take the time to wipe everything down and clean off any salt residue you see and you shouldn't have a problem.
 
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BIG-G said:
When I had my reef tank going a power head malfunctioned and was dumping voltage into the water. I had been messing around in the tank for weeks with this thing like that and didn't know what was happening. I was doing a water change and spilled some water on the floor near a heating vent in the floor that was metal and I was barefoot. But once I made the mistake of standing on the vent and reaching into the tank at the same time it was like getting punched in the face!!! I hit the floor. Almost pulled the tank over onto myself on the way down.

I'm not telling you that story to scare you, just sharing a story.
Saltwater is highly conductive. And salt creep can be dangerous.
But it's very simple to take care of. Every time you clean the aquarium just take the time to wipe everything down and clean off any salt residue you see and you shouldn't have a problem.
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Good to know! Very helpful....

eddiegunks said:
Use a GFI outlet/breaker
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That's what I use and never had a probably. I highly recommend it.
 
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