[fishdude1]

ok if any one can help me a few weeks ago i had some water get on the carpet cleaned it up no problem but now when i put my hand in the tank i get shocked bad buts its not every time which is odd i tried unplugging things one at a time but it still shocks me dont really know what to do about this it really suck because i dont want to get close to my tank

I need any ideas !!!!

 

[jolson10450]

usually its the heater that does it, try to remove the heater completely for an hour and see if it does it. some people using a grounding rod in their tanks incase this happens as well, i do not so i cant give you any info on it.

 

[fishdude1]

ya i did that then i bought a bran new one still shocks me but not every time odd to me

 

[zenpytho]

did a strip plug get wet or anything with the water spillcould be a short in the strip so it keeps jumping through different wires not just one

 

[scotp94]

Happened to me too. I changed my power strip and that solved it.

 

[philsky89127]

I had this happen due to a messed up powerhead. It was in my salwater mixing container, and was the only piece of electrical equipment in the container. The casing was cracked. I actually don't know what else inside was open to the water. I just know I didn't appreciate the shock, so the powerhead was thrown away quickly.

-Phil

 

[CrAzY_CrAcKeR]

unplug one thing at a time. till the zapping is gone. good luck I've been there many a times

 

[fishnerd1]

I had this happen due to a messed up powerhead. It was in my salwater mixing container, and was the only piece of electrical equipment in the container. The casing was cracked. I actually don't know what else inside was open to the water. I just know I didn't appreciate the shock, so the powerhead was thrown away quickly.

-Phil

I just had the same problem with one of my old power heads. Trying each plug one at a time identified the problem quickly. You may need to wait a minute to let the charge disipate before testing. I used a volt meter to measure with one end in the tank and the other in the ground plug in a socket. After unplugging the bad head some voltage initially registered then the current drained and no voltage was measured.

 

[mfishhead]

Sad Story: I was on vacation and had someone watching my tank. They didn't notice any problem with shocks, but a circuit breaker kept tripping which turned off everything in the tank. The tank was in my office at work and everyone thought it was just something else tripping the breaker so they kept resetting it. This went on for a couple days before stuff started dying in the tank and I got the email saying something was wrong. By the time I got back to the office, everything, I mean everything, was dead. I couldn't believe it.

The only thing I could do was take the tank down to start over. While tearing things apart I found one power head with a broken wire right at the base as it entered the pump. The poor buggers got the electric chair.

I was pretty bummed and it took two years before I dared start the tank up again. I still worry every time I'm on vacation.

This makes me wonder if a GFCI power strip or even a GFCI breaker would keep this from happening. Anybody have experience with them and know how they would handle a bad heater, pump, etc.?

 

[iyachtuxivm]

How long has this been happening? Is it both hands or just one? I know sounds strange right? But if I have a hangnail or something like it it feels like an electrical shock when I put my hand in the tank. Other hand no issue unless it has a hangnail too. No other time does this happen and I just started to notice this. If it is a shock I would deffinatly change out any power strips and get a grounding probe. If you have gone through all your equipment then there isnt much left.

 

[Jstadler]

Don't mean to hijack, but I'm having a similar issue with my tank. If I have any sort or cut or hangnail, it feels like it's shocking me, no cut, no shock. I was convinced it was a piece of equipment. I started noticing it when my sump broke on me last week. So your saying it's possible it's not stray voltage in the tank? What else would be the cause of this?

 

[Pete Randazzo]

What do you have on timers or controllers . That may explain the intermittent shocks . Might be a dryrotted cord to a pump/ powerhead. I don't think it would be static electricity . With out seeing your setup it would be hard to figure out . Good luck

 

[Paulo]

Heres best way to figure out.


Unplug everything. THe add one thing at a time. You must check every device. lights powerheads pumps heaters and ect. Once you find a bad one the continue practice until everything is plugged in with no shock. Dont just stop at first shocker. You may have more than 1 leak in your tank. Also, this was a good thing because it showed you have stray voltage in tank which can have effect on tank inhabatants. And you if it shocked bad enough to kill. Good luck,
Paulo

 

[teknokreeper]

I just had the same problem with one of my old power heads. Trying each plug one at a time identified the problem quickly. You may need to wait a minute to let the charge disipate before testing. I used a volt meter to measure with one end in the tank and the other in the ground plug in a socket. After unplugging the bad head some voltage initially registered then the current drained and no voltage was measured.

+1

Please use a volt meter to test for stray voltage, rather than just sticking your hand in to see if you get zapped. Also worth noting that you should be sure the meter is set to AC. Be sure to test the display tank and sump, as there may not be a good continuity between the two through the water in the return line.

Identifying, Locating and Curing Stray Voltage in a Saltwater Aquarium

 

[slapshot]

+1

Please use a volt meter to test for stray voltage, rather than just sticking your hand in to see if you get zapped. Also worth noting that you should be sure the meter is set to AC. Be sure to test the display tank and sump, as there may not be a good continuity between the two through the water in the return line.

Identifying, Locating and Curing Stray Voltage in a Saltwater Aquarium

+2. Check your lights. If you have T5's they can generate current just by induction. You can ground the fixture and the reflectors to get rid of it.

 

[fishdude1]

hey every one thanks for the ideas:victory: im going to try to fix this and not get shocked

 

[fishdude1]

hey hey found the issue it was one of the power heads unplugged it and no more shocking thanks again for all your help every one :3195:

 

[tankdude]

let me guess, was it a koralia?

 

[fishdude1]

naw it was a maxi jet 900

 

[tankdude]

I've had 2 koralias shock me that's why I asked, I'm glad you found the problem.