electricity in tank, how to test for it?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
kamikaziechameleon said:
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.
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OK, could make since to the average individual, but to someone with an electrical degree and 25 years of being in the trade, it makes no since. But again, do what you want it is your tank and your fish. Good luck. :)
 
Madness said:
OK, could make since to the average individual, but to someone with an electrical degree and 25 years of being in the trade, it makes no since. But again, do what you want it is your tank and your fish. Good luck. :)
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I'm intelligent, please correct me and inform my perspective.

I understand if faulty parts are the source of the majority of ambient voltage a ground is BAD! It creates a Current = bad. I also understand with so much electricity around a tank it tends to pickup a light almost undetectable charge that shows to be negative for fish and corals. Even those without a notable charge report improvement from an added ground (especially reef keepers). Its not my experience just what I read. I read your views and agree, grounding a faulty piece of equipment creates more issues than not. That being said people have reported benefit from grounding tanks with no visible charge.

Maybe there is something else at play with why grounding a tank is good. I don't know.

I plan to test and replace all my faulty hardware, then place a ground in the sump of every super system I have right by equipment, any percieved current(though there shouldn't be any really) is not going through the tank or fish.
 
I run a ground probe in all of my tanks, with all electrical appliances being ran through a GFCI protected power bar. If a piece of equipment leaks stray current, there is no risk to my fish, or myself, as the GFCI will kill the power source & I will immediately know that I have a problem somewhere, and can rectify it.

Another perspective, from an electrical engineer.

http://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/aquarist-found-dead/

Using a stand alone GFCI protected power bar, along with a grounding probe, is not only a very safe way to protect ones fish, themselves, and family members, but also removes any issues with older homes that have older panels. They also have built in test buttons to ensure that they are working properly, which should be checked on a regular basis, just like all GFCI protected receptacles.

Last year when Marineland Stealth heaters were cracking, blowing up, and basically failing left right & center, my probe/power bar combo picked up stray current from an older Stealth heater in one of my tanks that had begun to crack near the top of the heater, and due to the ground probe tripped the GCI breaker, instead of me having to become the ground on my next water change.

I would have never noticed this in my tank with the naked eye, and it potentially saved me from a disaster as many of these "cracks" ended up with the heater blowing up like a small pipe bomb. In a few cases they actually blew out the end of a few individuals tanks.

The online articles that poo-poo the use of ground probes do so only as stand alone safety devices. Add a GFCI receptacle into the equation and their argument no longer holds water. (no pun intended)
 
I can see the situation where it could be bad to ground a tank...it would turn the stray voltage into amperage and it could have a potential to go through the fish.

I personally believe that stray voltage is bad. Anyone that doesn't think so would also have no problem building their home right under some massive high-tension power lines.

I believe that components should be tested...but I also believe that a ground should be installed in the sump...right in the same compartment where the heaters and pump are... In this manner, any stray voltage will be removed right at ths source. No voltage or current will get into the main tank, nor will it flow through any bacterial filtration and cause issues there.

Mike
 
doesn't electricity take the path of least resistance? if so wont the flow just go around the fish since im guessing fish would be more electrically resistant than the water.
 
Though I agree with RD with the GFCI, I still do not agree with the ground probe. If the GFCI for what ever reason does not do its job, then you will have a serious problem. So in my book, Ground probes are not a good idea. Those of you using them and swear by them, its your call. But when you have an issue because of one of them, I hope it doesnt hurt to bad.

And as for motors and ballasts in the lights, yes they will putt off stray voltage in the tank which will not harm the fish, (see the bird / high voltage wire comment earlier) but stick a ground in the water, and now you may have an issue.

Example: Was installing aerial cable from light to light in a parking lot. A couple hundred yards away were high voltage lines. I had no problems running this cable while standing on the lift, but once I was down on the ground and I cut the wire, I got popped pretty good. Why? because I was grounded, and I had a hold of the ground wire in the group. That wire was picking up stray voltage from the high voltage lines.

So, its your call. You will never find them in my tanks.
 
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