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Kevin 
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 Topic: Stray Electricity
Posted: January 03 2005 at 5:58pm |
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Recently I found out that there is stray electricity in my tank. I found out because I had a small sore under my finger nail and I noticed that when I put that finger into the water it hurt (and no not just because of the salt water). If I repeated the process multiple times the pain slowly went away, but if I left the tank for a while (say 10 min) the shocking feeling would come back. So I went through the process of unplugging everything and replugging it back in and I think I may have narrowed it down to my titanium heater. So now the question is, how bad is stray electricity? Does it hurt anything in the tank? Also what is the best method of correction? Is it best to put in a grounding probe or to replace my heater?
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bugzme
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 6:39pm |
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replace your heater and then add a grounding probe.
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Jeff
125 tank
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T-5 lighting
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I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!!
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 7:09pm |
I use to "feel the buzz" every time I'd put my hand in the tank. I think from lighting fixture.
I never worried about.... it just hurt..... but I probably should have worried about it.
Adam
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reptoreef
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 7:51pm |
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I have a titanium ground probe and still feel a very slight buzz in sores when I put my hand in the water every great once in a while.
Edited by reptoreef
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www.captivereefing.com
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jfinch
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 8:07pm |
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If it's your heater then I would probably replace it. It's a failure just waiting to happen. A grounding plug is probably a good idea too. High frequency (electronic) ballasts will induce a voltage into metal objects close to the bulbs such as the reflector. Grounding the reflector will reduce/eliminate this. I don't think you want electrical current flowing through your tank... I've heard it can play havoc with fish's lateral line.
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rstruhs
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 10:02pm |
I say toss the heater and DO NOT replace it! Try running for awhile without a heater to see if you really need it!
Maybe you will find out you just need more lights instead!
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Rodney, Sandra, Jeffery, and Laura Struhs
South Jordan, Utah 98th South & 40th West.
(801) 282-2744
75 gallon reef
55 gallon reef
55 gallon FOWLR
20 gallon FOWLR
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 10:57pm |
I agree with RStruhs.
Adam
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Kevin
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Posted: January 03 2005 at 11:41pm |
I found out for sure it was my heater. I forgot that last night I unplugged the heater to see if that was it for sure. When I got home today I saw that the heater was unplugged and so I stuck my finger in and there was no electric feeling. So then I plugged it back in and went about checking things. When I tried it again about 5 mintues later OUCH. It really hurts on that finger.
As for trying it without the heater, my tank was at about 72 degrees at 5:00 after having my metal halides on for 7-8 hours. I don't think it will be a good idea to go without a heater.
Dumb thing cost me 30 bucks and I don't think it is even a year old  . Oh well, I guess I will look into getting it replaced. Obviously the titanium brand is out. What else does everyone recommend? An Ebojagger? I have an old Ebojagger that used to be in there but I thought it started to go bad (thats why I got the new heater). Even so I have been using it on a freshwater tank for a few months now with great results. Probably should go with new just to be safe
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 12:42am |
Another titanium heater bites the dust. They are crap. 
Ebojagger is the absolute best IME.
72 is an acceptable temperature. Go without a heater and see if you notice any problems or any less beauty to the tank. 
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Connie
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 5:04am |
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You can also raise the temp by running the lights longer. I run 3 250 wattt for 12 hours per day. My temp ranges from 77 to 79.
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I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them.
180 gallon money pit that I love.....
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jglover
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 9:13am |
yes but it could drop significantly in the middle of the night when the lights are off I wouldn't attempt it cold. If you would like to see if you need a heater turn it down and see what the temp is at 5:00 AM. Or just use your thermostat.
As for the heater I preffer two cheap ones better than one big one. that way there is a back up plan. and your old heater would make a great ground probe.
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Carl
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 11:31am |
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Where is the tank at? Is it in a basement? What is the ambient temperature around the tank? Can you run the heater in the sump instead of the main tank if you absolutely need one and if so do you have enough buffer time to do any good heating the water this way? Maybe just get your fish some flannels?
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In Syracuse
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popplc
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 12:12pm |
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I'm glad you "Tossed the heater"
BUT remember one thing...
if you feel electricity, it's because there is a difference of potential between you and the tank. The problem will probably get worse if you have a problem, and it's likely that you will be the one to suffer. It would be a wise idea, because of the water in our tanks, and the possibility of getting electrocuted, that we all use a Ground Fault Interrupted (GFI) circuit on our systems to protect ourselves, and our investments against a water caused electrocution.
There is a caution on the tag on my wives blow drier that cautions the user against using it while in the tub, so why risk a faulty heater in your aquarium.
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Kevin
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 1:51pm |
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The tank is at a mid/lower level in the house (it is a split level). The ambiant temp in the house is around 76 (or so my thermostat says) but I would guess between 70-72 degrees where the tank is at. As for where the heater is, it is currently in my refugium and it keeps my tank at 78 degrees.
As far as the GFI goes I have one. I would HIGHLY reccommend a GFI to everyone. Its only 10-30 bucks and it has potentially saved my tank/home on more than one occasion. For example, I recently purchased a skimmer and in trying to set it up the pump that pushes water into the skimmer popped off and sprayed water all over the place. I didn't think much of it and I cleaned up the water somewhat. The next day when my lights turned on the GFI tripped. Come to find out that water had leaked into my MH ballast and that was what was causing the GFI to trip. That could have turned into a bad situation without a GFI.
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smatney
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 1:55pm |
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Kevin, I had a titanium heater overheat my tank. I don't trust them at all.
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Susan Matney
Farmington, UT
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 4:09pm |
Throw the heater away IME.
I haven't used heaters for 5-6 years and probably never will again. I don't recommend heater unless your tank is outside or in a cold basement.
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KeoDog
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 4:23pm |
Do titanium heaters fail more than glass ones?  I am running 3 of them and have never had a problem. I have one glass one that is stuck on permanently(Via Aqua I think) and an Ebo jager that worked fine but now you have to turn it almost all the way up to get it to turn on.
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Kevin Kunz (Sandy, UT)
300g reef
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bugzme
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 6:38pm |
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Doesn't the temperature fluctuations affect the tank in general? I keep my house at 74 degrees so I would have a 5 degree swing from morning to night.
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Jeff
125 tank
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T-5 lighting
Rum drinker, Carbon User
I KNOW ROCKS THAT ARE YOUNGER THEN ME!! I AM A Realist! I write what I think!!
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 11:08pm |
 Kevin wrote:
...but I would guess between 70-72 degrees where the tank is at. |
That temperature is fine when you realize that the lights will heat it up during the day. Do you realize that several of the most experinced hobbyists in the mountainwest have just suggested that you could go heaterless?
Kevin wrote:
...water had leaked into my MH ballast and that was what was causing the GFI to trip. |
Why did you have the ballast inside where the water is?
I'm sorry to hear of your mishaps, but thank goodness for you, that GFI's were made!
Everyone please note: Important rule of tank set-up: Mount ballasts, power strips, etc. out of reach of water, especially not on the bottom of the stand!!!!
I've never used a GFI and never needed one(knock on wood) because I keep all electrical connections away from where the water can get. 
Oh, and a temp fluctuation of 5 degrees night to day is no big deal.
I recently bought a Marineland "Stealth" heater at Fish-4-U made of a black plastic/ceramic material that is not supposed to overheat and won't break like a glass encased heater. It's still too new of a product to have any history but it looks promising. 
Edited by Mark Peterson
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jfinch
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Posted: January 04 2005 at 11:21pm |
You'll have to pry my heater from my cold dead hands .
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