Reybeast Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 I would get shocked sometimes when I put my hands in the water and I touched the lighting, either by the sump light or by the main light on the top tank. So last night I used a volt meter to test the water (black voltmeter probe to the 3rd prong of a gounded outlet and red probe tip in the water) and turns out the Koralia1 in the main tank was putting 115v into the water (shocking!). i removed the k1 and no more voltage in the water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Same issue here. Removed the K3, no more "enlightenment". I had seen this issue raised on RC but never had a problem until a few months ago. I suspect it is the sealing breaking down over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 oh and btw, K1 for sale cheap! works great! recommend not being grounded when touching water though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polarbear Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 will this hurt the fish or corals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 well, i can say that this has been happening for some time, fish are ok. Kryptonite corals have gone south though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 This can also happen with heaters.....just an indication that they need to be replaced. -Cindy- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 Wait, just to make sure... so I don't kill myself and my corals in the process of testing, black tip into a grounded outlet (the circular ground plug, not any of the 2 flat live ones) and the red probe into the water? Obviously make sure one piece of equipment is running at a time to isolate the voltage leaking equipment. -Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 18, 2010 Author Share Posted February 18, 2010 (edited) correct, the round plug hole. and just the metal tip of the probe in the water, and dont touch the water with your skin. Edited February 18, 2010 by Reybeast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaJMasta Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 well, i can say that this has been happening for some time, fish are ok. Kryptonite corals have gone south though. Could be an issue from the shock you got, but odds are it's unrelated. In a glass or acrylic tank with only plastic fittings and cables coming out of it, there's no grounding of the water and thus the electricity doesn't go anywhere or do anything. Once you add your hand to the tank though, it suddenly has a route to ground, and the tank as an insulator is bypassed, completing the circuit through the powerhead, the water, and you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimReefer Posted February 18, 2010 Share Posted February 18, 2010 i had the same problem a while back, turns out it was a power strip, didnt hurt anything, just shocked me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I've read that stray electricity can adversely affect snails. I think Melev on RC blamed some coral deaths on stray current too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 well, that would explain the snails not lasting very long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I think it contributed to my snail issues too, though I have been able to keep some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Hermit crabs can be detrimental to snails also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad and Belinda Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Same thing happens to me. If I stick my hand in the water without wearing shoes, I get shocked...without touching the lights though. Last week, I stuck my hands in the sump (wearing shoes) and was shocked pretty bad. Don't think my hubby gets shocked. How does this affect the corals? I am having issues with one of my zoas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Stray voltage will kill snail, crabs, fish and upset corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 its all about making a path for electricity to get to ground. barefooted, you are an easy path. Some shoes will insulate you better than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Grounding Probe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 thats a very interesting thought. In this case, its more than stray voltage, so i wonder what would happen to the grounding probe. I suppose the GFI would trip or the circuit braker would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 (edited) more on grounding probes. http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM/Aquarium/GroundingProbes.html This article is a little old, but has good info. All I know is I removed the K1 and no more shocks. I even tested it in a glass of water (ouch) Edited February 19, 2010 by Reybeast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 more on grounding probes. http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM/Aquarium/GroundingProbes.html This article is a little old, but has good info. All I know is I removed the K1 and no more shocks. I even tested it in a glass of water (ouch) I find this funny! Did you go to A&M? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share Posted February 19, 2010 they rejected me, apparently I wasnt supposed to remove my hand when I got shocked.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 Is that how Dell test computers? haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reybeast Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 anyone have the customer service number for hydor? I cant seem to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 1-880-igotshocked. Hydro is Italy. Go to their website and send them an email. They respond very quickly http://www.hydor.com/main/contact Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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