Hand is getting shocked in tank

Radicaljbr · 09/26/2011, 02:49 PM

I went today to pull out some Macro algea and noticed my right hand got shocked when I put my hand in the Fuge. I have a small cut on that hand and that is where I could feel the tingling shock. The shock was not strong enough to make me pull my hand out, but I have noticed that it is only on that hand. I feel nothing when putting my other hand in. Is this strange? Why only to one hand?

Grounding probe will be my next purchase.

The shock is much less than say putting a 9 volt on your tongue. It is so mild that I can keep my hand in and finished taking out the algea.

I tried to place a volt meter in the water, but not sure how to do it. Where do you place the two meter probes?

I also have a GFCI which is not tripping. I did do a test on the GFCI and it appears to be working fine.

Fish all look fine.

burnah · 09/26/2011, 02:55 PM

the exactly same happened to me to, only at a small wound and after keeping the hand in the tank for some time it eventually stopped. could this also be some stinging cells of corals or anemones?

i do not know about stray currents in my tank...

Radicaljbr · 09/26/2011, 03:01 PM

Ya that is what is happening with me. I was pulling tons of turtle grass out and all the sudden felt it.

milesofreefs · 09/26/2011, 03:17 PM

your not being shocked. have you ever used salt water to clean a cut? when i use to skateboard if i ever got bad road rash i would go to the beach and jump in the water to clean it out. thats whats happening to your cut the salt is cleaning it out and because its so small if feels like a mild shock if it were big it would feel like a bad sting. i thought the same thing once then i realized there was a little cut right above my finger nail. salt waters the best and freest way to clean and heel cuts. put your other hand in (if theres no cuts on it) and youll feel nothing.

Radicaljbr · 09/26/2011, 03:39 PM

I wish that is all it was, but this definetly feels like a shock and not from getting salt in a cut. I have had salt in cuts and it feels different.

jose521 · 09/26/2011, 03:55 PM

You can put one prob in the sump and the other prob on the ground termanel of your outlet hope this helps

JSeymour · 09/26/2011, 04:03 PM

You definitely have stray voltage! Check all of your equipment for any signs of damage. Unplug all equipment and plug them in one by one until the voltage comes back. Find the problem and fix it.

About a year and a half ago, one of the reef tanks at the store was doing the same thing. Any small cut would get shocked(less resistance). It was very mild. We added a grounding plug and all was well, or so we thought. So about five months ago, the alarm company called in the middle of the night telling us the fire alarm was going off and the fire department was on it's way. The reef had lit on fire! Although the fire was localized, it was hot enough to melt the entire back GLASS panel of the 120 gallon tank. The engineer from the insurance company can't say for sure, but he believes it started from a small powerhead inside the tank.

So I have to ask myself, was the small voltage leak a warning? I think it was.

reeftivo · 09/26/2011, 04:03 PM

+1 on the grounding probe but more important to find out where the stray voltage is coming from

fishome25 · 09/26/2011, 04:07 PM

Most of the time it is the heater, powerheads are next in line.

seanm001 · 09/26/2011, 04:43 PM

Yep, mine was the heater... It helps with heaters if you don't submerge them all the way.

jvk · 09/26/2011, 05:16 PM

I had the same problem with my tank. I put my hand in the sump and felt the shock in a cut in my skin. To trouble shoot it what I did was use a voltmeter and stuck the negative (black) test probe in the ground port of the outlet and the positive test probe in the water. Sure enough, there was a slight amount of stray voltage. I then unplugged my heaters and pumps one at a time to determine which ones were causing the voltage leak. It turned out that most of my components were leaching a very small amount of electricity into the water.

Jeff000 · 09/26/2011, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jose521

You can put one prob in the sump and the other prob on the ground termanel of your outlet hope this helps

Probe? Terminal?
Anyways, checking the voltage difference of two different potentials is useless. Salt water will always have induced voltage, more so if you have florescent lighting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeftivo

+1 on the grounding probe but more important to find out where the stray voltage is coming from

Do not use a ground probe, find the source of the voltage and fix it.
A ground probe will only create current, and current is what is bad.
Right now you tank is the bird on the power line, add a ground probe is like leaning a metal ladder against said power line.

09/26/2011, 02:49 PM	#1
Radicaljbr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hudson, Ohio Posts: 1,293	Hand is getting shocked in tank I went today to pull out some Macro algea and noticed my right hand got shocked when I put my hand in the Fuge. I have a small cut on that hand and that is where I could feel the tingling shock. The shock was not strong enough to make me pull my hand out, but I have noticed that it is only on that hand. I feel nothing when putting my other hand in. Is this strange? Why only to one hand? Grounding probe will be my next purchase. The shock is much less than say putting a 9 volt on your tongue. It is so mild that I can keep my hand in and finished taking out the algea. I tried to place a volt meter in the water, but not sure how to do it. Where do you place the two meter probes? I also have a GFCI which is not tripping. I did do a test on the GFCI and it appears to be working fine. Fish all look fine.

09/26/2011, 03:17 PM	#4
milesofreefs Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 692	your not being shocked. have you ever used salt water to clean a cut? when i use to skateboard if i ever got bad road rash i would go to the beach and jump in the water to clean it out. thats whats happening to your cut the salt is cleaning it out and because its so small if feels like a mild shock if it were big it would feel like a bad sting. i thought the same thing once then i realized there was a little cut right above my finger nail. salt waters the best and freest way to clean and heel cuts. put your other hand in (if theres no cuts on it) and youll feel nothing. __________________ water and electricity... whats your hobby consist of?

09/26/2011, 03:55 PM	#6
jose521 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Fort Pierce FL Posts: 69	You can put one prob in the sump and the other prob on the ground termanel of your outlet hope this helps __________________ Jose Current Tank Info: 40 Gal Breeder with 30 Gal sump

09/26/2011, 04:03 PM	#7
JSeymour Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Spokane Valley, WA Posts: 513	You definitely have stray voltage! Check all of your equipment for any signs of damage. Unplug all equipment and plug them in one by one until the voltage comes back. Find the problem and fix it. About a year and a half ago, one of the reef tanks at the store was doing the same thing. Any small cut would get shocked(less resistance). It was very mild. We added a grounding plug and all was well, or so we thought. So about five months ago, the alarm company called in the middle of the night telling us the fire alarm was going off and the fire department was on it's way. The reef had lit on fire! Although the fire was localized, it was hot enough to melt the entire back GLASS panel of the 120 gallon tank. The engineer from the insurance company can't say for sure, but he believes it started from a small powerhead inside the tank. So I have to ask myself, was the small voltage leak a warning? I think it was. __________________ - Jason Seymour Current Tank Info: Saltwater only? It takes two buckets of salt to do a 10% water change...

09/26/2011, 04:03 PM	#8
reeftivo Skim junkie Join Date: May 2008 Location: chino, CA Posts: 3,417	+1 on the grounding probe but more important to find out where the stray voltage is coming from __________________ I told you not to be stupid you moron!(Stern) Current Tank Info: 60 gal cube/20g tideline sump-mixed reef, Aquamaxx c-tech Ca Rx, Akula 160 skimmer, paxbellum N18, mitras LX7 lighting with T-5s, apex controller

09/26/2011, 02:55 PM	#2
burnah Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: eisenstadt - austria Posts: 649	the exactly same happened to me to, only at a small wound and after keeping the hand in the tank for some time it eventually stopped. could this also be some stinging cells of corals or anemones? i do not know about stray currents in my tank...

09/26/2011, 03:01 PM	#3
Radicaljbr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hudson, Ohio Posts: 1,293	Ya that is what is happening with me. I was pulling tons of turtle grass out and all the sudden felt it.

09/26/2011, 03:39 PM	#5
Radicaljbr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hudson, Ohio Posts: 1,293	I wish that is all it was, but this definetly feels like a shock and not from getting salt in a cut. I have had salt in cuts and it feels different.

09/26/2011, 04:07 PM	#9
fishome25 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: long island Posts: 2,472	Most of the time it is the heater, powerheads are next in line.

09/26/2011, 04:43 PM	#10
seanm001 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 300	Yep, mine was the heater... It helps with heaters if you don't submerge them all the way. __________________ 110X mixed reef

09/26/2011, 05:16 PM	#11
jvk Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 11	I had the same problem with my tank. I put my hand in the sump and felt the shock in a cut in my skin. To trouble shoot it what I did was use a voltmeter and stuck the negative (black) test probe in the ground port of the outlet and the positive test probe in the water. Sure enough, there was a slight amount of stray voltage. I then unplugged my heaters and pumps one at a time to determine which ones were causing the voltage leak. It turned out that most of my components were leaching a very small amount of electricity into the water.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
electric shock during tank work	beavis	Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment	4	06/16/2010 11:13 AM
what to put between tank and stand?	razzmia	New to the Hobby	11	05/10/2010 06:38 PM
shock in tank	scbasser5	SPS Keepers	3	01/09/2009 10:25 PM
Cleaning hands before working in the tank	Logzor	New to the Hobby	10	12/18/2007 05:57 PM
i shocked my tank	bagedtaco	Tridacnid Clams and other Mollusks	3	03/16/2005 11:43 AM