Electricity killed my corals?

thorsen · 08/11/2006, 02:02 PM

A couple week back I smelled a strange burning smell that seemed to be coming from around my fish tank. I never discovered what it was and so forgot about it. This week my xenia mysteriously all of a sudden started wilting. There was tons of xenia in my tank and within two days it was all dead. I had no idea what sort of mysterious plague had hit my tank. I needed to get rid of my tank anyhow so I sold it while everything else still seemed healthy. I figured it had overheated and told the guy I sold it to that I thought that was the problem but didn't know. Well today I was getting things ready for him to take the tank home and I noticed a zapping sound and smoke rising from the water. I discovered that that little motor that sucks the bubbles out of an external overflow had died and then somehow the cord had started to corrode. I unplugged it quickly and when I lifted the motor out of the water the cord was completely seperated and a lot of black burnt stuff fell out of the back of the motor. So the cord was just floating free in the water and charging my tank. I don't understand electricity that well but I know birds can sit on a wire as long as they don't touch another wire and be ok. I presume it was the same sort of thing with my tank. Could I have cooked myself fairly easily? How come it didn't fry everything in my tank?

otterpop510 · 08/11/2006, 02:39 PM

wow.. don't know the answers but that definitely sounds scary..

FullPull · 08/11/2006, 02:46 PM

Was it plugged into a GFCI receptacle? If so, it should have tripped and stayed tripped. If not, you may have been quite lucky, for you would have been grounded unlike the bird you spoke about

thorsen · 08/11/2006, 03:32 PM

Nope not plugged into a GFCI. Lucky I guess.

bertoni · 08/11/2006, 03:59 PM

I'd get a ground probe and a few GFCIs. I have all my tanks grounded for this reason.

smcdonn · 08/11/2006, 04:21 PM

To answer your questions. 120VAC WON'T COOK YOU. It could have given you enough of a shock to throw you to the ground though. I have hit myself with an outlet on accident one time and it doesn't feel good, but it is usually not deadly. The few cases of people that die from being shocked by a household outlet is usually attributed to a heart attack from the current passing through your body and disrupting your heartbeat. All in all the chances of dying due to being shocked by a household outlet is fairly low although VERY POSSIBLE in the right conditions. The reason it didn't fry everything in your tank is due to the fact that the electricity had no where to go. Now if you would of had a grounding probe WITHOUT a GFCI outlet, current would have been passing through the tank and more than likely would have eventually tripped your breaker due to an amp overload. This is why you DON'T want a grounding probe if you don't have a GFCI outlet. Hope this helps you a bit. Cheers

08/11/2006, 02:02 PM	#1
thorsen Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Danville, PA Posts: 204	Electricity killed my corals? A couple week back I smelled a strange burning smell that seemed to be coming from around my fish tank. I never discovered what it was and so forgot about it. This week my xenia mysteriously all of a sudden started wilting. There was tons of xenia in my tank and within two days it was all dead. I had no idea what sort of mysterious plague had hit my tank. I needed to get rid of my tank anyhow so I sold it while everything else still seemed healthy. I figured it had overheated and told the guy I sold it to that I thought that was the problem but didn't know. Well today I was getting things ready for him to take the tank home and I noticed a zapping sound and smoke rising from the water. I discovered that that little motor that sucks the bubbles out of an external overflow had died and then somehow the cord had started to corrode. I unplugged it quickly and when I lifted the motor out of the water the cord was completely seperated and a lot of black burnt stuff fell out of the back of the motor. So the cord was just floating free in the water and charging my tank. I don't understand electricity that well but I know birds can sit on a wire as long as they don't touch another wire and be ok. I presume it was the same sort of thing with my tank. Could I have cooked myself fairly easily? How come it didn't fry everything in my tank? __________________ And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life... Genesis 1:20 Current Tank Info: 180 gallon

08/11/2006, 02:39 PM	#2
otterpop510 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: oakland, ca Posts: 1,018	wow.. don't know the answers but that definitely sounds scary.. __________________ huh? you mean those are not purple people eaters in my avatar? Current Tank Info: home: 75 gal reef, 18 gal planted discus; class: 20 gal reef and some goldfish which won't die..

08/11/2006, 02:46 PM	#3
FullPull Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hawthorn PA Posts: 216	Was it plugged into a GFCI receptacle? If so, it should have tripped and stayed tripped. If not, you may have been quite lucky, for you would have been grounded unlike the bird you spoke about __________________ If Duct Tape wasn't meant to fix everything...Why can you get in so many @%#$@ colors !!!! Current Tank Info: 55 gl, 20 gl sump, GU10 Led, Reef Keeper lite, Modded CSS 125 Skimmer, Phosban Reactor, Mag 7 Return Pump, DIY Refugium

08/11/2006, 03:32 PM	#4
thorsen Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Danville, PA Posts: 204	Nope not plugged into a GFCI. Lucky I guess. __________________ And God said, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life... Genesis 1:20 Current Tank Info: 180 gallon

08/11/2006, 03:59 PM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I'd get a ground probe and a few GFCIs. I have all my tanks grounded for this reason. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/11/2006, 04:21 PM	#6
smcdonn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 925	To answer your questions. 120VAC WON'T COOK YOU. It could have given you enough of a shock to throw you to the ground though. I have hit myself with an outlet on accident one time and it doesn't feel good, but it is usually not deadly. The few cases of people that die from being shocked by a household outlet is usually attributed to a heart attack from the current passing through your body and disrupting your heartbeat. All in all the chances of dying due to being shocked by a household outlet is fairly low although VERY POSSIBLE in the right conditions. The reason it didn't fry everything in your tank is due to the fact that the electricity had no where to go. Now if you would of had a grounding probe WITHOUT a GFCI outlet, current would have been passing through the tank and more than likely would have eventually tripped your breaker due to an amp overload. This is why you DON'T want a grounding probe if you don't have a GFCI outlet. Hope this helps you a bit. Cheers __________________ 180g IN WALL, REEF Current Tank Info: 180 gallon