Stray Electric Current

What is the best way to check for stray electric current in a tank?

Edited by CrimsRayne - February 15 2009 at 11:25pm

On the AC setting, place one lead into the water and the other to ground (the ground contact in a wall outlet) Up to 40 volts ground voltage is normal. If the voltage meter reads 110 volts, unplug the equipment one at a time to see which item is leaking. Either fix it with a coating of Aquarium Silicone or discard it.

Fluorescent lights create a natural electrical field which is sometimes felt when your hand is in the water and your arm touches the reflector. This is normal, though it can be remedied by grounding the reflector, but there is a problem with that. If a piece of equipment goes bad in the tank, you can get a bad shock when 110 volts runs up your arm from the water to the reflector.

I have never grounded any of my tanks, and I've had quite a few, with a ground probe and usually don't bother grounding the reflector.  I'm just careful not to use equipment when the cord is old, stiff and cracking and as soon as I place my hand in the water, if I feel a buzz that is different than usual, I check the ground voltage as described above.

One more thing - I never work on my tanks barefoot and wipe up saltwater immediately.


Edited by Mark Peterson - February 17 2009 at 10:57am