Stray Voltage

[DerekL]

Was wonder if stray voltage would be a reason I can't keep sps coral? All my parameters are good and have been stable quite awhile. When I first set up my tank I had several sps frags that where doing great. I noticed problems around the same time I added my gfo and carbon reactor. At first I thought maybe I stripped the water of nutrients to fast. Softies Lps and zoas all are doing great as with my clam. Tonight I decided to check stray voltage and got a reading of 51. Tomorrow I will go thru to chore of unplugging everything one at a time til I find the culprit. My tank has now been up for over a year. I have a feeling it the mag pump I have driving my reactors as not long after adding the reactor I started having issues. I can't see 1 cup of gfo in a 110 gallons total water volume being too much. I want to figure this out as it's driving me nuts.

 

[Sewerat]

How did you test for this voltage?

 

[DerekL]

With a digital multimeter. Set to AC put the black into the ground in the electrical outlet and then put the positive in the water.

 

[DerekL]

Here are my water parameters as I am sure someone will ask
CA 430
Alk 8dHK
MG 1380
pH 8.2
PO4 .01ppm
NO3 6ppm
SG 1.026

 

[heath]

do you have a probe in the tank for stray voltage? I had never heard of it before until I saw a program on tv, installed mine immediately..

 

[DerekL]

Heath no I do not have an aquarium grounding probe. I am trying to figure out if I should use one. The electrical outlet behind my tank isn't a GFCI outlet does it have to be to plug the aquarium probe into? I don't get a shock when my hands are in the tank even without shoes on.

 

[reeferkeeper420]

Thats prolly not the issue. I checked my stray voltage and i was up there to i guess its possible tho. What happens to the frags, rtn, stn, bleaching, browning??

 

[reefgeek]

Is this 51 millivolts, 51 milliamps (I'm assuming millivolts)? Have you ever been shocked working in the tank?

 

[EricTMah]

For less than a $40 investment for a titanium ground probe. It's a no brainer for me.

I always run ground probes on all my systems. Even though none of them test any stray voltage without the ground probe.

Not worth the risk IMO.

Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DerekL]

The frags slowly bleach usually starts at the tips which lead me to suspect alk swings but I tested daily for 2 weeks and it is always 8dHK. As for have I ever been shocked when hands in the tank no. As for milli volts? Idk when I tested the outlet in my wall it read 120 on the same setting so I would assume that 51 is volts.

 

[DerekL]

For less than a $40 investment for a titanium ground probe. It's a no brainer for me.

I always run ground probes on all my systems. Even though none of them test any stray voltage without the ground probe.

Not worth the risk IMO.

Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk 2

Eric do you have your plugged into a GFCI outlet or just a normal outlet? I planned on buying one anyways but the outlet behind my tank isn't a GFCI and I am not sure if I have the room to squeeze back there to change it.

 

[EricTMah]

I use it on a GFCI now because all outlets for my tank are on them.

But I've used ground probes in the past on just normal outlets.

Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk 2

 

[DerekL]

I use it on a GFCI now because all outlets for my tank are on them.

But I've used ground probes in the past on just normal outlets.

Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk 2

Ok cool I will try and change the outlet if possible. Do you think that this could possibly be the reason for sps not surviving in my tank though?

 

[EricTMah]

I'm not sure. I was wondering that too. I'm still fairly new to sps. Only been keeping them for about 7months. I was hoping some of the sps gurus could chime in.

My electrician friend wired the GFCI outlet first then ran another outlet off of that one. He said when doing that, both are protected by the GFCI.

So not sure if that's the case in your house. If the outlet behind the tank is wired into another outlet in the room. Because if it is, you should be able to change out the other outlet and have them both protected by the one GFCI.


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[DerekL]

I'm not sure. I was wondering that too. I'm still fairly new to sps. Only been keeping them for about 7months. I was hoping some of the sps gurus could chime in.

My electrician friend wired the GFCI outlet first then ran another outlet off of that one. He said when doing that, both are protected by the GFCI.

So not sure if that's the case in your house. If the outlet behind the tank is wired into another outlet in the room. Because if it is, you should be able to change out the other outlet and have them both protected by the one GFCI.


Sent from my Z30 using Tapatalk 2

When I first set this tank up I had sps in it after only about a month and had no issues at all everything was rockin. I then bought a reactor and not long after suspected gfo maybe stripped nutrients to fast. But still after 6 or 7 months that would of balanced out but with the reactor a mag pump was introduced too so I am suspecting this may be my culprit for the stray voltage. I too hope that some of the sps gurus chime in. I was reading very conflicting threads on this same topic on reef central and never seemed to find a straight answer. I started this thread here cause I trust you guys and know that there are some very knowledgable people here.

 

[Pistol]

You can plug the ground probe into any outlet, they are all grounded together. Most multimeters auto range so you have to look at to see if it is showing V or MV while taking the reading.

 

[Pistol]

What lighting are you using?

 

[EricTMah]

If your system seems to be stable and your water parameters are all in check. Then it's either the stray voltage or maybe the pump for your reactor is shot and maybe leaking something into the tank?

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[DerekL]

What lighting are you using?

I have the Orphek Atlantic. LEDs. I don't think that the lights my issue here. I had sps thriving with this light when I first set up this tank. And every time that I try and introduce an sps frag I switch the programming back to coral acclimation mode. PeterCarr has the same light as me not sure if he has any sps coral. But if it was my lighting wouldn't my clam that is in the lower region of my tank also be affected?

 

[jroovers]

Check out this thread

http://www.thefragtank.ca/community...tage-etc-for-the-electrically-ungifted.10623/