importance of ground probe?

mustangcaleb

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i was going thru a cooler of fish supplies that i have down in the basement, and i ran across a ground probe. it came from the 125g that i inherited from my bro, when i took the tank down for the move, i just threw it in the cooler. and now that i look at it, i think i remember him saying when the tank was his(3 years ago) that he kept losing tangs(?) and someone mentioned the probe and he never had a problem again after installing it(?). as you can tell i dont know the facts on it, but im curious if i should put it into my biocube. but let me know what you guys think, any/all input is appreciated! thanks ARC!!!!!!!!!!

caleb
 
From what i've heard, ground probes are a temporary solution to not having a GFI, although I know more reefers than not who are using the grounding probe as a long term solution and not bothering with a GFI.
Electricity leaking in the tank rarely kills fish immediately, in fact they can live quite a while, they just dart around a lot and the tips of the fins start to deteriorate and look alil ragged. Better to have one than not if you aren't connected to a GFI.
Helpful hint; Easy way to tell if you're leaking current in your tank is to stand barefooted on a bare floor and stick your finger in, if you feel that familiar tingle, you'd best act quickly and find the source.
 
I don't get the idea of grounding a tank - once grounded the electricity can flow and will cause problems.
If the tank isn't grounded there should be no flow and thus no damage to the livestock.
(Birds sitting on the powerlines - once you "ground" them they get fried instantly...)

Robb
 
LilRobb;297016 wrote: I don't get the idea of grounding a tank - once grounded the electricity can flow and will cause problems.
If the tank isn't grounded there should be no flow and thus no damage to the livestock.
(Birds sitting on the powerlines - once you "ground" them they get fried instantly...)

Robb


lol, precisely
 
The grounding probe isn't for your livestock...it's for you. I got quite a jolt in my sump when my heater had a melt down. I think my heart actually stopped.

Yes, it should have been a GFCI outlet but the person the previous owner skimped on the basement and I was dumber then.
 
Dakota9;297007 wrote: From what i've heard, ground probes are a temporary solution to not having a GFI, although I know more reefers than not who are using the grounding probe as a long term solution and not bothering with a GFI.
Electricity leaking in the tank rarely kills fish immediately, in fact they can live quite a while, they just dart around a lot and the tips of the fins start to deteriorate and look alil ragged. Better to have one than not if you aren't connected to a GFI.
Helpful hint; Easy way to tell if you're leaking current in your tank is to stand barefooted on a bare floor and stick your finger in, if you feel that familiar tingle, you'd best act quickly and find the source.

So how can you tell if you have a leak and your tank is on carpet in a basement? I mess with my tank all the time barefoot and feel nothing but maybe i am not completing the circuit.
 
I will relay my little experience with electricity in the tank. I had put a small light (low voltage florescent tyoe) above my sump. Dummy me used velcro to hold it in place. Not thinking that the moisture would loosen the glue.

After a few days, the lamp dropped into the sump where it stayed for hours until I got home from work. I turned the power off to it and pulled the lamp out. Now what I didn't know at the time, is the a SW tank can act like a battery and hold the electricity. It ended up killing all of my inverts over the next few days. It was very sad to see. Funny thing is that none of my fish were harmed by this accident.

It was when I used my multimeter, I saw that there was something like 4 volts DC being read. I quickly ran out and put in a grounding probe and it cleared up. Now I am far more careful and of course now have a GFCI in place.

So yes, a grounding probe can help but a GFCI is better.
 
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