Tank shocking

Hi there.

I cut the skin off my finger in the pool yesterday and when I put that finger in my tank, it shocks me.

I have unplugged everything and still get shocked. The only thing is that only my injured finger gets shocked. I have a multiplug attached to the canopy. Could this be the problem. The fish don't seem bothered.

 

No. It's nothing. I've had that same experience in all of my tanks.

 

whats your PH? acidic?
I get it (through open "damaged" skin) when touching the water.
check to proof by using another finger

 

I think it's the salts or electrolytes or something in the water that affect the open nerve endings.

 

Add an earthprobe in the tank connected to a earth of an plug plug all in and do the process off elimination ot will trip the plug breaker or the earth leakage

 

if its made from copper it will kill your shrimps/snails and even your fish depending on the dissolve rate in the long run

 

If its left it could kill a person. Use an stainless steel welding rod attached to the copper wire to the plug.

 

Thanks for all the replies. None of my electronic equipment, when unplugged, has given any clues away, but when I switch off the multiplug, which is attached to the canopy, the shock disappears. It baffles my mind, though, as the multiplug is earthed.

 

Here you go ..

http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/Stray_current

 

Thanks Ferdie

That was really helpful. I definitely have stray current. Will have to take a serious look as I have small children.

 

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/threads/diy-grounding-probe.40395/

 

I got a light shock in one of my middle tanks on my rack and could not understand why as there were no electrical equipment in that tank. Got a huge shock when I touched the water of my one tank on the top shelf. The culprit, a broken heater, it had a broken glass tube but appeared fine when viewing it through the tank. So the current travelled via the water/tubing to all of my other tanks on the rack. It also did not trip the power at my DB. Point Im making is that you are dealing with water and electricity (possibly a metal stand as well) and thats a really bad combination.

As what was said already, find that stray voltage and find it fast. Check for anything electrical close to the tank and if it can perhaps somehow be conducted into the tank.

 

I stuck my hand in my big tank a couple weeks ago and got a strong pulsing shock. Unplugged components one at a time till it went away. Turned out to be the wave maker had an electrical leak
Strangely the fish didn't seem affected at all.

 

I think the water diffuses the power a lot, not like in the movies where the bad guy throws the toaster in the bath and the chick boils

 

Fish wont be affected when you have a floating current as the current is trying to find a earth to complete a cycle. So when you get a shock you then become the missing connection unless you are wearing antistatic shoes.