Voltage

Rickyrick · May 2, 2016

I was having between 20-70 stray Volts going in my tank, took the maxspect gyre pump out and now my stray volts are around 8. It's all ready killed all my fish except my Midas blenny! How much is too much voltage in my tank? I assume one is too much! How do I fix this problem? Thanks for any help!

twilliard · May 3, 2016

70 volts is too much and dangerous
Check the cords for cracked insulation where it enters motor housings.
Troubleshooting stray voltage is no fun but by the process of elimination you will find it all.

Saltine · May 3, 2016

Rickyrick said:
I was having between 20-70 stray Volts going in my tank, took the maxspect gyre pump out and now my stray volts are around 8. It's all ready killed all my fish except my Midas blenny! How much is too much voltage in my tank? I assume one is too much! How do I fix this problem? Thanks for any help!

I've got 50v in my tank atm, and from all that I've read, is to be expected from dc type pumps. I have a gyre, but the voltage that dropped when I turned it off was negligible. I don't think your fish died of stray voltage.... stray current maybe, but not voltage.

Salt

TheEngineer · May 3, 2016

Sounds like you've got a bad pump or heater. Like twilliard said, unplug things one at a time and recheck the reading. You might have a few things leaking.

Saltine said:
I've got 50v in my tank atm, and from all that I've read, is to be expected from dc type pumps. I have a gyre, but the voltage that dropped when I turned it off was negligible. I don't think your fish died of stray voltage.... stray current maybe, but not voltage.

I'd suggest you try and track down the source of the voltage in your tank too. It is normal to see a few volts. All pumps are going to induce some amount of voltage in our systems when they are running. I'm not sure what you mean by your comment about voltage vs current killing the fish. Voltage is a measure of the potential difference between two points, current is the flow of electrons between two points. Yes there needs to be a current (flow of energy) to kill a fish, but having the voltage potential means the only thing lacking is a path to ground. Maybe I don't understand what you were saying though.

Saltine · May 3, 2016

icecool2 said:
Sounds like you've got a bad pump or heater. Like twilliard said, unplug things one at a time and recheck the reading. You might have a few things leaking.

I'd suggest you try and track down the source of the voltage in your tank too. It is normal to see a few volts. All pumps are going to induce some amount of voltage in our systems when they are running. I'm not sure what you mean by your comment about voltage vs current killing the fish. Voltage is a measure of the potential difference between two points, current is the flow of electrons between two points. Yes there needs to be a current (flow of energy) to kill a fish, but having the voltage potential means the only thing lacking is a path to ground. Maybe I don't understand what you were saying though.

After discovering my tank having voltage in it, I read countless posts, on this forum and others, there's really no science behind voltage in the tank killing fish and it's to be expected with the motors on our pumps producing voltage by spinning, not leaking voltage from their source of power per say. but I really don't know more than that, just read up on the posts where the engineers and professionals have chimed in.

I just don't want this guy to think the voltage was killing his fish, and eliminating that, throwing in new fish to meet the same demise, I don't think voltage is his issue.

Salt