What are the most dangerous aspects of this hobby?

[flyfisher2]

Leaks and tanks exploding are my biggest fears. I have dreams about it all the time.

Thats just too Scary… let’s talk about the pretty fishies

 

[Planted Reef]

If all is wired (14 awg) and breakered (15 amp) properly, there is no risk to house wiring.

And i think you meant power from a separate citcuit, not outlet. Adjacent outlets are probably on the same circuit.

We should all be using gfci outlets or breakers.

GFCI outlets... That's a really good point! Thank you for mentioning that. I have never heard anyone recommend a gfci outlet and that is probably overlooked by a lot of aquarists.

 

[Mark Bradley]

The tank leaking is my biggest fear. I have some paly’s and am aware of the potential problems but have always worked on the principle that if I don’t cause them a concern they will leave me alone (which has worked to this point). I don’t wear gloves as I find them cumbersome. Have had a predator tank, in the past, with no issues - just have to treat everything with the utmost respect.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IMO, the biggest dangers to humans keeping reef tanks are

electrocution
fires
chemical exposure
infections in exposed skin with any cuts to tank water

 

[Lebowski_]

IMO, the biggest dangers to humans keeping reef tanks are

electrocution
fires
chemical exposure
infections in exposed skin with any cuts to tank water

Randy, what are some commonly used chemicals in the reef hobby that need to be handled safely and with respect?

At my old club, a reefer got Gorilla Super Glue on his eyelid because he wasn't being careful while fragging. Lots of people seem to run fast and loose with safety while handling bleach and muriatic acid in this hobby as well.

 

[nuxx]

Financial ruin!!!

But seriously, it's scary to think of the money I had in my last system and the % I got back out when I took the tank down.

I've found it a much better investment putting money into watches... at least if you buy well, you really won't lose much if anything...

I do have to say cars are a worse investment than reef keeping though...

 

[BeanAnimal]

Didnt quite understand your comment.
You should install gfci breaker or gfci outlet.

The single point of failure is a problem.

Anybody with a serious setup should really be using multiple GFCI receptacles. Either DIY or hired.

Easy enough to build a DIY power center with 2, 4, 6 or more GFCI receptacles. That way a single faulting device or nuisance trip does not take down the entire tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Randy, what are some commonly used chemicals in the reef hobby that need to be handled safely and with respect?

At my old club, a reefer got Gorilla Super Glue on his eyelid because he wasn't being careful while fragging. Lots of people seem to run fast and loose with safety while handling bleach and muriatic acid in this hobby as well.

Just to keep things in perspective, cooking may be at least as dangerous as reefing, but here are some:

For reefers:
Muriatic acid
calcium hydroxide
sodium hydroxide
bleach
some test kit ingredients can contain toxic heavy metals such as cadmium

For kids and pets:
many/most might be a concern if a kid ate them

 

[Rmckoy]

For me, it's if my wife actually found out how much I've spent on all this.

It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission

 

[bakbay]

Agree with everything. For me, the most dangerous thing is not knowing when “Enough is enough”. Do I need more fish/corals, more flow, stronger light, more reactors, or bigger tanks?

 

[Rageb1t]

Addiction!

 

[Pistondog]

The single point of failure is a problem.

Anybody with a serious setup should really be using multiple GFCI receptacles. Either DIY or hired.

Easy enough to build a DIY power center with 2, 4, 6 or more GFCI receptacles. That way a single faulting device or nuisance trip does not take down the entire tank.

Easier to swap out 1 outlet for personal and household safety, than setup a redundant power system to keep portions of tank running to eliminate single point failure.
That is another subject.

 

[The_Paradox]

Hands-down, the biggest risk I see to myself is reading so much bad information that my telomeres unwind.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

The single point of failure is a problem.

Anybody with a serious setup should really be using multiple GFCI receptacles. Either DIY or hired.

Easy enough to build a DIY power center with 2, 4, 6 or more GFCI receptacles. That way a single faulting device or nuisance trip does not take down the entire tank.

Never thought about about this, I have my new project! Wife can't argue about this! Whoopi! Seriously, what a great addition to the talk. I will be doing this. My son-in-law is a electrician. I'll get his help. Picture in future in build thread.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Easier to swap out 1 outlet for personal and household safety, than setup a redundant power system to keep portions of tank running to eliminate single point failure.
That is another subject.

I would say that If a person has the skill to “swap out‘ a receptacle then they have the skill to build a small double duplex GFCI power snake or two.

An entire tank on a single GFCI receptacle is safe for the family but carries a high probability of livestock loss. A GFCI or AFCI breaker increases that probability if it is a shared branch circuit.

Just my two cents.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Never thought about about this, I have my new project! Wife can't argue about this! Whoopi! Seriously, what a great addition to the talk. I will be doing this. My son-in-law is a electrician. I'll get his help. Picture in future in build thread.

Wire them in parallel - you can’t wire a GFCI to the load side of another GFC,- weird things happen.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Wire them in parallel - you can’t wire a GFCI to the load side of another GFC,- weird things happen.

Thank you very much!

 

[badsmitty]

An electrical fire caused by a piece of equipment shorting out
I'm going through this right now
So far over $400000 in damage

 

[zoomonster]

So let me offer a controversial opinion. GFCI is a risk in of itself and I don't trust them for my aquariums as they trip too easy (sometimes for no good reason) risking losing your entire tank if your away even a day or two. I have them in all my bathrooms and kitchen outlets though (already there when I moved in) and I know the behavior. I'm an engineer and certainly not a master electrician but I know this much from experience. At the slightest hint of a fault breakers in my panel trip instantly. Just last week I dropped the end of an extension cord in some water outdoors. Result was instant breaker trip and I have observed that behavior numerous times. 30 plus years and never an aquarium related shock (knock on wood). Now all my power is pulled through EB8's/EB832's which also have breakers and are plugged into properly wired and grounded outlets and the tank water is grounded with a titanium probe. If you're going to use a GFCI at least get the best quality one you can find and not some of the import junk that is out there.

 

[AKL1950]

Murphy’s Law

simply stated, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."