worst day ever

[wes1reef]

well my wife dropped an extention cord into my sump which flowed current into my system for about 5 min before the breaker popped. now i can sit back and watch my sps tank just waste away. lps skin just peeling away in the current.:cry::cry::cry:

 

[nellahtes]

wow that stinks. sorry to hear

 

[VanGogh121]

As my understanding, Electricity only moves to a ground point or to complete the circuit.

Current should not have flowed though the tank unless it had a ground!


Most instances you become the ground once you put your hand in the tank!

 

[customcolor]

As my understanding, Electricity only moves to a ground point or to complete the circuit.

Current should not have flowed though the tank unless it had a ground!


Most instances you become the ground once you put your hand in the tank!

ask your self this...how did the breaker pop if there wasnt an overloading circuit

 

[cee]

Did you have a grounding probe in the tank?

 

[fishypets]

Was your wife ticked at you? Either way that sucks to hear man.

 

[buck50bmg]

ask your self this...how did the breaker pop if there wasnt an overloading circuit

Thermal breakers can trip after being loaded close to the trip point. If there was a ground, it wasnt functional. I had a ground in my sump, in my tank and in my frag tank. The return water stream from your sump to the tank is not a good way of grounding your tank if your ground probe is in your sump.

 

[AlexStinson]

why wait 5 mins for the breaker to pop... just unplug the extension cord??? Leaving it in till safetys take care of it seems like an awful idea.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I think she didnt know it was in there Alex.

 

[Reef 5etup]

Ouch! You should divorce her! LoL
Sry to hear that!

 

[AlexStinson]

Ahh... That makes more sense.... It must not have made the noises my electric stuff does when it gets inundated with saltwater...

*queue sound of andy getting shocked*

 

[wes1reef]

well its been about 5 hr and everything is almost completly gone sps are almost all white water getting cloudy.

 

[jhsu703]

that sucks

 

[aerius007]

Wow, really sorry to hear that. Where are you located? I know if you were local our club members would hook you up with some frags to get things rolling again.

 

[EliteReefs]

not to sound mean but since it already happened. I want pics of the destruction

 

[Znut Reefer]

Sorry to hear this for you. I hope you can rebuild your collection.

 

[VanGogh121]

ask your self this...how did the breaker pop if there wasn't an overloading circuit

Once the plug fell into the tank, it completed the circuit (from the positive to the ground) from one plug opening to the other. This would have overloaded the circuit and caused the breaker to pop. the electricity should not have moved through the tank, Only from one poll on the plug to the other (or to a ground point if you have a ground probe or if you put your hand in the tank). It's kinda like birds on a power line, (its insulated first off duh, and the birds are not grounded.


I would check other possible causes to your tanks demise.

Did a heater break in your tank when you were scrambling to take to cord out?
The copper in the heater could cause corals to die quickly...


Kinda off the subject, I read an artical not to long ago that a low voltage current around corals will cause them to grow faster!

I'll try to dig up the artical.