A Real Mystery

[wflash3]

Ok i was doing a cleaning service for one of my neighbors today....cleaning his 37 gallon reef tank.
This guy didint know anything about salt water tank, i basically tought him everything he knows now. But he has had the tank for 2 years......
Heres the weird thing.....every time i put my hand in the water, my hand would get a shock! and if i had the slightest cut it would burn realllly bad. I figured it was some kind of electical problem maybe, so i unplugged the power head and it stopped. But heres the even weirder situation. I whould put my hand in the tank and it would start to get numb and the cut would burn even more!!!
So i said there has to be a chemical problem. I tested for many things, but what struck me the most was his phosphate level. it was at 1.0 which is the highest reading on my test kit. In my tank it wont read more than 0.2. This guy has plenty of fish and coral in his tank and they seemed perfectly fine......

i got home and put my hand in my tank and felt nothing at all, not even the burn from a cut.

oh and he had the biggest salt build up out side his tank.....i think i could of used it to mix with freshwater and have my own 50 gallon tank!!!

any comments??

-flash

 

[MHunt]

One thing you might find, is the higher electrolytic levels in salt water would conduct any small current more effectively, i wonder if the operation of the powerheads would induce into the water, causing a mild current to flow. Had you noticed the same effect on your own tank before experiencing it on your neighbours?

I would suggest particularly with a saltwater setup that you cover any cuts up before putting your hands in the water, perhaps wear gloves? Just i understand there are more nasty pathogens and chemicals that exist in salt water rather than fresh.

 

[wflash3]

One thing you might find, is the higher electrolytic levels in salt water would conduct any small current more effectively, i wonder if the operation of the powerheads would induce into the water, causing a mild current to flow. Had you noticed the same effect on your own tank before experiencing it on your neighbours?

I would suggest particularly with a saltwater setup that you cover any cuts up before putting your hands in the water, perhaps wear gloves? Just i understand there are more nasty pathogens and chemicals that exist in salt water rather than fresh.

yea i had put my hands in my pwn tank with no gloves and nothing happen at all......but once in his tank it was like putting my hands in a electrical socket(sorry if i misspelled that) but ofcourse not that strong.....

-flash

 

[N1z]

Could be just the salt he uses, ive found when i put my hand in my tank i get irritated skin and they become really sore.

 

[SkiFletch]

If you're feeling a shock its quite possible that he has a small current leak. Try unplugging EVERY single device, stick your hand in there, and see if you still feel the shock. Do this like ASAP, cause a faulty electrical device, be it lights, heater, powerheads, filters, etc can spell disaster for both you and the tank. If you do not feel a shock with EVERYTHING unplugged, one of his devices has a small current leak. Try plugging things back in one at a time and see at which point you feel the shock again.

If that doesnt produce results, its quite possible the tank has a toxin floating around in it. Does he have cyanobacteria present? He could have one of the toxic forms in there

 

[wflash3]

well im not sure what he has in there. alls i know is that when i unplugged his powerhead it stoped but i could still feel a tingle. Could it possibly be his high phosphate level? maybe im allergic to it and i dont know?

-flash

 

[SkiFletch]

I've never heard of someone having an allergic reaction to phosphate. Moreover, I've never heard of anyone having an allergic reaction capable of creating a tingling/burning sensation WITHOUT swelling, hives and/or nausea...

 

[wflash3]

really the only thing i felt was an increase of heart rate

it was really weird, i will keep you guys updated on my research on it.

flash

 

[MHunt]

really the only thing i felt was an increase of heart rate

it was really weird, i will keep you guys updated on my research on it.

flash

It really sounds like an electric shock to me. If you've ever had a proper jolt you'll know your heart rate increases! Partly due to your body's own protection by pumping adrenaline into you to stop your heart being disrupted by the high voltage, current.

 

[Navarre]

I strongly advise getting an earthing strap. These are made from titanium and simply plug into the wall here in the UK. the titanium cord is dropped intothe tank and any current is simply earthed and no more problems exsist. be aware however that if you operate a sump then an earthing strap for both tanks would be needed.

The only other cause that springs to mind is if there is chemical warfare taking place between the corals etc. some aneneomes can give out very irritating chemicals if you have opens wonds. cnsidering the toxin levels in simple zoos with palytoxin, i wouldnt attempt working in a tank with an open sore or wound.