Ammo-lock

[JustKia]

I've been using ammo-lock (by API - locks up ammonia in a non-toxic to fish form but is still available to the bacteria to convert to nitrites) to help protect the fish during the cycling process (I know fish in cycling isn't recommended).
I just recieved a new bottle of ammo-lock and as I peeled the seal off the bottle I got a good shock off it - I could actually see the spark. Of course hubby thinks I'm exaggeratiing and so I dismissed it as being static or something (I often get a shock off the cats, but only tiny ones).
Today I was adding a dose of ammo-lock, I tipped it into the measuring cap and then as I poured it into the tank I got another shock. Again hubby didn't believe me so I made him pour the second measure...


He got a shock and ended up throwing the dose of ammo-lock up the wall needless to say he believes me now!
If you move the bottle away completely before tipping the liquid into the tank then it doesn't seem to happen

Has anyone else experienced this with ammo-lock?
Any ideas why this happens?

 

[JustKia]

22 views and no one has a clue as to why ammo-lock is giving shocks?
Surely there's someone with a greater understanding of all things scientific than I?
I'm presuming that the liquid must be acting as a capacitor in some way but as to how the charge got/gets there I have no idea.
It was interesting to note that if the main bottle is put down before pouring the measured amount into the tank, the shock/spark does not occur.

 

[mattbond]

maybe its extremely minor karma lol

 

[Bignose]

It's not impossible that it is static electricity generated from the moving liquid. All service stations gasoline pumps have to have a wire to ground because otherwise the many gallons of gasoline flowing through the tube will generate a very large potential due to static buildup. As much as anything, though, I suspect that your local environment may contribute as much as anything. Do you humidify your house? What is the relative humidity in the house? To test whether the humidity has much to do with it, try pouring out a capful while in the bathroom with the shower is running making the room nice and steamy.

 

[JustKia]

Do you humidify your house? No, but it is a ground floor flat with about 3ft air space underneath.
What is the relative humidity in the house? I really don't know - how would I find out? I personally find the air quite dry. We do have a significant amount of computer related stuff running (routers, switches, servers, etc) which I believe makes it rather dry - but this is in a different room to the fish.
To test whether the humidity has much to do with it, try pouring out a capful while in the bathroom with the shower is running making the room nice and steamy. Oh I'd love a steamy bathroom - but ours just doesn't get steamy. I've tried running just hot water into the bath before now, window and door closed and still no steam - I put it down to a super efficient air brick.

Ammo-Lock is the only one to have this effect - the stress coat and stress zyme don't do it at all.
Will try pouring a capful in the bathroom, with shower on (albeit steam free) just to see though.

 

[Schmill]

All I could think was you holding the plastic bottle, walking perhaps on carpet is building up the static on you, perhaps exagerated by the particular coating on the ammo-lock bottle, then when you pour the ammo-lock into the tank, the tank water provides a nice route to ground, and your built up static is discharging that way.
Thing is you say it's only happening with the Ammo-Lock, so it would seem that either the bottle or the liquid or a combination of both is somehow having an effect...

 

[JustKia]

Yes, just the Ammo-Lock, nothing else.
We don't have any carpets as hubby wanted laminate throughout. Although I have experienced the issues caused by nylon carpets in offices.

 

[reportingsjr]

Since it's a plastic bottle and thus an insulator maybe it's building up a static charge from the air, and when you go to use it or whatever it's discharging on to you. Haha!

 

[saltynay]

What are the ingrediants I can calculate the electro voltaic capacity which is the potential voltage from an initial point when the two chemicals are mixed this could be charging the bottle as its essentially how batteries are made

 

[aaronnorth]

Ammo-Lock is the only one to have this effect - the stress coat and stress zyme don't do it at all.

It is probably to do with the chemicals used, as the liquid moves inside the bottles it will lose electrons (negative charge) to the plastic bottle which is an insulator so the -e's cannot move, therefore when you touch it they travel through you and down to earth.