Electricity leak in tank?

Question

Hi, i have a very large turtle tank with a submerged heater and and submerged filter........I have had both in the tank for over 1 year no problems. Last night my heater started making strange bubbling noises before i went to bed, it was in a protective cover so i couldnt see much so i just left it. The next day i was feeding my turtle and i started to get static shocks too my fingers only when they made contact with the water tension not when fully submerged......i talk out the heater to check under its cover and found it was fully cracked and it came apart!.....i have replaced heater and all seems well. How ever i tested it again before and got a staic shock again.....i dont know if im going crazy or what :) is there a way to test if power is going into tank or not?

Answer 1

If you tested the broken heater under water it will still be shorting out and giving you a shock. If you tested the new heater and you are still getting a shock there must be a short somewhere else in the tank. Check all the cables in the tank as the turtle may have nipped them and exposed the core cable to the water.
Check the pump and filter cables and the lighting as well as the water condensation can carry any charge to the water.
Try to put all the cables in a protective sheath such as a pvc pipe to stop the turtle biting it.
Good luck

Answer 2

Stray voltage in an aquarium is extremely dangerous. If you were to be in contact with a better ground you could receive a fatal dose.
Always use a Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) with an aquarium. get a GFI and have it properly installed. Then plug in one appliance at a time until it trips,that's the other thing to replace. The usual suspect is the lighting system.

Answer 3

Tested what again? The broken heater? If so: Don't! Throw away the broken heater.

Answer 4

chaeck out the insulation on the other electrical items in the tank.