Highly Confused

[reeeedfish]

I just read something about turning heaters off during waterchanges. I never do. Am I doing something wrong? Will it break?Help Please?

 

[kelly528]

I just read something about turning heaters off during waterchanges. I never do. Am I doing something wrong? Will it break?Help Please?

It will get super hot and possibly burn you / melt it's suction cups / break if it is running when not submerged. Also, you should never have your hands in the tank unless everything is unplugged, IMO! Fish are not affected by 'live' water, so you won't ever be able to tell if an electrical appliance/etc has fallen into the tank until your eyebrows are standing on end!

 

[Gill]

The only reason to turn off a Heater during a water change. Is if you are going to have to expose it to the air.

 

[mr130gallon]

Fish are not affected by 'live' water,

really? thats good i guess, then if an appliance goes bad then they wont die, untill you can take it out and replace it.

 

[-SPB-]

I always turn my heater off before a water change, leave it about 10 mins or so for the heater to cool, then empty water then refill.

If you don't turn the heater off (if it hasn't got a overheat protection), then once you fill the tank up, you risk cracking/breaking the very hot glass once it comes into contact with the water. Not good, especially if you don't want to put your hand into an electrified fish tank!!!!

 

[Inchworm]

I never turn my heaters off during water changes but I do push them down so they remain completely underwater.

 

[Alasse]

If my hands are going in the tank, the heaters are turned off.

I watched a girl get flung across a fish room in a store from not doing this, the tank she put her hands into had a broken heater, and she found it the hard way. It really gave her a zap!

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I pull all tank plugs out of the wall before changing water.

 

[three-fingers]

Fish are not affected by 'live' water,

really? thats good i guess, then if an appliance goes bad then they wont die, untill you can take it out and replace it.

How are fish not affected by electricity? After seeing/hearing about a good few heaters breaking I can tell you, they often are. It really just seems to depend on how much stray electricity there is (that sounded stupid, but you get the idea).

If the case was otherwise, then electrofishing just wouldn't work.

Been shocked many times by aquarium equipment at work, never enough time/way too impractical to turn many things off there, and when I cam home, I'm too lazy to lol.

 

[kelly528]

How are fish not affected by electricity? After seeing/hearing about a good few heaters breaking I can tell you, they often are. It really just seems to depend on how much stray electricity there is (that sounded stupid, but you get the idea).

If the heat cooks them, sure. But I don't think they can get electrocuted unless they touch the device and even then... I don't think so somehow. Let us know if you ever find out.

If the case was otherwise, then electrofishing just wouldn't work.

In electrofishing the fish are not electrocuted... simply drawn to a current running between 2 forks (anode and cathode), then netted, I believe.

Been shocked many times by aquarium equipment at work, never enough time/way too impractical to turn many things off there, and when I cam home, I'm too lazy to lol.

Not when everything's hooked up to a power bar! Actually, most of them come with a switch that cuts the power, but I am so scaredy that I unplug it anyways.

 

[trojannemo]

we keep heaters on for a reason, and that is to maintain a steady temperature in the tank. i dont think turning them off every water change is a smart idea then...
i run two heaters on opposite sides of the tank, standing vertically but pushed as low down as possible without touching the gravel.
i then do my water changes in a systematic way, so that i lower the water level down to the filter and heater line, so neither my filters nor my heaters ever stop working, then fill up again, dechlorinate, and start again...this way i waste a little more water (and aquasafe!) to get the same percentage of the "old" water changed, but I keep all equipment running so nothing has to re-start in the tank. i do this for all my tanks and it's worked well for me

 

[bobross]

Yep, me too. Heaters are as far down as they can be without being in the way or touching gravel. I change water down to the top of the intake stainer. The only time I unplug heaters/filters/lights is if I need to work on them or replace them. It's been working just fine for me for two years.


BobRoss

 

[three-fingers]

If the heat cooks them, sure. But I don't think they can get electrocuted unless they touch the device and even then... I don't think so somehow. Let us know if you ever find out.

Looks like I'm going to have to look up details.

In electrofishing the fish are not electrocuted... simply drawn to a current running between 2 forks (anode and cathode), then netted, I believe.

Nope, they get electrocuted and paralysed as a result.

Not when everything's hooked up to a power bar! Actually, most of them come with a switch that cuts the power, but I am so scaredy that I unplug it anyways.

Everything is hooked up to a power bar, but I don't want to have to unplug multiple timers connected to lights, solenoids on CO2 units, HOB's, externals etc. All the timers would have to be re-adjusted every single time, and some of the HOB's need help to get started again. Meanwhile I would have multiple tanks in the dark with no circulation, and gunk from all the filters would shoot out into the tanks, which I dont mind too much on my planted tanks, but not on marine tanks...

Also at work I cant go downstairs and unplug the main marine system pump and everything else just to catch a fish, or wipe a bit of algae, or climb behind cabinets ad navigate a sea of cables to get to the freshwater equipment.

I'll just risk death, thank you very much .

 

[Schmill]

Electricity will take the easiest route between 2 points inorder to complete a circuit.
If your heater breaks then the electricity can still flow between the two broken contacts of the heater, (albeit not very well).
the fish in the tank won't get electrocuted as it is impossible for them to become involved in the electrical circuit.
However if a fish gets too close to the broken heater then there is a chance that the path from one part of the heater via the fish to the other part of the heater will be an easier route, (ie. less resistance), than going via the water and in this case the fish will get a shock.

Being OUTSIDE the tank, you are generally making a good contact with Earth / Ground, which the electicity will absolutely love. When you touch the water the favourable route for the electricity is out of the heater, through the water, into your hand, down your body and down to the ground. >ZAP<

This is why I would always always always advice the use of an RCD unit on any electical supply feeding a tank, (ironically my main tank has one, but my 2 smaller tanks don't... yet! Do what I say, not what I do! )

 

[keenonfish]

Fish are not affected by 'live' water,

really? thats good i guess, then if an appliance goes bad then they wont die, untill you can take it out and replace it.

How are fish not affected by electricity? After seeing/hearing about a good few heaters breaking I can tell you, they often are. It really just seems to depend on how much stray electricity there is (that sounded stupid, but you get the idea).

If the case was otherwise, then electrofishing just wouldn't work.

Been shocked many times by aquarium equipment at work, never enough time/way too impractical to turn many things off there, and when I cam home, I'm too lazy to lol.

If a single live 240v conductor were to be placed into the tank that was otherwise isolated then there would be no current flow perhaps apart from the initial 'charge' where the tank potential raises to the conductor voltage. The fish would be otherwise ok. The moment you put your hand in the tank you provide a path to earth and hence current flows - fish will really feel that and so will you! Why it is soooo important to use a dedicated RCD for your tanks even if 99% of the time you disconnect everything. One day you won't, or someone else won't!

However not sure what would happen if live and neutral in contact within an enclosed heater, apart from a heavy current between conductors and fish being attracted as mentioned above I suspect it depends how bad the fracture or leak is.

Just to add it is a bit like the electrical appliance in the bath killing you myth... Why would electricity rather flow throughout the whole bath than the cm or so between the electrical conductors? Some might flow if you have a metal plug hole attached to metal pipes which were earthed but how many baths are built like that?

BTW don't try the above!!!