Grounding Probe

[FishyReef]

Went into the office last night despite being on vacation and found that my tang has a dark spot right between her eyes - my guess is that its the beginning signs of HLLE. I know no one really understands why this occurs, but that stray voltage is one theory. So in addition to trying to keep water parameters very good, stress to a minimum, and keeping her eating, I'm also going to add a grounding probe. I've actually had one on hand for a few months now and just never hooked it up. Why? Because the instructions say I have to plug it in to an active ground. And I have no idea what that means!! How do I know if an outlet is an active ground or not? I'll be back at the office on Sat and would like to get it set up then! Thanks!!

 

[little_fish]

She could be changing from her juvi colors to adult colorations, they dont stay yellow their whole life. Regardless, i would still put in the grounding probe.

 

[bjohanson1234]

If your office is up to code, the ground prong on the outlet will be connected to the ground bar in the panel. This is what I believe they mean by active ground. I personally have never heard the term, but I am guessing that there is some misinterptetation fromthe original language to english.

 

[FishyReef]

She could be changing from her juvi colors to adult colorations, they dont stay yellow their whole life. Regardless, i would still put in the grounding probe.

Yeah, I've wondered about that too Hannah. When they change colors, would it come in small patches, or would she just gradually get darker all over in her face and fins? She's a little smaller than the size at which they normally begin to change, but I know there is inevitable variation in when a particular fish will change versus the average listed. I'll try to get pics when I'm at the office again and post them. In the mean time I figure adding a grounding probe is the one small thing I can do that is good for my tank regardless!

BJ - it is an old building, but I do presume it would have to be up to code. The outlets aren't GFCI, but are ones where one slot is bigger than the other. BUT, I have GFCI adapters plugged in to both outlets that are near my tank. Can I plug a grounding probe into a GFCI adapter?

 

[little_fish]

The colorations generally start on their face and then work their way down the body

 

[Bifferwine]

I thought "active ground" just meant that it was an outlet with holes for the three prongs instead of two. You should be able to just plug it in the wall.

 

[wontonflip]

Make sure you plug it directly to the wall outlet. It won't work if you plug it in a power strip first. But BJ is right; it's the 3-prong thing. That third piece is the ground.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I thought "active ground" just meant that it was an outlet with holes for the three prongs instead of two. You should be able to just plug it in the wall.

Just because the outlet has the third prong, doesn't mean it is propperly grounded;)

 

[Northstar24]

Kind of off topic, but how does one whom is not electronically inclined know if the outlet is grounded correctly?

 

[fastrd400]

Just because the outlet has the third prong, doesn't mean it is propperly grounded;)

Which is exactly what they mean by "Active Ground". You could replace a 2 prong plug with the grounding type 3 prong plug. However, if the plug itself is not grounded, either with a ground wire attached to the plug from the wiring loom, or wired to the box (if the box is grounded), it is not an Active Ground.

 

[FishyReef]

Which is exactly what they mean by "Active Ground". You could replace a 2 prong plug with the grounding type 3 prong plug. However, if the plug itself is not grounded, either with a ground wire attached to the plug from the wiring loom, or wired to the box (if the box is grounded), it is not an Active Ground.

So how do actually know if it is indeed grounded? Do you have to open up the outlet box?

 

[wontonflip]

The easiest is if you have a voltage detector, see if you detect water in your tank, if you do, plug in the grounding probe and put it in the water...see if the voltage stops.

Or (although unless you know what you're doing or if you know how to deactivate the outlet) you can open up the outlet pluge and see if the ground has a wire and if that wire is grounded somewhere. I've done both.

:shocking::shocking::shocking:

Maybe BJ has a safer alternative :mrgreen:

 

[fastrd400]

I would just pull the outlet out and see, not the smartest way, but the easiest and quickest way for me.

 

[bjohanson1234]

I would just pull the outlet oht and see, not the smartest way, but the easiest and quickest way for me.

Really the only way. You can rig an outlet to mimic it being proppeey grounded. You can take the neutral and jump it to the ground and tests will indicate that it is grounded. This is because the neutral and ground are actually bonded together in the main distribution panel and neutral and ground have the same electrical potential.