# piranha getting electricuted?



## Raymond24 (Jan 3, 2008)

I was looking at the tank today and i noticed that since my tank is so tall, the heater is down in the tank pretty far, leaving about 3-4 inches of the wire in the water. And for whatever reason my piranha has taken bites out of the plastic plants,fish net,air tubing, pretty much anything that isnt rock. I moved the heater up so the wires arent in the water but i was wondering has anyone ever heard of a fish biting heater wires?


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## p1ranha (Jan 28, 2006)

i used to have pacus that bit the wire for the powerhead.. come cleaning time i put my hand in the tank and got a mild shock.. then i saw the "chewed" wire. it wasn't so bad though i just covered it up with electric tape. it still worked fine.. fish didn't seem to mind the electricity in the water, or maybe they don't feel it.. never heard of a p biting the wires but the wire would have much more damage if the p bit it..


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

p1ranha said:


> i used to have pacus that bit the wire for the powerhead.. come cleaning time i put my hand in the tank and got a mild shock.. then i saw the "chewed" wire. it wasn't so bad though i just covered it up with electric tape. it still worked fine.. fish didn't seem to mind the electricity in the water, or maybe they don't feel it.. never heard of a p biting the wires but the wire would have much more damage if the p bit it..


Really strange that the piranha's were unaffected while being mildly electrocuted for that long of time and didn't die.....









Anyways my Cariba's like your Piranha's chew through everything. So once they took out a few air hoses i just brought my heaters right up to the top to avoid this situation just like you did. So ya i think its a common problem with some Piranha's haha.


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## p1ranha (Jan 28, 2006)

-NBKK- said:


> i used to have pacus that bit the wire for the powerhead.. come cleaning time i put my hand in the tank and got a mild shock.. then i saw the "chewed" wire. it wasn't so bad though i just covered it up with electric tape. it still worked fine.. fish didn't seem to mind the electricity in the water, or maybe they don't feel it.. never heard of a p biting the wires but the wire would have much more damage if the p bit it..


Really strange that the piranha's were unaffected while being mildly electrocuted for that long of time and didn't die.....









Anyways my Cariba's like your Piranha's chew through everything. So once they took out a few air hoses i just brought my heaters right up to the top to avoid this situation just like you did. So ya i think its a common problem with some Piranha's haha.
[/quote]

you didn't read my post bro! i was talking about my old pacus, they chewed on the wire it seems.. and yes it was weird that they were'nt affected at all! they were swimming as naturally as possible, that's why i didn't notice anything wrong. until i put my hand in the tank..lol i imagine if my reds would have bit the wire there would be more damage to it, and maybe more volts in the water..


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

Am i missing something here ? your old pacu chewed on the wire creating electricity in the water because you got a shock when you put your hand in it right ?

if so its just strange that they were not dead.

unless you mean like chewed wire as in really lightly damaged and it would give out a shock here and there.


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## rolly_169 (Jul 23, 2007)

i dont think it would shock them at all. the only reason you got a shock is because you lead to a ground.


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

OK so if you put a live wire in a piranha tank it wouldn't electrocute the piranha's but if you put your hand in the water it will give you a shock ? i don't understand this.

im not being sarcastic with this, i just don't get it.


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)




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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

i had a heater that some how got water into it and was electrifiying my tank for a month or so i kept getting a mild shock every time i put my hand in the water

i think it has to cause some sort of discomfort to the fish i would fix it or take it back and get a new one


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## Dr. Giggles (Oct 18, 2003)

-NBKK- said:


> OK so if you put a live wire in a piranha tank it wouldn't electrocute the piranha's but if you put your hand in the water it will give you a shock ? i don't understand this.
> 
> im not being sarcastic with this, i just don't get it.


It won't electrocute them but it may affect their skeletal structure in some way. I heard a good write up on this years ago but unfortunately my memory fails me. The reason it electrocutes you is because you are grounded, the fish are not. Hope this helps.


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

pirayaman said:


> i had a heater that some how got water into it and was electrifiying my tank for a month or so i kept getting a mild shock every time i put my hand in the water
> 
> i think it has to cause some sort of discomfort to the fish i would fix it or take it back and get a new one


You got shocked for a month ? i would have thought the first time you got shocked you would have fixed the problem.

And it does help Dr. I did some reading about it and understand how grounds and all that stuff works. But i agree it would have to affect them some how.


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## rolly_169 (Jul 23, 2007)

-NBKK- said:


> OK so if you put a live wire in a piranha tank it wouldn't electrocute the piranha's but if you put your hand in the water it will give you a shock ? i don't understand this.
> 
> im not being sarcastic with this, i just don't get it.


yeah they wont get shocked, however, they will be living at a certain voltage, which i assume wouldnt be good for them. electricity only shocks things when it is moving, so when it reaches the end of the wire and into the tank it stops, and waits to continue its circuit. when you stick your hand in you complete the circuit to ground.


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

I agree with the grounding and all that but lets say our in a pool and someone throw a hairdryer into it with you in it, im pretty sure you will get zapped no ? that why im confused about the piranhas not getting electrocuted.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

would the tank be able to act somehow as a ground to prevent a shock while when you toched it the current went through you kinda like why squrilles can walk on electrical wires?


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## LS1FDRx7 (Mar 6, 2007)

sean-820 said:


> would the tank be able to act somehow as a ground to prevent a shock while when you toched it the current went through you kinda like why squrilles can walk on electrical wires?


A tank will not act as a grounding source. A heater have two layer of plastics. The first layer of plastic wraps around the copper wire, just like any other wire out there. For aquarium heaters, they use the same wires concept, but with added protection of a waterproof plastic that wraps over the first layer of plastic which is to protect the copper strains. Electricity flows through the copper strains, not the plastic. Even though Piranhas and other fish takes bits off of the 2nd layer of plastic, that doesn't mean your fish are being electricuted. Unless the copper is actually exposed into the water, that's a whole different story, Your fish will die instantly. I seen this happened before at a brand new Petsmart store. The only thing that was different about it is that they didn't have an exposed heater wire, instead a "Live" wire fell in their sump system which the electricty and current transfer itself through water into all their tanks. As an end result, it set off the breaker and cause a huge nonstop spark between the wire and the water in the sump system. When the firedepartment came by and got rid of this live wire, the power was put back on and all the fish were dead.

So just remember, if copper is exposed to water, your fish are dead, thus making the water live, touch it and you'll get a harmful shock that could send current into your body and enough current will stop your heart rate -_-


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## rbp 4 135 (Mar 2, 2004)

the piranha will not get shocked because the glass or acrylic are good insulators, so the charge does not ground out. There are also grounding probes you can buy to place in your tank so that it draws out static current, way from inhabitants.


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## -NBKK- (Jun 22, 2007)

I would listen to LS1FDRx7 if i were all of you. She knows what she is talking about.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

rbp 4 135 said:


> the piranha will not get shocked because the glass or acrylic are good insulators, so the charge does not ground out. There are also grounding probes you can buy to place in your tank so that it draws out static current, way from inhabitants.


 thats what i mean that the current doesnt go through the tank to the actual ground and thus not forced to pass through them in the process


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

I think it is natural for them to chew everything i have plastic plants that has been chewe to bits cos of p's getting overly freindy with them............i jut put it downt to Piranaha's being piranha's


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## scotty (Oct 3, 2007)

pirayaman said:


> i had a heater that some how got water into it and was electrifiying my tank for a month or so i kept getting a mild shock every time i put my hand in the water
> 
> i think it has to cause some sort of discomfort to the fish i would fix it or take it back and get a new one


i had the same thing happen, my plants kept deteriorating and i couldnt figure it out. i went to do a water change and had a small cut on my hand thats when i figured it out. took out the defective heater and all my plants started to heal.
View attachment 160038


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## fishguy1313 (Feb 19, 2007)

wow!


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