what happens when your lights fall off into your tank?
 

im just glad i was watching my fish swim around while it happened, glad i wasnt at work.
lost my starry blenny. :'(
he was the only one to decide that the splash in the water meant food.
i only lost one bulb though.
interesting day to say the least.
i have installed safety lines on all my light fixtures now.
i still dont know why it fell.

There are misnomers surrounding aquariums and electricity.
Read this and be safe...
You should really invest in a GFCI for your lights, AND a ground probe.
Both will save you and your fish. Without both, neither will do you any good. And for most other equipment, they should also be plugged into a GFCI outlet.
Having a GFCI without a ground probe will not work, and a Ground Probe without a GFCI also will not work.
To fully understand how these circuits work, you need to read this:

Beananimals info

Scroll down to about the midway of the page and read about Grounding Probes. This section will explain about GFCI Circuits and so on.
This is a MUST READ. It could save your life.

You could in case not your lights but in case you drop a toaster or power tool in.
Install a GFI circuit, some have a grounding probe installed, but most don't know that they do nothing unless the probe is installed into a GFI power bar or circuit.
This will auto stop the power into the water.
With a ground probe you still feel power in your water on your hands.
With a GFI circuit you will just blow your power bar or reset switch.
Might save a fish or save you!

Crappy response deleted
Came out all wrong

One minute apart, was probably typing while you posted :P

Shouldn't post when tired
Insert me being a jerk here

Great minds...:lol:

Bed time...

And you posted a broken link. Give the guy a break everyone's trying to help =)

It's happen to me. The t5 ballets died and never came back. That's it. I don't have a special plug or probe

Thanks Brett!

Dude relax, are you the only source of information in this "Community" I think not.

Take yourself a chill pill mate.

Buy new lights :biggrin:

Heh
we both posted same time as u can see 4 min difference, there was no other post when i started my response., i just took a few minutes longer then you.

I liked your post more anyways Gary :lol:.

Haters gonna hate, glad to see there wasn't that much damage poor little blenny though :neutral:.

thanks for that.

Sorry Gary
Shouldn't be posting when I'm that tired

no worries.

the blenny died from getting hit. he was between the light and the rocks. the reason it fell was due to rusty screws. i switched all my screws over to stainless steel. and added safety lines to all.

A GFCI device does not need a grounding probe to protect you. If that were the case, how would the GFCI installed in your bathroom work? There's no grounding probe there. If you read Bean's article carefully you will see that there remains some controversy as to the effect of a grounding probe in our systems, whether they do more harm than good. It all depends on the equipment you have and the failure scenario. IMO a GFCI is a must to protect you, a grounding probe, perhaps. It is correct that if you do decide to install a grounding probe, you must have a GFCI as well. In either case, GFCI is the way to go for your safety.

Mike, your post made me really want to know whether or not I should have, besides a GFCI, a ground probe in my aquarium.
I finally found something that convinced me I do want a probe :mrgreen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpBUBzk2ZIU

Imagine sticking your hand into your aquarium and you create the ground through some other piece of equipment such as a fixture, or a wet floor, or whatever.
Sure the GFCI will trip, but you will still recieve a jolt.
If your heart is healthy enough, I guess it wouldn't bother you :lol:

Forgot to mention....
In the video the plumbing must not be grounded.
Looking at our bathroom sink, I can see how the same situation would occur here as we have PVC pipes.
There is no ground wire between the drain and the pipes downstairs.