Hmm ok I've had my aquariums plugged into a power surge with 6 slots but I needed more slots so I went and got an 8 slot one...opened up the package and on the pamphlet that came with it it said...NOT FOR AQUARIUM USE...sooo how are you suppose to hook all these aquarium stuff up??? When it comes to electrical/mechanical stuff I'm clueless haha.
Power supply??
- Thread starter NewLuv4Fish
- Start date
You could use it and it will work perfectly fine. The reason they say not for aquarium use is because it doesn't have a built in GFI which will prevent you from getting shocked if something electrical is in the water. If you other power strip has a GFI, just plug your new one into it and you will be protected.
Whats a GFI, haha told ya I'm clueless. So if I did that I'd have two power strips? I was thinking I'd just take the 8plug one and replace the 6 plug one. Umm if that prevents you from getting shocked if sometihng electrical is in the water...then the one i'm using obviously has to have one doesnt it...otherwise wouldnt I be shocked by now haha.
GCIF- Ground Falt Circit Introupter (sp?, google it) It is a thing that kills the power if something gets in the way of the electricty. So if there is power in the tank, and you stick your hands in it, you will not get shocked. The GCIF will kill the power before the electricty makes it way threw you.
GFI or GFCI - Ground Fault Interrupter, Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter will get you better results on Google. But the function is pretty much as stated. It is best if all tank equipment is plugged into such at the wall. Wall outlets can easily be changed for GFI outlets in all but the oldest wiring. The life you save may be your own.
Yes, a GFCI is a great idea for ANYTHING electrical near water. But, it's not totally necessary. Just be really carful not to drop anything in the water, and if you do.....DO NOT reach in to pull it out. Unplug it first! I don't run GFCI on mine. Also, you could plug one 6-way into another to come up with 11 total outlets, but I would recommend running them both to a wall outlet. That's how my setup is. And I use a 3-way spliiter out of my single outlet timer to plug my three lights into. (Beats buying three timers)
So basically as long as I dont drop anything into the tank that is plugged up I'll be ok using the 8plug ....ok like i said I'm clueless about all this sooo I don't get how if you say you cant drop anything electrical into the water how come you can have the filter, heater, etc. in the water and plugged into the outlet..haha makes no sense to me. And I wasn't sure about plugging two 6 plug outlets into the same wall outlet...wasn't sure if that'd be safe or not...I'd still be using the same amount of plugs so I guess it wouldn't make a difference right? And back to what Mykayel said...I can plug a power strip into another power strip?? And would the power strip have the GFCI on it or would it be the wall outlet that would have it on it? I know my wall outlet is just a regular outlet and the power surge strip looks like a regular one.
If it has a GFI built into it, it will have a "test" and a "reset" button. I'm betting that you don't. FYI, I got my GFI power strip from Wal-Mart for about $10. I mainly bought it because it had a longer cord but it was even better that it was a GFI.
As far as plugging one power strip into another, most of the stuff on your aquarium uses very little power so you don't have anything to worry about. It is best to run everything to the outlet but for this application its not really necessary.
As far as plugging one power strip into another, most of the stuff on your aquarium uses very little power so you don't have anything to worry about. It is best to run everything to the outlet but for this application its not really necessary.
The wall outlet should be GFI'd. There are plug-in units, but most of them are intended for construction sites and do not auto-reset after a power outage, which is a big problem for tanks.
GFI strip from walmart
The GFI power strip from Walmart is approved for aquariums. For about $12 it is a great thing to have on each tank, if you are not able to replace the outlet with a GFI receptical.
You can also get a plug in GFI, I found one at Sears and at Walmart, but it was nearly as expensive as the GFI power strip. It is just a yellow thing that plugs in and has one outlet on the front and the test buttons. Not at all the industrial type.
It is a good idea to say you are not going to stick you hand in the tank when a light fixture falls in, but in real life, you will try to catch it even as you say "hey, that light is falling into the WATER, that may be dangerous" and the next thing you know you have your hand in the tank anyhow.
And, if a heater or filter shorts out and electrifies the tank, you may not know it until you go to clean the tank and stick your hand in, connecting to ground. That GFI will keep you alive.
The GFI power strip from Walmart is approved for aquariums. For about $12 it is a great thing to have on each tank, if you are not able to replace the outlet with a GFI receptical.
You can also get a plug in GFI, I found one at Sears and at Walmart, but it was nearly as expensive as the GFI power strip. It is just a yellow thing that plugs in and has one outlet on the front and the test buttons. Not at all the industrial type.
It is a good idea to say you are not going to stick you hand in the tank when a light fixture falls in, but in real life, you will try to catch it even as you say "hey, that light is falling into the WATER, that may be dangerous" and the next thing you know you have your hand in the tank anyhow.
And, if a heater or filter shorts out and electrifies the tank, you may not know it until you go to clean the tank and stick your hand in, connecting to ground. That GFI will keep you alive.
