Reminder About Power strips

[Leopardess]

Hey all. Just went into the bedroom to look at a fish that I transferred this morning and noticed that the lights on each 10g were off. I knew they were on earlier so I tried turning them on again (you never know lol - maybe I thought I was going to bed and turned them off? ). Didn't work.

Sat there for a minute, stumped. Then, I realized - Duh - it must be the outlet strip I use. Checked it - still plugged in and everything looked ok.

Turns out, one of my cats had to have stepped on the "On/Off" switch which then turned the whole thing off. This could have been bad. No filters, no heaters, no lights on either of the tanks. What if I had gone away for the weekend or longer? Those tanks get cold quickly without the heaters on...

So, everyone, make sure you put your strips (if you use them - esp. the ones with an On/Off button) in a safe place! Or put them in a shoe box or under the tanks or something. I'm going to try and shove mine in the 2-3" space that's under the bottom 10g.

Just though I'd share...

Oh, while I'm at it - I (used to) keep my strip right to the right of the tank on the floor. Probably not a good idea. I've spilled water on it a few times Thankfully, I noticed and unplugged it and nothing went wrong. Careful with electricity!!!

 

[missymoo]

most strips have screw hole on the back of them so they can be attached to the wall...no stepping on them or getting water in them

 

[Leopardess]

hmm mine doesn't:shake:

 

[missymoo]

strange

only other thing that i can think of then would be getting some carpet tape ( double sided and really strong ...can easily hold up the weight)

 

[Leopardess]

Its not a problem. I can just put it under the tank. I had just never thought about it. Plus, I'd prefer not to have a power strip and six big black cords hanging on my bedroom wall.


I was just trying to have people remember to be careful around electricity - for them and their fish.

 

[kveeti]

I have 2 power strips on the wall, but the bettas' tank is just sitting on the table behind the tank. I've often thought how easy that switch is to press by mistake... I can see my cat doing the same thing. Hmmm. Thanks for the warning.

 

[missymoo]

depending on what your tank is on (tank stand, etc) you could attach it to the back of the tank stand

 

[Leopardess]

No, its just a metal wire double stand. Placement isn't really an issue. I have a place to put it - I had just never thought about the cats stepping on it before.....

welcome kveeti

 

[RTR]

Mine in the tank room are wall-mounted (or ceiling mounted) as missymoo suggests, plus the wall mounted ones have a flap on plastic (cut from trash bags) behind them and up and over them, draping them completely - just in case I get too wild with a hose or something really splashes. It looks strange, but it is safer. The plastic is white opaque, but the idiot lights shine through, so I can see that they are live. Scanning the strips is part of checking the room before leaving.

My display tanks out in the house are all on wood stands in one form or another. Their plug strips are mounted up under the tanks at the back of the stand. Normally that is sufficiently protected that I don't need the extra plastic drape there.

This sort of mounting means that you automatically have a drip loop - if water ran down a cord from the tank, where the wire turns to go back up to the srtip, the water would drip off, not be guided into the strip as it can on the floor.

These are major safety considerations, not just conveniences.

 

[Hound]

I have a wooden stand with doors that snap shut. That along with the fact my cat is too fat to squeeze behind the tank keeps my power strip safe. One thing that I have done at work before is to use plastic wire ties to tie a power strip onto the bottom of a shelf so it is facing the floor. That way it is still accessable and reasonably out of the way and out of sight.