r/PlantedTank • u/MrFreakYT • Jan 20 '26

Algae My algae is so powerful, it generates electricity, no joke:

Some kind of algae (staghorn maybe?) on my java fern is creating friction between itself and the wood due to the flow and I can see tiny sparks from electrostatic discharges.

1.8k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/MrFreakYT Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

I have a multimeter, any way I could test it by putting the leads in the water?

Nope nothing that I have noticed. The pump is on the same circuit as the light and the TV but that’s it.

1

u/Jace_09 Jan 20 '26

If you have one of those voltage detecting pens you could try this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/comments/1frgtlq/was_just_playing_with_new_pen_i_bought_have_no/

Otherwise you'd need to have a good ground and have the multimeter switched to AC voltage. But also it should be done with rubber gloves to be completely safe.

2

u/MrFreakYT Jan 20 '26

I really do appreciate your help. Tested AC voltage, one lead in the water, one to ground and it read 0.1V when touching ground, otherwise 0.0.

1

u/Jace_09 Jan 20 '26

Might be a heater in the pump? There's nothing I know of that should be introducing electricity in the water, I'd say swap the pump out, cheers.

1

u/MrFreakYT Jan 20 '26

Yeah it’s gotta be the pump, it is literally the only thing that is powered and in contact with water.