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Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI should be one of the first things installed for your reef aquarium. Simply put, it monitors the flow of electricity and senses any loss of flow. If and when a loss is detected, it trips or turns off the flow. This means that your equipment will not get damaged if there is a short circuit somewhere. It also means that you will not get electrocuted if you put your hand into your tank when there is a short.

Most reef aquariums have a substantial number of electrical powered items both in the water (main display and sump) under the main tank and sometimes close to the tank.

Any number of things can go wrong when you are combining electricity and water. And when you add salt, which is very corrosive, to the mix you need to be more careful. The humidity under an aquarium with a sump can be quite high, especially if it is completely closed in.

A ground fault circuit interupter is very sensitive to moisture. So sensitive that many hobbyists have stopped using them. They would come home and find the GFCI had tripped and essential equipment had stopped running, putting their tank at risk of a crash. GFCI's will not reset after a power outage.

What you need to do is become smarter in the way you set up your GFCI's. Don't put all essential equipment on the same circuit. Don't put outlets where there is the potential for water splashing on it. Hard wire where ever possible. Look for ways to stop humidity from becoming a problem.

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