Copper.

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
So here is the situation greeneyed girls tank i belive has copper. Not aure where it came from. Only guess would be either it had copper in it prior to us getting it or when the heater melted it released copper. I used seachem test and it tested positive for copper according to an api test it was negative for copper. So I put in a polyfilter and sure enough it turned blue. Light blue but blue. So lets hear from someone who knows. What is my next step. Use poly filter and some cuprisorb.
 

ialtalal

Tang
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
Andrew_bram;338034 said:
So here is the situation greeneyed girls tank i belive has copper. Not aure where it came from. Only guess would be either it had copper in it prior to us getting it or when the heater melted it released copper. I used seachem test and it tested positive for copper according to an api test it was negative for copper. So I put in a polyfilter and sure enough it turned blue. Light blue but blue. So lets hear from someone who knows. What is my next step. Use poly filter and some cuprisorb.
Yes I think cuprisorb will work will. I havr Seen how it works in tanks that had copper and works very well.
 

CRW Reef

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#3
Sorry to hear about this. Hoping it's not the tank I think it is and didn't come that way. Should you decide you want a dif tank Lmk I have a rr 20l with 20l sump setup I would give you guys.

Otherwise sorry I have no knowledge or experience with copper,but wish you luck with a good turn out
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#4
CRW Reef;338038 said:
Sorry to hear about this. Hoping it's not the tank I think it is and didn't come that way. Should you decide you want a dif tank Lmk I have a rr 20l with 20l sump setup I would give you guys.

Otherwise sorry I have no knowledge or experience with copper,but wish you luck with a good turn out
I am sure it was from the heater those contain copper i am sure.
 

Bajamike

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
MuralReef;338047 said:
Look who's here! How's the Baja?
Sorry to hi jack Andrew.....It sucks its always warm and sunny no one is ever at the beach and I always have to fish......


other than that horrible stuff I love my life ;)
 

Bajamike

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
greeneyedgirl;338057 said:
Ok boys we have a problem here go talk about this else where
there you go Andrew That's permission if I ever heard it!

Tess Just keep using the polly filter until it does not change color any more. Then test the next day (with the polly filter removed) to make sure it is out......Just as a side note the copper test kits are just about the most unreliable IME
 

greeneyedgirl

Butterfly Fish
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
Bajamike;338060 said:
there you go Andrew That's permission if I ever heard it!

Tess Just keep using the polly filter until it does not change color any more. Then test the next day (with the polly filter removed) to make sure it is out......Just as a side note the copper test kits are just about the most unreliable IME
Thank Mike.... Mike he is making promises I am not sure he can keep if we get a ticket. But he's trying so hard
 

Bajamike

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#15
greeneyedgirl;338063 said:
Thank Mike.... Mike he is making promises I am not sure he can keep if we get a ticket. But he's trying so hard
round trip tickets are cheap right now. My dad flys down tomorrow for 10 days $239.00 round trip on frontier
 

sethsolomon

Hammerhead Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#17
+1 to keeping the poly filter in the tank. If it persists for longer than 4 weeks my bet is its in the silicone and the tank will need to be resealed.

Also, on a side note: Kent salt has higher levels of heavy metals. So I would toss a poly filter in a fresh batch of saltwater and see if it turns blue.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
Cuprisorb works well. It will also bind lots of different type of metals. Poly will do the same thing. It will regenerate - I have a big bag that you can borrow if you want.

Calcium Carbonate will bond copper - just a normal amount of sand or a piece of LR or two will absorb enough copper to kill ich/velvet/etc which is why you don't see any in QT/hospital tanks. The bond is usually permanent, but if the CaCO3 dissolves, then the copper will get released. ...so, the blue poly reading might not be from copper since most get absorbed by sand or live rock, or you have an excessive amount that would surely mean invert death. In any case, you might need to leave some in the tank for a long time, if copper is the real issue. Typically, a tank that was once used as a copper treatment hospital is safe to use again with a good rinsing because the minimal residual amounts will be quickly bonded by the aragonite. If you have a good amount of sand or real live rock, then I might suggest that you keep looking for whatever is at the root of your issue since I would suppose that there is very little free copper in the water - man made rock and no/silica sand could be an issue.

Seth is right - Kent salt will oftentimes turn a poly filter blue on it's own. No bueno for a reef, IMO, but lots of people use it still with what they think is good success, until they switch brands and typically watch stuff take a step forward. I don't know what is in Kent, but it will turn a poly filter blue where other salts will not. If you aren't using Kent, then sorry for the sentences.
 

Andrew_bram

Tiger Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#19
jda123;338084 said:
Cuprisorb works well. It will also bind lots of different type of metals. Poly will do the same thing. It will regenerate - I have a big bag that you can borrow if you want.

Calcium Carbonate will bond copper - just a normal amount of sand or a piece of LR or two will absorb enough copper to kill ich/velvet/etc which is why you don't see any in QT/hospital tanks. The bond is usually permanent, but if the CaCO3 dissolves, then the copper will get released. ...so, the blue poly reading might not be from copper since most get absorbed by sand or live rock, or you have an excessive amount that would surely mean invert death. In any case, you might need to leave some in the tank for a long time, if copper is the real issue. Typically, a tank that was once used as a copper treatment hospital is safe to use again with a good rinsing because the minimal residual amounts will be quickly bonded by the aragonite. If you have a good amount of sand or real live rock, then I might suggest that you keep looking for whatever is at the root of your issue since I would suppose that there is very little free copper in the water - man made rock and no/silica sand could be an issue.

Seth is right - Kent salt will oftentimes turn a poly filter blue on it's own. No bueno for a reef, IMO, but lots of people use it still with what they think is good success, until they switch brands and typically watch stuff take a step forward. I don't know what is in Kent, but it will turn a poly filter blue where other salts will not. If you aren't using Kent, then sorry for the sentences.
Thanks for the info. I think the source of copper has got to be from when the heater melted and sat in tank for 4 days. I dont know if there is copper in the actual heater but the wire that melted certainly had copper and i am thinking it didnt just vaporize. I tested with seachem copper and it showed .3 so assuming that is a lot of copper for an invert. Yes i use kent salt maybe i will consider a switch. But my big tank at home doesnt turn poly filter blue and to be honest of all salts i have tried this seems best other than red sea coral pro. What kind of salt would you say is cost affect doug i am all ears.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#20
.3 is a lot, especially if you have aragonite in the tank should be soaking most of it up. It is going to unbind for the rocks and sand for a while, so leave it in there until it turns blue no more. You can regenerate it with a high concentration of HCL and it is as good as new - be careful with the HCL which is quite safe for smart people, but can be quite dangerous with morons.

I use IO. It comes in the 4x50lb bags and I ordered a pallet last time cheaper than the last few group buys for Kent. It is a high quality salt that is cheap. If you know nothing else about it, RHF uses it...so that might be good enough for some people. I have been using it since the early 1990s with no issues - I have tried others here and there but always come back to it. I used to mix IO and Oceanic 50/50, but the redesign of IO in about 2009/2010 took care of all of my issues. A 50 gallon bag mixes up in a 44G brute container just perfectly and with about 1ml of HCL it makes my alk about perfect for the SPS tank - I don't do anything with the mixed reef. IO is really bad about settling (like most salts are), so you REALLY have to mix it dry if you are not using the whole container or else the params can get out of whack... actually, everybody should be dry mixing their salt.
 
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