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j_chicago
06-10-2008, 11:56 PM
Ok, I know that copper treatments are lethal to inverts/reef tanks, and that it soaks into the silicon and will leech back out. But still have afew questions.

Back story: bought a 65g (which had been empty for over a year or two) off a guy I knew. He threw in boxes of dried out LR, nets, air pumps, trace, etc.... So a friend and I were cooking the said LR in an extra tank, and we threw in a urchin and a turbo snail. they both promptly died. I called the guy and asked if he ever used copper, and he said he didn't and knew better not to. We think they died to a salinity swing or another parimeter when he took them out of his display and into the LR tank that probably held alot of gunk, dried salt and what-not deep inside of it.
So I got the stand built (waiting for a less humid day so I can varnish it) and the tank holds water, but as I was going through the 10 plus boxes of chemicals, pumps, PH, etc. I saw some parasite meds that contained copper. But he had other SW tanks, octo tanks, etc. which he could of used copper in.


So questions: how long copper last in a tank thats been dry?
Will in be in the wet/dry and hang-on over flow that are acrylic?
Saw a chemical mentioned somewhere else, forget the name, that pulls the copper out or changes it into a non-lethal rust or something, does anything like that work?

Amphiprion
06-11-2008, 1:08 AM
If in doubt, use some cuprisorb and test with (I realize this seems a bit cruel) cheaper inverts, such as snails and the like. Before even filling it with saltwater, I'd soak it for a while. Once filled with seawater, then use the cuprisorb, do some water changes, and try a couple hardy inverts.

j_chicago
06-11-2008, 1:15 AM
Yeah was planning on trying a snail or to once filled, read copper test werent accurate enough

Amphiprion
06-11-2008, 1:37 AM
copper tests are more so geared toward therapeutic concentrations for fish, not invertebrate safety. Sounds like you've already got a good grasp of the situation and know what you are doing, so just follow good common sense in this situation.