QT tanks and copper

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Cksnffr

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Aug 5, 2013
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I know you can't/shouldn't nuke your main display tank with copper meds--you need to move sick fish to a separate tank and treat there. And I also know that once a fish tank has been exposed to copper, it can leach copper for a long time.

So how is it ok to take a copper-treated fish from QT and put it back into the display tank? Wouldn't the fish itself introduce some copper into the system? If a treated decoration or rock could contaminate a tank, why can't a treated fish?


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Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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I know you can't/shouldn't nuke your main display tank with copper meds--you need to move sick fish to a separate tank and treat there. And I also know that once a fish tank has been exposed to copper, it can leach copper for a long time.

So how is it ok to take a copper-treated fish from QT and put it back into the display tank? Wouldn't the fish itself introduce some copper into the system? If a treated decoration or rock could contaminate a tank, why can't a treated fish?
How do you 'know' those things, because most of them are straight up false. I treat my display with copper (removing rocks/corals first), and I remove copper from the display in a matter of hours with cuprisorb and carbon, so how again is copper going to 'leach' from a piece of glass or silicone (neither has any ability to absorb anything).
 

greech

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You would need to remove sand as well, if you have it. Pretty sure Ace is running a bare bottom display.
 

Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
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Remove sand before hand or replace sand after treatment. I left the sand in (due to my fishes sleeping requirements) and after 2 packs of curpisorb and 8 cups of carbon in 24 hours on 80G of water, copper went from .45 to undetectable on 2 different test kits, no water changes needed, and my test corals (zoas/leathers) opened right back up once I put them back in the tank. I do plan on replacing all the sand next weekend before I put rocks, anemones, and inverts back in though.
 

Cksnffr

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Indeed I was referring to the sand and rocks--obviously the glass doesn't absorb anything.

Still curious: Does a copper-treated fish, when moved back to a display tank, bring any copper along?


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Ace25

www.centralcoastreefclub. com
Oct 3, 2005
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Nope. Copper doesn't stick to fish, it is more like 'burning' the fish so that it kills parasites attached to it. This is why you have to be extremely careful not to overdose on copper. It is a harsh treatment for fish, but sometimes necessary, kind of like Chemo for humans.

I think you are making copper out to be much worse than it actually is. Sure, you don't want to dump copper meds in a full reef tank, but a little copper is not harmful, actually copper comes in with your water (even RO/DI) and in salt mix in small amounts. Algae consumes metals from the water, so as long as you have a little algae in the system, any little amount of copper added from water changes will be sequestered by algae fairly quickly.
 
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