Copper and Inverts

JPDVM2014

JPDVM2014

and I'm an addict!
Jun 16, 2008
251
0
0
New Jersey
Ok, so i got some ramshorn snails the other day, and they all appear to be dead. I checked everything twice and all levels were normal. Just to try i went and got a copper test kit today and checked all my tanks. The tanks don't register any copper but my tap water which i use to top off does. Are the liquid ciooer tests just not sensitive enough to detect an amount of copper that would still kill a snail? So i'm guessing since copper is extremely difficult to remove that it must be in the tanks. I have some cuprisorb running in one tank, but i don't know if that will remove anything. It sucks cause i wanted to keep some snails for the DPs that i am getting in a week. I guess worse comes to worse i'll buy a small tanks and use RO water. Ok, next question. Are shrimp just as sensitive to copper as snails? I would like to have some shrimp in my tank, but i don't want to add them knowing they prob. won't make it.
 
All inverts are sensitive to copper. Snails are probably more resilient than shrimp. Had you done a medical treatment with copper before in the tank? It can stay in the silicone and leech out.
 
Nope. I just bought the tank new. Its cycled and all. And i haven't used any meds in it. I added the snails about 4 days ago when they arrived in the mail. Most looked alive and some were floating. I put some lettuce in the tank as soon as i added them and only a few ate. And now most of the shells look empty and there are a few shells still floating. I guess its just the copper in my water then? I had a thread on this same thing a while back for my other tank and it ended up that people said the copper tests were pretty accurate so it was prob. the ich med i had used in it. So i gave up on that tank, but i thought that i could finally have some inverts since i got a new tank. Will the cuprisorb help at all? I would start doing water changes with RO water, but i don't think i can afford it. I guess i'll just have to set up a small invert tank with the RO water.
 
I am not familiar with cuprisorb. You could try aging your wc water and see if that helps. I will dig around for some more media ideas for you as well, but if its in your source water, its likely it would have to be treated previous to adding to your tank.


Just doing a quick search turned up this copper absorbing media. I have never used it, but it might be worth looking into. I will keep poking around as well.
 
Ok, thanks so much. I really don't have a problem having an invert only tank if needed. At least i have a good excuse for when my mom doesn't want to let me get it. I'll just be like, i need the snails for my DPs. XD
 
If you are getting copper in the water supply, it is probably coming from the water sitting in copper tubing inside your home. Try running the water long enough that you are getting water from the water mains and then test. You will probably find that the water in the mains is much lower in copper than when the tap is first turned on. If so, you can flush for 30 seconds or so each time you use water and the water that goes into the fish tank will be much lower in copper. In winter it is easy to tell when the pipes are flushed because the cold water will suddenly be much colder.
 
OldMan47 said:
If you are getting copper in the water supply, it is probably coming from the water sitting in copper tubing inside your home. Try running the water long enough that you are getting water from the water mains and then test. You will probably find that the water in the mains is much lower in copper than when the tap is first turned on. If so, you can flush for 30 seconds or so each time you use water and the water that goes into the fish tank will be much lower in copper. In winter it is easy to tell when the pipes are flushed because the cold water will suddenly be much colder.
Click to expand...

I tried this and it did lower the copper content considerably, but its still around 0.5 ppm. I'm going to try running copper absorbing filter media in a filter and soaking some of the same stuff in my wc water for a day before i change it. After i do this for a while, i'm gonna try and get some ghost shrimp or something and see how they do. I wish there was a way to tell if they would survive without actually putting some in the tank and waiting.
 
Ok, i will. I think i still might use this as an excuse to set up an invert tank. Even if it does work. XD I was looking at the cuprisorb and it actually says in its description that it will allow invert culture in a tank that has been treated with copper. So we shall see.
 
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