Copper in display tank

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ejp

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
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Feb 5, 2014
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Hi all iv been running copper in my dt for 3 weeks tank has live rock and sand haven't seen an ammonia spike how everyone said i would and fish are all doing better, eating ,swimming ect. My question is does anyone regularly use copper in their dt


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Using copper based products is a huge no no. The copper leaches into the rocks and you won't be able to get it out. It will leach out into the tank, preventing you from keeping any invertebrates to include coral.
Treating for disease, be it with hypo salinity or copper based medication should only be done in a QT/hospital tank to prevent such from happening.

Edit: There is a product called Cupramine, I think how it is spelled, made by Seachem that reports being able to remove copper...but that isn't something that I would trust personally.
 
Last edited:
Hi all iv been running copper in my dt for 3 weeks tank has live rock and sand haven't seen an ammonia spike how everyone said i would and fish are all doing better, eating ,swimming ect. My question is does anyone regularly use copper in their dt


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No, aquarists don't use copper in their systems. There's quite a few reasons for this.

  1. It binds with the calcium in live rock and sand and can be released at a later date
  2. It kills anything without a spine. This includes corals, clams, shrimp, and so on.
  3. Exposure to copper by fish is very harmful to them. This includes damaging gill tissue, liver, kidneys, nervous system, and weakening the immune system.
  4. Many fish can't tolerate any copper at all
  5. Copper inhibits the nitrogen cycle

In short, just like people advised against it for you; it wasn't a good idea. The same exact outcome could have been achieved by pulling the fish out and treating them in a QT tank with little to no risk.
 
Thank you all for your help


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Sniperhawk is right about the cupramine. I've emailed the techs at seachem and they told me using their matrix carbon and there cuprisorb you shoud be able to remove the copper from tanks
 
Sniperhawk is right about the cupramine. I've emailed the techs at seachem and they told me using their matrix carbon and there cuprisorb you shoud be able to remove the copper from tanks

SHOULD. But personally, that isn't something I'd ever want to bet on when the odds aren't in your favor with that much money into a tank.
 
Sniperhawk is right about the cupramine. I've emailed the techs at seachem and they told me using their matrix carbon and there cuprisorb you shoud be able to remove the copper from tanks

it is also dependent upon what materials are in the tank as I imagine some will bind up the copper more than others, so any claims of completely removing copper should be taken with a grain of salt. I'm sure it will remove it from the water to undetectable levels, but it is what is bound by materials in the tank that is cause for concern.
One thing that can happen is if a rock has bound copper and a sessile invert is introduced, it will not be able to attach to the affected rocks and eventually they whither and die.

What were you using copper for?
If it was ich or oodinium (marine velvet) than you should opt for hypo-salinity treatment in the display tank.
if it was flukes or other parasites, than they should be quarantined.
now that you have used copper, you are kinda limited to strictly fish now.
 
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