BROWN Rocks

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tntfish

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
251
Ok my rocks where getting really nice pink and purrple and some green but after i put in some copper stuff for my fishes ick the colors faded i should of set up a QT i kno in theprocess of doing that now, but now the rocks are all really brown i think in algea because it grows on the glass and on the filter thingy and i dont know what to do but i want me rocks back anyway i could help my rocks come back to normal or jus keep on doing PWCs and wait it out PLz Help
 
copper OoO
its bad for invert and LR I believe.
I don't know what to do tho sry, cuz I will never put copper in my DT.
don't know if PWC can remove the copper that settle in your sand...
 
yea it does mess up the live rock man they lady i called on the back of the bottle told me it was fine
 
I have a hippo tang a lionfish, tomato clown, yellow tang, sailfin tang, bleeny, foxface, and a banner fish tank is 135 gallons alot of live rock a hydro Koralia 850 gph powerhead, and a Marineland HOB filter and a HOB proten skimmer all Parm are 0ppm exept nitrate its like a 10ppm not sure what copper level is all fish are healty and eating alot but the rocks are so ugly any advice?
 
The copper killed your bacteria in your LR and the brown algae is a diatom bloom. You will more then likely have to reseed your rock to get it back to live again. If you had corals in there it would have killed them too. It's like you will have to recycle your tank again. Keep an eye on your parameters as it could go south fast.
 
ok ok thanx how would u suggest seeding my rocks live sand?
 
I cant remember what it was but I know someone posted something that will take alot of the copper out or will do something to negate it`s properties. Maybe someone knows what it is. I think James (innovator) brought it up before. But at least you learned rule number one. Never treat your main with copper. You recieved some very bad advice on that one. Only treat copper in a QT. OK lesson learned. Hopefully someone will post that chemical substance.
 
Cuprisorb. GAC is said to remove heavy metals (copper) very slowly over time. You need to remove/replace the GAC very frequently to prevent the possibility of it leeching back into the water.

IME: If you plan on having inverts or a reef I'd tear the whole thing down and start over. Your rock has likely absorbed some of the cooper and will release it over time. As with the sand bed and possibly the silicon in sealing the tank.

I'm not sure that copper kills the bacteria colony. If it did, how would one ever treat with it; even in QT?
 
That copper is really nasty stuff and should be left for use only in a dedicated medicinal hospital tank.
 
so the brown stuff is algea because the good bacteria is dying? I have a little brown growing on my sand and the glass. should i suck it out? What to do? I think its in a beginning stage. anyone have this issue and resolved it?
 
It's probably diatoms and will burn themselves out. If you're not using RO water it could get pretty heavy but nothing to really worry about. If you have a CUC they should pretty much keep under control.
 
The brown stuff is probably algae but likely has nothing to do with your bacteria. Again, I don't think the bacteria is effected by copper treatment. Could be wrong but if that was the case then how could you treat in QT with Copper w/o 'uncycling' your tank No?

Anyway, the brown stuff sounds like diatoms (esp on the sand). Hard to tell without a picture. Yes you can suck it out.

How old is the tank?
BTW: You can tell if your bacteria is dead by doing water changes.. Ammon ia (first) and nitrite will start showing up.

What did u treat with? Product name
 
I just did a test and am:0, nitrite:0, nitrate is a little high between 30 and 40 ppm. tank is relatively new, about 2 months. dont treat w/ anything.
 

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Diatoms, you need to get the nitrates down. Are you using RO or tap water?
 
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