Copper levels ok?
- Thread starter narkfish
- Start date
blackjacktang
Active Member
Not really. Although copper levels are vital for all inverts. Someone else on here should be able to tell you a little more.
tangs rule
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Narkfish http:///forum/thread/386203/copper-levels-ok#post_3390637
If I have a derasa clam living pretty well does that mean that shrimp or other invertabrates will do well?
Likely yes - Some critters are more sensitive than others, but most all complex inverts are highly susceptable to exessive copper levels. Though like most metal trace elements, only what ammounts exist in any good salt max is all that is needed and no addition or dosing should be attempted without very accurate testing of DT water values. If though a clam is doing well, likley some decorator or cleaner shrimps and other verts should do OK.
I must ask though - from the phrasing of the title, was your tank once used as a fish treatment tank for parasites? or was some "reef safe" (bs) medication used at some point?
Originally Posted by Narkfish http:///forum/thread/386203/copper-levels-ok#post_3390637
If I have a derasa clam living pretty well does that mean that shrimp or other invertabrates will do well?
Likely yes - Some critters are more sensitive than others, but most all complex inverts are highly susceptable to exessive copper levels. Though like most metal trace elements, only what ammounts exist in any good salt max is all that is needed and no addition or dosing should be attempted without very accurate testing of DT water values. If though a clam is doing well, likley some decorator or cleaner shrimps and other verts should do OK.
I must ask though - from the phrasing of the title, was your tank once used as a fish treatment tank for parasites? or was some "reef safe" (bs) medication used at some point?
narkfish
Member
Nah I have just always had a problem getting cleaner shrimp to live very long in my reef tank and i'm trying to pinpoint why. So I thought that maybe the tap water was bad but then I have a derasa clam in there and it would be a little confusing if he is thriving while other inverts have problems. Do you think cleaners need very good acclimation like drip? thanks though
tangs rule
Active Member
I would not expect some inverts to do well in tap water - there's SOO much crap in even the best tap - various metals, flouride, chloride, chloromine, silica, phosphates, salts, sediments (dirt), etc etc..... It's 95% possiblity there's somthing in your tap that some inverts are not ever gonna like, while others may not be affected by the contaminate as much.
Tap water quality can also vary ALOT druing different times of the year - depending on the chemicals needed to maintain what ever standards your city/community have. For the cost of killing of various inverts over time experimenting with what may be killing them in your tap water, and running the risk of having the city add something oneday that wipes out most of your tank or causes a crash - why don't you just get a simple RO/DI unit and be done with it
Tap water quality can also vary ALOT druing different times of the year - depending on the chemicals needed to maintain what ever standards your city/community have. For the cost of killing of various inverts over time experimenting with what may be killing them in your tap water, and running the risk of having the city add something oneday that wipes out most of your tank or causes a crash - why don't you just get a simple RO/DI unit and be done with it
flower
Well-Known Member
I agree, tap water is a huge problem. Remember everything the city puts in the tap water is to kill all living things...you can't even hope to test for all of that.
The reason we use RO (Reverse Osmoses) water is because it is ultra pure, there is nothing in the water except what you add on purpose, such as what is found in your salt mix.
In the coal mines the workers used canaries, the little bird it was a warning for the miners to know if the air was poison....the bird would drop before the people because it was supper sensitive to bad air. In our fish tanks...the shrimp are the most delicate. ..for me they are my early warning signs. I figure if a shrimp is healthy, all is well.
They do indeed require very slow acclimation, they don't handle sudden change well at all. The same is true of starfish...slow is the only option.
The reason we use RO (Reverse Osmoses) water is because it is ultra pure, there is nothing in the water except what you add on purpose, such as what is found in your salt mix.
In the coal mines the workers used canaries, the little bird it was a warning for the miners to know if the air was poison....the bird would drop before the people because it was supper sensitive to bad air. In our fish tanks...the shrimp are the most delicate. ..for me they are my early warning signs. I figure if a shrimp is healthy, all is well.
They do indeed require very slow acclimation, they don't handle sudden change well at all. The same is true of starfish...slow is the only option.