Copper tank to Reef Tank...

[cmc3502]

I have a 7 month old 55 gallon that I've treated with coppersafe. The tank was an aggressive tank with live rock and live sand. Now, I have gotten rid of the aggressive fish and plan on making this tank a reef tank. (i do have fish in the tank now) What should be my plan of action now?
1) remove copper from tank with carbon?
2) take half the rocks out and all the live sand out and treat the rocks with bleach because they are stained from copper.
3) take out other half of rocks and test for copper in main tank
4) place in the other 'clean' half of rocks in DT
5) then place the second half of rocks in the tank
6) add new live sand
7) test finally for copper and hopefully add a snail or two to test the tank (after the copper test shows 0 first of course)
does that sound right?

 

[alix2.0]

you cant use the rock (or sand) at all, even if you bleach it. it will always leach copper.

 

[aquaknight]

Agreed, the rocks and sand are done. You will have to pull and replace. I would tear down the tank anyway, to be able to scrub the crap out of the silicone and I would ditch all of the plumbing and other replaceable items.

 

[dragonzim]

55s are pretty cheap. I would just buy a new one. There is no way you are guaranteed to get all the copper out of the silicone seals

 

[mkzimms]

adding copper is a one-way street.

 

[john,jr]

CupriSorb™ is a powerful adsorbent of copper and heavy metals. CupriSorb™ will remove copper more rapidly and efficiently than carbon and is thus ideal for emergency copper removal. It extracts all types of copper from water and, if in continuous use, from the gravel/substrate bed as well. CupriSorb™ will allow maintenance of invertebrates in copper-treated tanks by removing copper leaching from substrates. This product is sold by volume. Cited weight is minimal weight..
Sizes: 100 mL bagged, 250 mL, 500 mL, 1 L, 4 L, 20 L
DIRECTIONS: Use 500 mL for every 1,200 L (300 gallons*) to remove up to 15,000 mg (12 ppm) of copper. For best results, CupriSorb™ should be placed so as to maximize the flow of water through it. To remove undetectable substrate leaching copper keep CupriSorb™ in use for at least 2 weeks after copper tests report no copper. Use in a canister filter, chemical filtration module, box filter, or any high flow area of a trickle filter. Exhaustion is indicated by a pronounced discoloration of the beads to a deep blue black color. Use MultiTest: Copper™ to monitor copper. When exhausted, CupriSorb™ may be discarded or regenerated.
REGENERATION: Soak in a non-metal container with 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of muriatic acid (available with pool supplies: PAY HEED TO WARNINGS on acid container!). This is best done outside and away from children. Soak for 1 hour, rinse well. Repeat as required to restore the original color. Rinse well, add sodium bicarbonate until foaming stops, and rinse again. CupriSorb™ is now ready for reuse. If original color cannot be restored after several acid washes, proceed with rinses and bicarbonate step, then regenerate as HyperSorb™ or Purigen™.