Please Read need help :) about copper

[newbietanker]

I have a tank that used to be a fish tank and im converting it to a reef tank.... I tested for copper because I used copper a LONG time ago and my tank said I have a very small amount of copper in it.. I could a filter pad that changes to a blue color when it catches copper and had it in for 5 days and it didnt turn any colors yet... I bought something called metal sponge which take sthe copper out of the tank. That too is suppost to turn a greenish blue color when it gets copper and hasnt changed any color.. I decided to test other things with that test and found that everything I tested including Spring water had the same results so I figured it was a bad test... I tried a new test out and It works much better.. It does show that my tank and my tap water both have a very small amount of copper in it. In fact it was the smallest amount of copper it shows on the chart. It shows up as .05 mg/l copper out of .25... I testing the spring water on this one to see if this was another bogus test but the spring water showed up negative for copper.. but anyways this is my question.... Since im kinda screwed with having a small amount of copper in my tap water is this gonna hurt my reef tank or is it soo small it wont do any harm? And if it is gonna be harmful what can I do? I dont plan to use those filters when I put the reefs in because I herd they take everything out of the water including the good nutrients needed. I do plan to keep using the Metal sponge tho. It doesnt hurt anything and takes copper out. Do you guys think im safe? what do you think I should do? Right now my take has nothing in it but water.... I have tubs of sand all in my living room waiting to go in but I want your opinion first *If I should put it in or not or should I wait do a bunch of stuff then put it in*..

 

[botp2k1]

The copper will always leach off from the tank and anything that has been in contact with the copper. Use a new tank or one that hasn't been treated, that is the best way. You will never be able to remove all the copper on the current tank. Sorry, I know this is not the answer you wished to hear.

 

[flydan]

Hey,
I agree with the advise you've been given. I'm not sure if I understand what water you are using in your tank though. I would never use tap water in a marine tank, no matter how you treat it. Do a search from the menu line at the top of this page and look up RO water. It's the only way to go and there have been rather lengthy discussions about it. HTH
Take care,
Dan'l

 

[newbietanker]

Well that I dont agree with.. I found my solution to the problem.. my tap water is whats causing the copper not the tank... What im gonna have to buy is the RO/DI kit so I get clean water.. As soon I fill my tank up with the water im gonna use filter pads and the metal spong in there for 2 weeks with nothign but water in the tank.. By then the tank will be clear from copper.. There has been may successful tanks that where copper treated and converted to reef tanks. With this RO/DI kit (gonna cost me like $400) Ill have just as clean water as spring water. Ive also found that EVERY ones tap water has copper in it to some extent.. Some a little stronger than others. Mine right now is the lowest on the chart but I perfer the best thats why im getting the kit.
To prove the theroy wrong about the copper staying in the tank my copper from the tank and the copper in the tap are at the same levels before I put any copper filters in the tank.
[ July 27, 2001: Message edited by: newbietanker ]

 

[keitho]

well, as a chemical engineer, i disagree with the fact that you can never remove the copper from a system, but i do agree with the fact that in addition to some sort of chemical removal of the copper, RO/DI water is really the only way to remove the copper. RO/DI water is "hungry" for ions, especially metal ions, and that fact is exactly why you NEVER see copper or stainless tubing on the RO unit. the "lean" water will exit the RO membrane and immediately begin to remove copper from the tubing walls in that arrangement, ultimately resulting in poor water quality and premature tubing failure. by the same token, you can use this to your advantage by first removing as much of the copper as you can with a copper remover like aquarium system's copper remover, then making the necessary water changes with RO water. the "lean" saltwater will eventually pull all of the copper out of the tank, assuming regular removal through water changes. i changes from a FO tank to a reef tank about three months ago, and the amount of copper in the tank is immeasureable. anyway, good luck...

 

[newbietanker]

ok thanks for the info.. what ill do is Ill take my tank now fill it with filters and copper eating liquids metal sponges maybe even carbon and take all the water out after hmm 2 weeks and fill the tank up again with the RO/DI water and that should be like a fresh new tank.

 

[playtime]

I didn't read all the reply's but here goes. You don't need to buy a ro/di kit, just buy the water from the store. I have never had a problem with mine. As far as the copper goes, I know that I used copper in my 25 gal reef tank back when it was a fresh water tank and I haven't had any problems. I am not saying you won't just that I didn't. I am sure there are trace amounts still there but it hasn't caused any problems. Good luck with yours.
playtime

 

[newbietanker]

well I got a 120 gallon tank.. If I wear to buy it fromt he store it would take alot of jugs eheh and it would cost more in the long run prob... Plus I rather have cleanest water possible insted of used water.

 

[flydan]

Hey,
Glad you found the source of the copper! I get my RO from the lfs. The first time I filled the tank the lfs guy let me borrow 10 6gal plastic gas cans that he uses to service tanks. I've since bought a couple of my own that I keep full. (I keep about 20gals of pre-mixed salt water on hand in a sealed bucket.) Be prepared for a lot of 'waste' water if you get your own RO unit. I'm not sure what the ratio is, I'd have to look it up, but I believe it's about 10-1. (You'll get 1 gal of treated water for every 10 that goes in.) I may have the ratio wrong, but I remember seeing it was a lot.
Just my humble .02.
Take care,
Dan'l

 

[newbietanker]

wow thats nuts 10-1 wow.. Since I live in nj its prob gonna be 20-1 lol just kidding.. I see its gonna be a bit of a pain to start this tank eheh but it will be worth it.. BTW the RO/DI unit are they had to install and use?
[ July 27, 2001: Message edited by: newbietanker ]

 

[concon]

mm..about Copper, been there and done it. I agree with getting a new tank and avoid the old tank with copper treatment. Copper stay in your old tank and leach out from time to time, it is very difficult to detect the trace of copper in your old tank at one time. However, if you decide to keep the old tank, always run a copper sponge or filter pad in your system. In case copper leach out, the sponge will absorb the copper right away. Snails are sensitive to copper, put same snails in your tank before adding coral. If the snails are ok, likely your coral will be okay too. Hope this will help.

 

[dugan]

As a newbie I treated with copper in my show tank .
I broke down that tank, removed all substrate and decorations (dead coral , and ran bleach/water for a few days.
Have had it up and running as a FOWLR with inverts (crabs, shrimp, snails, starfish) with no problems.
Katie

 

[keitho]

most commercially available RO units for households have a rejection rate of 85-95%, with means that 85-95% of the water is washed down the drain with an elevated level of salts and metals that were pulled out of the water by the RO membrane. the reason the amount is so high is that the rejected water is actually used to wash the outer surface of the RO membrane of bacteria, solids, and other contaminants that may decrease the overall life of the membrane. prebuilt RO units are not at all hard to install. in fact, when i installed mine, i set it up in such a way that we can use it for drinking water as well as aquarium water. all the fittings and tubing are usually included with the unit. the hardest part of my installation was cutting a 1" hole in my stainless sink for the special faucet you would need to use. if you dont plan to use the faucet, you could just go down to the local hardware store and get a valve for the discharge line. then you could fill your jugs, etc. directly without having to use the sink.