Concern over using equipment that has been exposed to copper

[acromike]

hello
I have a auto top off that has been used in a qt tank that ran cupramine. The tank has been broken down for about s year and the top off has been out of water for this long.

Do you think this can be used in a reef tank
Randy if your on this forum would love to know your thoughts about leaching of copper

 

[saltyphish]

while I can't say from experience but, I had always heard it is a bad idea.

 

[ebushrow]

what auto-topoff are you trying to use? I am looking for what parts you want to use in the tank....if it is a JBJ, I would just buy new sensors....if it is a float valve I would do the same...not sure which it is to tell you for sure. I would assume that the newer glass-eye style could be used however.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it is all plastic without gunky stuff on it, I'd clean it carefully, perhaps with vinegar and scrubbing and it is probably OK.

If it has organic or calcium carbonate type deposits on it, those need to be removed as they can hold a lot of copper.

 

[acromike]

Thank you for reply
It is very clean
No deposits of any sort looks like brand new

Just a little salt creep
Cleaned it with vinegar gave it a good scrub with a tooth brush followed by flush with rodi

 

[acromike]

It is a tunze osmolator using it as a backup for my auto top off

I travel a lot and have come home to auto top off malfunction