Copper and equipment

[cba191]

If powerheads and pumps are used in quarantine can they be rinsed off and used in a reef tank? Or has the copper rendered them useless for anything but quarantine?

 

[exnisstech]

I have no data only first hand experience but I've reused equipment by just rinsing and drying. I've even used rock treated in copper in a reef tank after treating it with cuprisorb.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Plastic won't absorb copper, only calcium based items like rocks, substrate, certain media, etc..

So your plastic items can all be cleaned. You can soak/run them in chlorine bleach solution and then as long as you rinse them good, they are good to go again.

Even a good rinse in RO/DI water will do it.

 

[winxp_man]

A good ol rinse for me with FW and let try. As stated above plastic will not absorb copper.

 

[vetteguy53081]

If powerheads and pumps are used in quarantine can they be rinsed off and used in a reef tank? Or has the copper rendered them useless for anything but quarantine?

Yes, run through citric acid and rinse

 

[Fish Fan]

There can be some fine subtleties to this question, for example, while copper may not interact with plastic, it can interact with organics growing on the plastic.

This is a great question to check with @Randy Holmes-Farley, if he sees this and has a minute to reply