Copper....filtration method in QT?

[Andrew Schubert]

So I'm setting up a couple of QT tanks as it appears some of my fish have started getting ICK (figures seeing I just took my UV Sterilizer off line last month). Anyways, I was planning on taking a rock or 2 out of my sump to help seed the QT tanks. However, I seem to remember reading before that rock will just soak up the copper and make it usueless in QT. Any truth in that? If so, what would one recommend to seeding my QT tank with beneficial bacteria while i QT my fish.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

also I do have some Seachem Prime. will that bind to the copper and rendering it useless as well? Or would that be a good idea to dose in my QT tank as well to keep harmful ammonia down?

 

[SteveEreef]

Prime makes copper toxic to the fish. Don’t dose it in tour QT. I think you can dose prime if your using copper power but you may want to check the threads from Humblefish before you do it. I seed my QT with a sponge from by DT and dose with Dr Tim’s or Biopsira. If Ammonia spikes per the Seachem badge I just do big water changes.

 

[Andrew Schubert]

Prime makes copper toxic to the fish. Don’t dose it in tour QT. I think you can dose prime if your using copper power but you may want to check the threads from Humblefish before you do it. I seed my QT with a sponge from by DT and dose with Dr Tim’s or Biopsira. If Ammonia spikes per the Seachem badge I just do big water changes.

I am going to be using copper power. I originally bought some coppermine, but after doing more reading I feel safer by using the copper power instead. Can anyone verify that prime is compatible with copper power?

I actually have 2 sponger filters coming this week I'm going to use in my QT tank as well. Unfortunately, these are brand new and won't have any beneficial bacteria to start with.

 

[SteveEreef]

First, a few disclaimers:

1. This only applies to using Seachem Prime with Copper Power.
2. I have not tested any other ammonia reducers with any other forms of copper. Seachem, for example, states right on their website that it is dangerous to mix any ammonia reducer with their Cupramine copper product.
3. The manufacturer of Coppersafe (Fritz) has told me that it is safe to use with ammonia reducers as well, but I have not independently verified this.

This all started when the manufacturer of Coppersafe (Fritz) informed me that their copper product was safe to use with Prime, Amquel, etc. This differs from what Seachem has always stated about Cupramine - that any ammonia reducer will turn it 10x more toxic. However, these are completely different forms of copper. Cupramine is "ionic copper" bound on amine, and an ammonia reducer has the potential to break that bound and reduce the Cupramine from the safe Cu2+ form to a very toxic Cu+ form. Coppersafe (and Copper Power) are both chelated coppers. A chelated copper solution is just a blend of two compounds. One is the copper sulfate granule, and the other is an ingredient that allows the copper granules to break down and stay in a liquid state. The ingredient that makes this happen is called a chelator, or sequestering agent.

After getting the green light/more confidence from a chemist about this, I began experimenting on fish by mixing Prime + Copper Power in a QT. I did this repeatedly on different batches of fish, got the copper level as high as 2.5 ppm, tested daily, dosed Prime daily and all the fish are still fine. Not once did I see a spike in the Cu level after dosing Prime using the Hanna High Range Copper Colorimeter (HI702).

So, I feel it is safe to use & recommend mixing Prime with Copper Power to control ammonia on an as needed basis.

P.S. Prime can also be used with Chloroquine, General Cure and antibiotics. However, I would avoid dosing Prime in conjunction with liquid Prazipro due to the solubilizing agent it contains.

Here is Humblefish quote. I would definitely research more just in case

 

[Andrew Schubert]

Here is Humblefish quote. I would definitely research more just in case

Interesting about the PraziPro. I've always mixed Prazi with Prime....never knew that was a bad idea.

I have the Hanna Checker, so I think it'll be safe to give Prime and Copper Power a go. Thanks for your help.