How To Remove Copper From DT

[mfinn]

Yup - in a moment of absent-mindedness, I accidentally used by Fish QT heater inside of my Coral QT. The fish QT had Cupramine in it. I immediately washed all my hardware with baking soda and vinegar but I just got copper readings from my coral tank. Fortunately there's only zoas and mushrooms but I just overnight shipped carbon, polyfilter, and cuprisorb to my house. About to do a 90% water change as well.

I can't believe I swapped my hardware. This is a huge, avoidable headache.

I can't imagine any real amount of copper would show up to generate that amount of response.
Maybe a little polyfiler or carbon.
What kind of test kit?
How many gallons is the frag tank?

 

[Marc2952]

For a whole month ive been using cuprisorb on my sump to remove the copper in my tank that was as high as 0.10, i removed the metal hose clamp that it had rusted ( rookie mistake) and a month later im still reading 0.09 copper. How is that even possible? I checked all over the tank and there is nothing metal in the tank.

 

[4FordFamily]

For a whole month ive been using cuprisorb on my sump to remove the copper in my tank that was as high as 0.10, i removed the metal hose clamp that it had rusted ( rookie mistake) and a month later im still reading 0.09 copper. How is that even possible? I checked all over the tank and there is nothing metal in the tank.

Not sure, I’d follow the instructions on the first page. What kind of copper test are you using?

Did you recharge or add new cuprisorb? What kind of copper?

 

[Marc2952]

Not sure, I’d follow the instructions on the first page. What kind of copper test are you using?

Did you recharge or add new cuprisorb? What kind of copper?

Im using the hanna, i changed cuprisorb once but idk what kind of copper since i havent touched anything with copper on my tank.

 

[4FordFamily]

Im using the hanna, i changed cuprisorb once but idk what kind of copper since i havent touched anything with copper on my tank.

Oh so you never used copper in the DT. Interesting, I’m going to tag @Randy Holmes-Farley perhaps he knows of other sources of copper to help. I’m not very familiar outside of fish treatment. That seems like more than is a residual or normal to me.

 

[Marc2952]

Oh so you never used copper in the DT. Interesting, I’m going to tag @Randy Holmes-Farley perhaps he knows of other sources of copper to help. I’m not very familiar outside of fish treatment. That seems like more than is a residual or normal to me.

Yea i have a QT in the basement. I have checked 3 times and my only guess is that maybe the rock is leaching copper somehow? I bought marco dry rock when i did the tank so i didnt think that was possible. I did remove a metal hose clamp that had rusted about a month ago but thought that cuprisorb would have helped.

 

[Tanggy]

Yea i have a QT in the basement. I have checked 3 times and my only guess is that maybe the rock is leaching copper somehow? I bought marco dry rock when i did the tank so i didnt think that was possible. I did remove a metal hose clamp that had rusted about a month ago but thought that cuprisorb would have helped.

@Marc2952 and @4FordFamily. I am also having issue with copper in my tank. A few weeks ago I started to notice my corals are dying and did an ICP test. The test came back with elevated level of copper and tin. The only new thing I added was macro dry rock from BRS. Right after is when I started noticing the corals not being too happy. I have cleaned out my sump in it's entirety and found nothing that could cause copper/tin. Last time i used copper power to quarantine was greater than 1 year ago and it was done in a different room with different equipments. I've been trying to figure out the cause of the copper. Could it be from the Marco dry rock?

I've placed 2 cuprisorb and 1 metasorb in my sump for the last 10 days. I've also did a few 5 gallon water changes. Copper still at elevated level.

 

[Marc2952]

@Marc2952 and @4FordFamily. I am also having issue with copper in my tank. A few weeks ago I started to notice my corals are dying and did an ICP test. The test came back with elevated level of copper and tin. The only new thing I added was macro dry rock from BRS. Right after is when I started noticing the corals not being too happy. I have cleaned out my sump in it's entirety and found nothing that could cause copper/tin. Last time i used copper power to quarantine was greater than 1 year ago and it was done in a different room with different equipments. I've been trying to figure out the cause of the copper. Could it be from the Marco dry rock?

I've placed 2 cuprisorb and 1 metasorb in my sump for the last 10 days. I've also did a few 5 gallon water changes. Copper still at elevated level.

Same man, i added more cuprisorb and poly filter and after a week the poly filter hust looked brown ( guess its just dirty ) and i checked again and my copper is still at 0.09. My guess is that maybe the rock is leaching? I heard good things about marco rocks so idk.

 

[Tanggy]

Same man, i added more cuprisorb and poly filter and after a week the poly filter hust looked brown ( guess its just dirty ) and i checked again and my copper is still at 0.09. My guess is that maybe the rock is leaching? I heard good things about marco rocks so idk.

I bought 2 of the pedestal macro dry rock. I used just one. I have the other one still. I'll put it in new salt water and will check in a week to see if it leaches copper.

 

[4FordFamily]

I suppose it’s possible on both counts. Large water changes would be what I would add in addition to continually recharging or buying new cuprisorb.

 

[Kayanarka]

I ran a copper test with my Hanna checker on my DT just as a why not. I had been loosing some gonipora corals lately. I received a reading of 0.15 is this a mis read?

I see the OP suggest removing all coral before doing the copper removal, is this necessary? Is there anything I can do to remove the copper with out emptying my whole tank? Any advice on how to proceed is appreciated.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I believe I read that the high-range Hanna Copper Checkers can give an inaccurate (false positive) readings when used at low levels.

 

[Never too many]

Before Copper Removal:
Remove most/all rock used in the copper treatment. Sand (if applicable) can stay.

What if I have crushed coral instead of sand?

 

[Aries360]

If you are compiling data, I plan to dose my display with coppersafe tomorrow. My scape is too difficult to remove and I haven't been able to catch the majority of my fish after noticing velvet on my tang as result of lack of rigor in my quarantine process. I pulled the corals and inverts tonight. Can't pull my rock out, so hopefully Detox and Cupasorb will remove it well enough once this ordeal is done.

 

[Aries360]

Hello, I know this is an older thread. I just posted similar. I have a huge tank 360g and I am unable to get my live rock out, and my wife opted to save the fish (impossible to catch the fish). I removed whatever coral and inverts I could. I’m exactly one month into my DT coppersafe treatment. I was going to do it for two months. I had marine velvet. Attached is how my tank looks now with no coral or inverts. My question to you is were you able to get the copper levels down to nothing to put coral and inverts back in? I’ve had a couple negative Nancy’s tell me I cannot do it ever again. I don’t believe it just seems crazy that I cannot get the copper out ever. What did you end up doing. Thank you so much

 

[Miami Reef]

Hello, I know this is an older thread. I just posted similar. I have a huge tank 360g and I am unable to get my live rock out, and my wife opted to save the fish (impossible to catch the fish). I removed whatever coral and inverts I could. I’m exactly one month into my DT coppersafe treatment. I was going to do it for two months. I had marine velvet. Attached is how my tank looks now with no coral or inverts. My question to you is were you able to get the copper levels down to nothing to put coral and inverts back in? I’ve had a couple negative Nancy’s tell me I cannot do it ever again. I don’t believe it just seems crazy that I cannot get the copper out ever. What did you end up doing. Thank you so much

I’ve used copper power in my rocks for 6 weeks. The rocks absorbed a lot of it, but I took it all out by using cuprisorb for like 2 months - changing it out when it was exhausted.

Here’s my ICP test after the cuprisorb:

 

[4FordFamily]

Hello, I know this is an older thread. I just posted similar. I have a huge tank 360g and I am unable to get my live rock out, and my wife opted to save the fish (impossible to catch the fish). I removed whatever coral and inverts I could. I’m exactly one month into my DT coppersafe treatment. I was going to do it for two months. I had marine velvet. Attached is how my tank looks now with no coral or inverts. My question to you is were you able to get the copper levels down to nothing to put coral and inverts back in? I’ve had a couple negative Nancy’s tell me I cannot do it ever again. I don’t believe it just seems crazy that I cannot get the copper out ever. What did you end up doing. Thank you so much

The first page outlines how I did it. It CAN be done. I don’t keep high end corals though.

 

[Miami Reef]

The first page outlines how I did it. It CAN be done. I don’t keep high end corals though.

I do. And they are fine.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I do. And they are fine.

I don’t know if Cupramine behaves the same, but back in the 1980s when we were using copper/citric acid on tanks, we would run into issues if the was a pH drop - a slug of copper would be released.
More recently, I had an issue with copper contamination in an octopus exhibit. a contractor installed a copper fitting. I wanted to save the rockwork, so I started a series of freshwater rinses, EDTA additions and poly filter. Every time I dropped the pH, another slug of copper got released. I have up and changed out all of the substrate and rock.
Jay

 

[Miami Reef]

I don’t know if Cupramine behaves the same, but back in the 1980s when we were using copper/citric acid on tanks, we would run into issues if the was a pH drop - a slug of copper would be released.
More recently, I had an issue with copper contamination in an octopus exhibit. a contractor installed a copper fitting. I wanted to save the rockwork, so I started a series of freshwater rinses, EDTA additions and poly filter. Every time I dropped the pH, another slug of copper got released. I have up and changed out all of the substrate and rock.
Jay

Do you know how low the ph went? I do keep my ph around 8.1-8.3 but I didn’t when I was trying to remove the copper out.