Need Help Dosing Copper

[djs4him]

Alright so here's my predicament..

My two juvenile clownfish are in a 10 gallon QT.

I'm dosing CopperSafe but I've realized my Salifert copper test is not very accurate above 2.0 ppm and therefore I have no way of really knowing whether or not I've reached my target of 2.5 ppm.

I want to know .. how much copper is lethal for juvenile clownfish? I'd be happy if I can hover around 2.0 ppm but I want to be careful to not overdose and kill them.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Alright so here's my predicament..

My two juvenile clownfish are in a 10 gallon QT.

I'm dosing CopperSafe but I've realized my Salifert copper test is not very accurate above 2.0 ppm and therefore I have no way of really knowing whether or not I've reached my target of 2.5 ppm.

I want to know .. how much copper is lethal for juvenile clownfish? I'd be happy if I can hover around 2.0 ppm but I want to be careful to not overdose and kill them.

At least 2.25. I urge you to obtain the hanna kit which goes higher.
In the mean time, you can utilze a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api copper kit and have them test for you

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

I believe the target for coppersafe is 2.0. The target for copper power is 2.5.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I believe the target for coppersafe is 2.0. The target for copper power is 2.5.

The instructions on the respective bottles are the other way around. Coppersafe tests out at 2.5 when dosed to label instructions, and copper power tests at 2.0. Many people dose copper power at 2.5 though.

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Alright so here's my predicament..

My two juvenile clownfish are in a 10 gallon QT.

I'm dosing CopperSafe but I've realized my Salifert copper test is not very accurate above 2.0 ppm and therefore I have no way of really knowing whether or not I've reached my target of 2.5 ppm.

I want to know .. how much copper is lethal for juvenile clownfish? I'd be happy if I can hover around 2.0 ppm but I want to be careful to not overdose and kill them.

This is a common problem with that test kit. What you can do is take some water to be tested, add exactly the same amount of non-copper treated seawater (to make a 50% dilution) then run the test and multiply the results by 2 to give you your actual copper reading. Basically, you dilute the sample to bring it back into the test range, then multiply to results by the dilution factor.

Jay

 

[djs4him]

This is a common problem with that test kit. What you can do is take some water to be tested, add exactly the same amount of non-copper treated seawater (to make a 50% dilution) then run the test and multiply the results by 2 to give you your actual copper reading. Basically, you dilute the sample to bring it back into the test range, then multiply to results by the dilution factor.

Jay

This is an excellent idea .. thanks I'll give this a try tonight!