Switching from Cupramine to Copper Power

[mjreefs]

Hi all,

As the title suggests, I’m going to shift from Cupramine to Copper Power. Currently, the 45gal QT tank is having a 15gal water change weekly (and has done so for 2 weeks) and has a Cuprisorb running since yesterday. Would it be enough for it to absorb all the Cupramine and safely switch to Copper Power? Thanks in advance!

 

[Big G]

Cuprasorb doesn't usually work that fast unless it is being used in some sort of reactor. Levels should test very low to undetectable before adding the chelated copper.

 

[mjreefs]

Cuprasorb doesn't usually work that fast unless it is being used in some sort of reactor. Levels should test very low to undetectable before adding the chelated copper.

I think I have another week max to lower the copper levels so I can leave the cuprisorb for another week. Does Cuprisorb leach copper back into the tank? Also, is the level of 0.01-0.02 considered "very low"?

 

[Big G]

Yes, that's very low.
Cuprisorb is actually DI resin. It could over time leach back a bit, but it chemically bonds. It takes muratic acid to "release" the bonds and "recharge" the resin back to where you can re use it again.

 

[mjreefs]

Yes, that's very low.
Cuprisorb is actually RO resin. It could over time leach back a bit, but it chemically bonds. It takes muratic acid to "release" the bonds and "recharge" the resin back to where you can re use it again.

Alright, I'll try to check the copper level tomorrow and the day after and see if the Cupramine leaches. Hopefully the copper should be gone since there were 3 water changes and the Cuprisorb has already been there for 4-5 days already.

 

[mjreefs]

Yes, that's very low.
Cuprisorb is actually RO resin. It could over time leach back a bit, but it chemically bonds. It takes muratic acid to "release" the bonds and "recharge" the resin back to where you can re use it again.

So, I did a check yesterday and saw that the Cu level didn't quite drop as I would expect. It is currently around 0.2ppm and I've placed my Cuprisorb in front of the wavemaker to ensure flow and a little tumble. I foregone testing today and would instead test tomorrow with the hope that the copper would drop to hopefully 0.1ppm or lower.

 

[Big G]

Water changes are the best way to rapidly remove copper.

 

[mjreefs]

Water changes are the best way to rapidly remove copper.

I checked the water and the level dropped a little. Maybe because I underdosed Cuprisorb. In the instructions it says to use 100mL of Cuprisorb for every 60 gallons of water to absorb 7500mg (12ppm) of copper. So I was under the impression that you could essentially cut down on the Cuprisorb since I'm just dealing with 0.5ppm of copper. It was also a relatively old pack that's just lying around (months but I believe shouldn't be over a year) and may have been affected by air since it wasn't in an airtight seal but rather just in its plastic packaging (because it's a 100mL pack and I've used some of the Cuprisorb before and put the remaining contents back into the bag). I just ordered Cuprisorb the other day and hopefully things would change. I'd also be doing a water change tomorrow and put in the new bag of Cuprisorb

 

[mjreefs]

As an update,

First, my initial reading prior to all of this was ~0.3 and not ~0.2. This was an oversight on my part and I'm sorry.

So, given that I started at 0.3. After my water change I expected the value to decrease to 0.2. I did the math and it looks something like this:

I ran the test today (which is roughly 36 hours from the last water change) and it tested at 0.1.

This is good news! I think the problem is with the Curprisorb, either it has been exposed to air for too long, or that it was an underdose. I'll test the water again by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and hopefully copper will be gone or minimal.

 

[mjreefs]

Hi @Big G I’m stumped here. I just tested my water today using Hanna copper checker. It first returned 0.37, then I tested again and it’s at 0.17. Very weird. I tested my RO/DI water and it read 0.05.

For the two tests I used different test tubes. The only difference would be that the 0.37 test, I used a needle-less syringe to measure 10mL while for the second one, I measured by vision. I placed the test tube on a flat surface and ensured that the meniscus was on the 10mL line (thank you, science classes!). Any thoughts on the disparity? I’ll try to test again later after a few hours..

 

[mjreefs]

Hi @Big G I’m stumped here. I just tested my water today using Hanna copper checker. It first returned 0.37, then I tested again and it’s at 0.17. Very weird. I tested my RO/DI water and it read 0.05.

For the two tests I used different test tubes. The only difference would be that the 0.37 test, I used a needle-less syringe to measure 10mL while for the second one, I measured by vision. I placed the test tube on a flat surface and ensured that the meniscus was on the 10mL line (thank you, science classes!). Any thoughts on the disparity? I’ll try to test again later after a few hours..

Tested again now (7-8 hours later) and it's at 0.23. Within the +/-0.05 error of 0.17. But still very odd, would probably test again tomorrow to verify my levels.

 

[mjreefs]

Tested again now (7-8 hours later) and it's at 0.23. Within the +/-0.05 error of 0.17. But still very odd, would probably test again tomorrow to verify my levels.

Tested yesterday (around 3pm) and today (around 5pm)
Yesterday: (3pm)
Test 1 - 0.09
Test 2 - 0.14

Today: (5pm)
Test 1 - 0.17
Test 2 - 0.12

The difference is the batch of the copper reagents, I'm using a new batch of reagents now since the last batch was exhausted. I double-checked the last batch of reagents and it isn't expired. So is it normal for it to have a small fluctuation in levels? I also still have my Cuprisorb in the tank.