Does Copper Leach Into My LR and Sand???

[hurrifan]

I have a 55 FOWLR that had 2 fish (puffer and trigger). Unfortunately, both have recently died to an illness that I could not treat in time. I tried using copper and paragon I over the last month treating these fish. No one was able to identify the illness based upon the syptoms.

My question is can I safely put the LR and sand from the 55 into my 180 reef tank? If so, how long should I wait for the copper and paragon to disappear? I am currently running carbon in the 55 to try and get rid of the copper. I also, did a 25% water change after the lst fish dies to dilute any copper or paragon remaining. I am not going to keep the FOWL running for the time being so i want to use the LR and sand.

Any other suggestions or comments? I obviously do not want to damage my 180, it is running great.

 

[hurrifan]

^

 

[jaydse]

i've read that copper never comes out of rock.
but in A fish only tank it would be so weak it wol'nt even show on a test kit after time & water changes. BUT don't ever plan on useing that rock in a reef it's shot for that.

 

[hurrifan]

What if I were to take the rock out of the tank after a few water changes and then let it dry out? Or in the alternative, took it out cleaned it with bleach, rinsed it and let it dry in the sun for a while? Then could I safely put it back into a reef tank? Te LR would no longer be live, but it would "re-grow" again after time.

I have done the bleach thing a hundred times before with slime covered coral rock that I use as base rock. It is found all over down here in South Florida. After a few months it covers with coralline and you would have no idea it is not LR.

 

[pez]

Copper is absorbed by porous materials in your tank; mostly CaCO3 based rocks and such. Overtime the copper leaches out, polluting the surrounding water. Drying the rock/sand out will have no effect. Even if the copper levels do not reach completely toxic levels, it will most likely have a delirious effect on the reef inhabitants. I would not use the rock or sand in any reefscape.

-Tom

 

[Terry McGee]

Do not put anything that was in a copper treated tank into a reef tank, no filters, nothing. We dont even use just the tank that has had copper in it as you usually can't get it all out of the silicone or glass entirely. It takes special chemicals to clean it that are dangerous to use. You have to be careful when you buy a used tank and equipment as someone else could have treated using copper. Most people would be better off not using copper anyway as they don't properely test it or can't. They are also finding that it does a lot of harm to the fish.

Take care , Terry

 

[M.E.Milz]

The problem is that copper tends to bind with the live rock and sand during the treatment period, and although it can be easily removed from the water column with carbon, it is not so easily removed from the rock and sand. Thus, the copper will leach out of the over time. How much will leach out and over what period of time depends on many factors.

However, I would not go so far as to say that live rock exposed to copper can NEVER be added to a tank with inverts. There will come a point in time, IMO, where the amount of copper still leaching from the rock will be so small as to not be an issue. When? I DNK, but you could try testing the water periodically for copper, or by adding a small frag to the tank with the previously exposed rock to see if there are any adverse reactions. FWIW, I have added soft corals to a FOWLR tank that at one time had been treated with copper and had not had any problems.

As for live sand, I think that this may be more of a problem, and would tend to sta away from re-using it.