Copper question

[mfin77]

I bought a 20 gallon tank for one of my sick fish last year and used ick cure in the tank.

Could I use this tank as my top off to my reef tank? Is there copper in ick cure? would using this tank affect my corals and inverts or should I go and buy a new tank?

Thanks
Mike

 

[Awibrandy]

Mike, I would not recommend the use of this tank for any purpose for a reef tank. The product contains malachite green & formalin. Ingredients not recommended to be used in a reef. I'm not sure wether it stays in the silicone, or not. A 20gal. tank is cheap enough that I'd much rather buy a new one. And keep that old one as a hospital/quaranteen tank.

 

[Avi]

I would agree....There are some proprietary mediums like Purigen, I believe, that will remove copper from the water in a tank but if there is residual copper, malechite, formalin, etc. adhering to the silicon, that could pose a problem later on to a reef.

 

[SevTT]

Just keep the 20 as a QT/treatment tank, 'cause you're going to need one eventually, anyway. You can always pick up another 20 here if you watch the forums; people're always getting rid of those things free/cheap.

That said, there are polymer sponges that remove metal ions from the water. You could use a few of these to clear the tank, but it'll take a while. Basically, fill up the tank with SW, heat it to 80 (or even higher, that should help bring metals out of the silicone more rapidly,) and run the sponge for a few weeks until it turns green or blue or whatever. Then you take that sponge out, run another one in there, and wait and see if it turns green/blue after several weeks. If it does, you repeat until it doesn't.

Or you could remove all of the inner silicone and redo it yourself. It's not a difficult thing to do if you don't mind it looking like crap.

Most of these solutions will probably cost almost as much as a new 20 or more than a used one.

 

[mfin77]

going to buy a new 20 Thanks

SEvtt-- thanks for sharing but that is too much work lol

Mike