copper used in fish only...

[Sally J]

How do I know that the copper used in my fish only tank has not stored itself in the live rock?? I am wanting to make it a reef tank and wondered if the copper would eventually leach out??? If so how would I leach the copper out before doing the swap to a reef set up???

[Ira]

Yes, it will have been absorbed by the rock and will leach out over time. There is no way to remove it from the rock. The rock is pretty much permanently contaminated and unsuitable for use in a reef tank.

You might be ok using it in a reef, the levels of copper that leach out may be low enough to not cause a problem, but the if one or two corals die because you've used the contaminated rock then you've already lost enough money you could have paid to replace a good amount of rock.

[Sally J]

Thanks for that, what about my sump medea, will there be traces of copper in that?

[suphew]

I wouldn't use anything at all from a tank that had had copper treatment, not even the tank.

[livingart]

there is a product for removing copper from the tank, sorry you'll have to google it

as ira said will probably stay in rock and leach out

you could run some mushrooms or button polyps for awhile and see what effect it has on them, do a large water change first

they will probably be sacrifice items though 8)

[suphew]

Yeah it's a resin called Cuprisorb, unfortunately the copper has to go into your water column (and inverts corals etc) to get removed by the resin