How did I get copper into my DT? Please help....

jjencek · 05/14/2019, 12:19 PM

I added copper to my hospital tank water according to the copper manufacture to get 0.18 ppm.. To my surprise the Hanna checker measured it at 0.31 ppm. I measured it again with the same result. I have used the copper several days before and it always came up right.

The only difference was that I used my DT water this time. So I measured my DT and what do you know - the water has 0.14 ppm of copper in it.

I have no idea how I could have gotten copper into my DT. I never used any copper in it.

So assuming that it is correct and I do have copper in my SPS tank. Please what do I do to get it out? How bad is it at this level? Any idea why it is in there?

Vinny Kreyling · 05/14/2019, 02:53 PM

Poly Filter will remove copper.
A lot of homes have copper pipes for water, any chance you used it sometime before using an RO unit?

jjencek · 05/14/2019, 04:32 PM

No, all my water was always using RO. I assume if the pipes were copper in my building (somewhere) RO would have removed it, right?

David MC Lee · 05/14/2019, 05:34 PM

I once used a pump that was for fresh water. It had brass seals in it. I was doing 50% water changes a week for 6 months trying to figure it out. Finally did.

Jonesrd1 · 05/14/2019, 06:36 PM

Copper is an essential trace element for all forms of life that we know of. NSW contains approximately 0.25 to 0.75 ppb of copper your copper is high relative to that but I suspect that the source of copper is your salt mix. Check your RODI and then your saltwater mix. The commercial salt we use to culture our nitrifying bacteria has ~100 ppb of copper in it. Our biggest problem is getting enough active copper in the culture media so we add 1.0 ppm of it to the media. Not suggesting that you do or don’t have a problem but if it is in your salt mix and your tank is doing well, then I would not worry about it.

Ron

jjencek · 05/15/2019, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonesrd1

Copper is an essential trace element for all forms of life that we know of. NSW contains approximately 0.25 to 0.75 ppb of copper your copper is high relative to that but I suspect that the source of copper is your salt mix. Check your RODI and then your saltwater mix. The commercial salt we use to culture our nitrifying bacteria has ~100 ppb of copper in it. Our biggest problem is getting enough active copper in the culture media so we add 1.0 ppm of it to the media. Not suggesting that you do or don’t have a problem but if it is in your salt mix and your tank is doing well, then I would not worry about it.

Ron

Hi Ron,

interesting information. So I did little more measurements with my Hanna Copper LR tester being as careful as possible removing all bubbles etc.

ATO WATER ... 0 ppb = 0 ppm of copper
ATO WATER with RedSea salt at salinity 35 ppt ... 0 ppb = 0 ppm of copper
my DT water at salinity 35 ppt ... 70 ppb = 0.07 ppm copper

So I do have copper introduced in the DT after. It is about 70 ppb after single test (I am running out of the reagent to do several of them).

Do I need to worry about 70 ppb (0.07ppm) in a DT with mostly SPS?

Jonesrd1 · 05/15/2019, 11:52 AM

I would not worry about 70 ppb of copper at all. Remember that mollusks have copper based blood (clams and snails...). Without some trace level of copper everything in your tank would be dead. I now suspect your food but am surprised that your salt didn’t have any copper in it. Personally I haven’t seen that on my ICP-MS with the salt mixes I have tested (not a comprehensive list). Good luck and best wishes, Ron

bertoni · 05/15/2019, 11:00 PM

I suspect that the test kit is having problems, but you could run a PolyFilter in the main tank. It'll turn blue if there's much copper at all in the system. 70 ppb should be high enough to kill some invertebrates. I don't know of any handy tables for lethal doses per species, though.

jjencek · 05/16/2019, 06:06 AM

Ok, thank you. I will keep an eye on the levels. I will also throw in polyfilter as an extra insurance.

05/14/2019, 12:19 PM	#1
jjencek Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 366	How did I get copper into my DT? Please help.... I added copper to my hospital tank water according to the copper manufacture to get 0.18 ppm.. To my surprise the Hanna checker measured it at 0.31 ppm. I measured it again with the same result. I have used the copper several days before and it always came up right. The only difference was that I used my DT water this time. So I measured my DT and what do you know - the water has 0.14 ppm of copper in it. I have no idea how I could have gotten copper into my DT. I never used any copper in it. So assuming that it is correct and I do have copper in my SPS tank. Please what do I do to get it out? How bad is it at this level? Any idea why it is in there?

05/14/2019, 02:53 PM	#2
Vinny Kreyling Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Miller Place, NY Posts: 7,206	Poly Filter will remove copper. A lot of homes have copper pipes for water, any chance you used it sometime before using an RO unit? __________________ 250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps.

05/14/2019, 06:36 PM	#5
Jonesrd1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Oregon Posts: 81	Copper is an essential trace element for all forms of life that we know of. NSW contains approximately 0.25 to 0.75 ppb of copper your copper is high relative to that but I suspect that the source of copper is your salt mix. Check your RODI and then your saltwater mix. The commercial salt we use to culture our nitrifying bacteria has ~100 ppb of copper in it. Our biggest problem is getting enough active copper in the culture media so we add 1.0 ppm of it to the media. Not suggesting that you do or don’t have a problem but if it is in your salt mix and your tank is doing well, then I would not worry about it. Ron __________________ Ron Jones Current Tank Info: 55g mixed reef

05/15/2019, 11:52 AM	#7
Jonesrd1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Oregon Posts: 81	I would not worry about 70 ppb of copper at all. Remember that mollusks have copper based blood (clams and snails...). Without some trace level of copper everything in your tank would be dead. I now suspect your food but am surprised that your salt didn’t have any copper in it. Personally I haven’t seen that on my ICP-MS with the salt mixes I have tested (not a comprehensive list). Good luck and best wishes, Ron __________________ Ron Jones Current Tank Info: 55g mixed reef

05/15/2019, 11:00 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I suspect that the test kit is having problems, but you could run a PolyFilter in the main tank. It'll turn blue if there's much copper at all in the system. 70 ppb should be high enough to kill some invertebrates. I don't know of any handy tables for lethal doses per species, though. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/14/2019, 04:32 PM	#3
jjencek Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 366	No, all my water was always using RO. I assume if the pipes were copper in my building (somewhere) RO would have removed it, right?

05/14/2019, 05:34 PM	#4
David MC Lee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: South of Springfield IL. Posts: 1,645	I once used a pump that was for fresh water. It had brass seals in it. I was doing 50% water changes a week for 6 months trying to figure it out. Finally did.

05/16/2019, 06:06 AM	#9
jjencek Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Prague, Czech Republic Posts: 366	Ok, thank you. I will keep an eye on the levels. I will also throw in polyfilter as an extra insurance.