got copper?

[sharuq1]

I have a 120g FW drilled tank I wanted someday to convert to reef. Problem is, it has been treated both with copper and antibiotic. Is there any way I can make it safe? It is such a big tank and it would be a shame if it was basically useless.....

[Icefire]

just a clean up with bleach than vinegar

[sharuq1]

bump, any other suggestions?

[Dubbin1]

There is really no way to get it all out unless you tear out all of the old silicone and replace it.

[jokeloma]

Just asking do you think that there would be enough in the silicone to leach out in enough volume to do damage? I realize that calls for alot of speculation in regards to amount of meds and duration. I guess my question would be if you had a perfectly good tank would you clean it and go with it or tear out the silicone?

sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread.

[Chef Reef]

there isnt a way to remove it from the silicone, it canleach out ( i think i read) about 20 years over time. it will be problomatic if you plan to keep corals. its fine for a FOWLR tank but if you want a "reef" tank then you need to either get a new tank or replace all the silicone.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I disagree about the silicone. I do not believe much copper absorbs into silicone, and if it takes a long time to come out, it is no concern. Many folks have cleaned copper-treated glass tanks just fine.

There are many threads in the chemistry forum about tank cleaning procedures to remove concerns about copper. The biggest concerns are deposits of calcium carbonate or organics that do bind a lot of copper. Once removed, there is little concern.

[daven]

Seachem makes Cuprisorb. I had slightly elevated copper levels and ran Cuprisorb. It brought the levels down to acceptable. I continue to run it just because I have it :-)

Word off caution. It has very fine granules and doesn't work well in a reactor. It ends up clogging it up very quickly.

I recommend buying it in the 100ml packages. Comes in a media bag. Throw it in. When it turns dark you can reconstitute it. Directions on package.

Kent also makes "Toxic Metal Sponge". No experience with it but it looks like the same stuff to me.

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11705164#post11705164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
I disagree about the silicone. I do not believe much copper absorbs into silicone, and if it takes a long time to come out, it is no concern. Many folks have cleaned copper-treated glass tanks just fine.

There are many threads in the chemistry forum about tank cleaning procedures to remove concerns about copper. The biggest concerns are deposits of calcium carbonate or organics that do bind a lot of copper. Once removed, there is little concern. +1 here... I have actually done a bit of "un-controlled" tests..

10G tank with a full bottle of copper treatment and let it soak for 30 days..
The silicone was a pretty green/blue

Drained, cleaned (nothing fancy, vinegar and water) and refilled the tank with RO/DI

At 30 days of soak time on the RO/DI no detectable level of copper...

I was convinced..


The poster above ? He has copper leaching in from somewhere else would be my bet.... (something calcareous likely)

[jokeloma]

Yeah, I aquired a DAS 180. The box of extras have several copper treatments of various brands in it. I am not very handy with silicone and am a firm beliver in "if it aint broke don't fix it" The silicone is still soft and "appears" to be fine. So I will search out the clenaing procedures and see if I missed anything. I had planned running some of the cuprisorb. So Thanks everyone

[Randall_James]

I just razor the glass, and scrub the rest with 2 sided sponge (green scotchbrite on one side) and and vinegar.

The vinegar just helps with any calcium deposits..

I finish with a baking soda cleaning .. This has nothing to do with the "vinegar" it is because the baking soda works great as a scouring agent without scratching the glass...

[sharuq1]

So do you think I would be safe in scouring it out and not removing the silicone (on a 120g tank that currently does not leak I would hate to ruin it!). What test could I use to find out if there is copper present?

[Randall_James]

if the tank was full of copper treatment, drained and cleaned as posted above... I would not hesitate to put my livestock in the tank...

Just clean it out and have some fun.... If 10G tank did not leach out , no way a 120G would... Far less silicone per gallon than on the 10..

reseal is a waste of your time...