Live Rock in QT with Cupramine

[skibum9884]

Is this a good idea or not? I added some LR into my QT when I re-aquascaped my tank, and it has been absorbing the Cupramine much faster than I would have expected.

Would you recommend removing the LR? I wanted it as it would add some stability and bacteria, but am now thinking it may have been a bad idea.

Thanks.

[Navyblue]

Calcium carbonate absorbs copper, you'll have a hard time maintaining copper level.

The rock will likely leach copper, in other words, you can't put the rock back to display tank anymore.

Copper kills the invertebrates living in the liverocks, essentially turning it into base rock.

Simply put you shouldn't be doing that at all, sorry.

[skibum9884]

not a problem. it was never my intention to put it back into the display, but thought it would absorb copper much more slowly!

i'll have to pull it out later.

any suggestions for something constructive to do with it? otherwise it will be going in the garbage.

[CorkPullerPHL]

Navy Blue: Do you have first hand experience with this? I have been wondering the same thing as the OP. Seachem claims that their amine bonded copper will not contaminate liverock or sand.

[CorkPullerPHL]

BTW, they also claim it has limited to no effect on bio-filters.

[Navyblue]

Notice I said "copper" not "cupramine".

Ionic copper would bind with substrate such as calcium carbonate, organic copper probably won't. The question is, can you keep the organic copper from turning into ionic copper. While cupramine seems to be pretty stable IME, there is really no way for us to be sure that 100% of the molecule will remain organic.

My experience with cupramine is that during the initial dosing, copper level sometimes got "lost". Where did these copper go? I have no way to know for sure, but there is a non zero chance that it got precipitate out of the water, which means it is in ionic form.

Bacteria lost would be the least of my worry as far as liverocks and copper are concerned.

Btw, you can head over to the chemistry forum and see what Randy has to say on the matter.