cleaning up after cupramine in Quarantine

[Ted_C]

Question - I'm running a 10 Gallon quarantine with a tetra whisper 30 HOB.

Do I need to run carbon with a new biobag to remove all traces of the cupramine or will a scrubbing/cleaning and new filter floss suffice? The HOB will be going back into my sump to cultivate the bacteria again for my next round of stocking - so I don't want to contaminate my main system with any cupramine.

What about the heavier bio foam?

For those unfamiliar with the tetra HOB - the biobag looks like tightly woven filterfloss holding activated carbon (http://cdn.petcarerx.com/img/PrdImg/408x408/19238_001_xl.jpg). The bio foam looks like this: http://www.petstore.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/250x250/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/T/e/Tetra-USA-Inc.-Tetra-Bio-Foam-Grid-Fits-Whisper-10-99.jpg

Thanks!

[ChadRaay86]

I know that carbon will counteract any medication you put into your QT, but I'm not sure it will clean the residual medications completely. From everything that I've read (and I've read a lot), everything associated with your QT should be treated permanently as a QT only piece of equipment. I run a similar hob filter with my QT system and I run the regular carbon cartridges when I'm not medicating anyone, I take the carbon out of the filter if I am running medications.

If I were you, I'd take a new filter cartridge (maybe cut the bag open and clean the carbon out) and stick that in your sump for bacteria propagation and replace the used cartridge with a new one in your sump each time. They're not too expensive and it beats the possible horror of any medication (copper etc) wreaking havoc on your main system. Think of it like before you had a QT setup, you'd never put the LFS water your fish came with in your tank. The same principal applies with a QT system, plus you're probably using more potent medications ;)

Just my 2 cents

[Ali :D]

Seachem makes a product called Cuprisorb. That will remove trace metals and copper. I would run that and the carbon.

[Ted_C]

Chad - great idea! Never occurred to me to just place new filters in the sump. I had done what you said on my first run-around - I opened up the biobag, removed the carbon and let that and the biofoam run in the sump with the HOB.

I will also look around for some cuprisorb just so the new guys in the next go around have a fresh start.