Copper and Live Rock

[PoukieBear]

My Boyfriend and I just purchased two false perculas on the weekend.

We put them in a quarentine tank before they go into the display tank. Sure enough, they now have ick.

The quarentine tank has approx three pounds of live rock to help with the filtration.

Doug decided that he was going to treat with copper. We've never treated with copper before. Before he could let me do all the reasearch on treating with copper, he dosed the tank.

So now we have a quarentine tank beeing treated with copper, with live rock in the tank. I know that the live rock will absorb most of the copper, and render the treatment useless. I also know that copper is toxic to all inverts.

Here's our dilema. We need to take the rock out of the quarentine tank. And we can't put it back in the displa tank because of the copper.

What do we do to live rock to make it safe agian for the display tank? (the display is 210 gallons)

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Sk8r]

Sorry to say, I fear it is already no longer live rock, and it is just going to have to be a doorstop. Copper is embedded in it, and dI don't think you can render it reef-safe: the cost of that live rock vs your whole tank---just no contest.

 

[Steven Pro]

Put it in a bucket. You can reuse that liverock later in the quarantine tank when not treating.

 

[PoukieBear]

That's what I was afraid of...

Thanks guys.