Copper and Live Rock

gummi

New member
Will Copper (Cupramine) kill my live rock?

I'm setting up a quarantine tank. Essentially it's a 29G that I'm taking over. I'm planning on running it barebottom with a hang-on-back skimmer, heater, and hiding places. To help with filtration I was going to leave the 30lbs of LR that comes with the tank in there and levae it in there ONLY for quarantine.

To make it clear - copper won't see it's way into my show tank. I just want to know if that 30lbs of LR will die from copper.
 
you will kill off the LR and prob. won't be able to use it again after that as the the copper will leak its way into the rock and slowly come back out over time. for filtration in a QT tank just use a spounge filter that you place into the main tank for a few weeks then place it into the qt tank when needed. but if useing copper use another spounge filter next time
 
I agree with kau_cinta_ku but, other than for cases of ich that should really be the only time that you should really ever need to induce copper into your tank correct me if I'm wrong by this.
 
the liverock will be useless after the copper, and have big spikes from everything isnide the liverock that dies
 
I used live rock to seed my QT, then took it out when I was about to add fish. Some PVC piping works well in a QT for hiding spaces. Definitely run the QT barebottom. I think the live rock can also interfere with copper, so if you decide to treat with copper, you'd probably have to take it out anyway.
 
I would agree with Lotus. You want to avoid using sand or live rock in the tank. the best bet is to use PVC and go bare bottomed. Get a seachem Ammonia alert, siphon off any waste off the bottom and do water changes when you use copper.
 
The live rock is pretty crappy. Really bad shape so I think I'll leave it in there. Until I see an ich outbreak I wont use the cupramine but if I do I'll just use it and if it kills the LR no big deal because I can't use it anyway....
 
how do you guys clean up the detrius and left over fish food floating around in your qt tanks??
 
The rock supposedly can bind up the Copper and it is easier to keep it steady in a tank that doesn't have all the rock and sand. Use a siphon and suck the detritus out, use mechanical filters and a few well placed airstones and you can keep the detritus out easy.
 
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