Copper vs. Hermit crabs

[Madjack]

I'm debating on medicating one of my tanks with copper. The problem is that I have several hermit crabs in the tank. I don't want to put these crabs into my 180 reef for fear of hitchhikers etc. But copper, I believe, will kill these crabs.

Any suggestions on what to do with the crabs? Placing them in a 5 gallon bucket for 2 mths doesn't sound fair. Any ideas?

 

[Grins]

How about the sump or fuge of your 180?

 

[Madjack]

I thought of that, but any hitchhikers (ich, cryptocaryon) would then be in my 180.

 

[Sk8r]

Do not medicate a display tank or sump with copper. Use your quarantine tank, unconnected to the rest of the system and not even borrowing so much as a net between the two.

Copper will kill your live rock, your sand, and in some instance invade the glue that holds the glass together, ruining your tank for good.

 

[Beemo]

i used copper safe 5 weeks ago in my tank with hermit crabs.
the hermits are alive and well to this day

i do not however have live rock...i think using it with live rock is a different story, but if its just hermits your worried about then i find copper safe...well safe
i believe its not safe with stars and snails

 

[Madjack]

Thanks Beemo,
My tank is a FO and I use the crabs just to stir the sand around and eat the algae that inevitably comes around.

 

[Beemo]

they should be fine then
i too dont have live rock just FO
my hermits were meant to feed my puffer, sadly the puffer didnt make it (marine velvet) so now im left with the hermits lol
the hermits did freak out a bit when i first added the coppersafe, but after an hour they were back to normal