Copper & Silicone

[captexas]

Everyone says it is a major no-no. I think even after cleaning the tank with bleach a couple of times copper will still show up if tested. I think there is a product or two that is supposed to absorb/remove copper, but not 100% sure. Probably need to fill the tank with water and then test with a quality test kit to see what kind of levels you are dealing with.

[captexas]

Forgot to mention that you should bring the tank over here and I can do some testing on it. Should have an answer for you sometime in the next 2 years! :-)

[Instar]

Glass doesn't adsorb copper, so if its just the tank, no problem. If you are referring to treating LR and DSB, in theory, any chelated or precipitated copper can come back into ionic solution with a drop in pH. Like day/night cycles or change in buffers when adding kalk. Or in the cycle of life, any bacteria, tunicates, tiny mollusks or worms that absorb it in their tissues and then die, may release some back into the system. Also if their shells start to dissolve over time, and they have assimulated any copper into them, that may be released too, but, is likely to only be a trace and not perceptable above normal levels. Activated carbon is suppose to remove the active copper if any, isn't it?

[Instar]

I don't think the color of the silicone is a good indicator. It has a blue tint anyway and will appear bluish from the green tint in the glass. As for the acrylic, that is really not supposed to be something that can absorb anything, but, the truth is that some plastics swell when they sit in water and that means there are some pores to it. I know plexiglass does. I doubt acrylic is quite as bad, but, its bound to be similar. I'm thinking that you should do a test in something like a half gallon milk jug and see if cured aquaium silicone can really adsorb Copper ions by treating it with a couple copper remedies at 10 times the dose. Then, after a week soak, remove the water, and replace it with just a little water. Test the water for copper, then citrate it, let it sit for a day, and test for copper again. You'll have to make sure that the low pH of the citric acid doesn't interfear with the test. I really have my doubts that silicone or acrylic could contain enough copper to be recovered. You will have to use RO/DI for the test as tap water has twice the sea water concentration of copper.

[Instar]

The lumber yard nearest you might have the water tight, 50 year clear silicone tubes for around 5 bucks if you need some.

[captexas]

Josh -
The blue tint of the silicone could have come from using an ich/disease treatment. I think it was Methylene Blue that I used once in treating freshwater fish and it warns of turning the silicone blue. You might not have any copper to deal with.

[captexas]

Yeah, I guess that would pretty much nail it then! lol. Eel tank? Figured you would want it packed with corals! That's cool, you could get one of those wild looking eels Vinh has posted about.

[captexas]

Get that the Flying Gunnard you were looking at awhile back. Definately be the only person around here with one! lol I think if I had a large tank it would be FO simply due to many of the fish I like are not coral friendly. Hopefully the copper is not too bad in your tank.

[GaryP]

Joshua,

Some vinegar would probably do as good a job as citric acid. Most metals are going to solubolize at low pH. I thin the methylene blue is a pretty good candidate for the source of the color in the silicon. It would probably take a lot of copper to create a major change in color. Citirc Acid does have one advantage in that it chelates most metals as well as solubolizing it. Plexiglas and acrylic are the same thing. Plexiglas (DuPont?) is a trade name, acrylic is the generic name.