Shoelace January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 I have a Neotherm heater in a hospital tank that has been treated with copper. Is there any safe way to clean the heater so I can use it in a frag tank? There are several threads that say an overnight bleach and then vinegar bath should be ok. I also have some cuprisorb and carbon. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 I wouldn't trust it with all the plastic that is on it, just buy a new one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 Buy a new one. $20 vs no frags in a frag tank. And if it's tied into your display. ouch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YHSublime January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 Fwiw, I've used a vinegar solution, rinse, clean, etc after a QT with copper, and had no issues. But... An oz if prevention is worth a lb of cure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoelace January 10, 2015 Author Share January 10, 2015 Yeah, ok... I thought if there is a foolproof way of doing it I would do it but if not, I'll get another heater. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 keep your QT equipment seperate from the display equipment. this prevents cross-contamination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite January 10, 2015 Share January 10, 2015 (edited) I honestly don't understand the idea of not using an aquarium for corals after using it with copper treatment, because I had no problem keeping corals in a 38g tank that had copper treated water in it for several months. All you have to do is rinse them out really well. I think the problem is more with porous surfaces. Edited January 10, 2015 by treesprite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b January 11, 2015 Share January 11, 2015 Rinse it under the sink, and throw it in your tank. My entire tank was treated with copper continuously for a few years, now that same tank is a full blown reef. The rocks and gravel and heaters are the same. It is filled with SPS, LPS and spawning fish some of which are 24 years old. Forget those stupid rumors about copper, it is not toxic waste and there is copper in salt water anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoelace January 11, 2015 Author Share January 11, 2015 I honestly don't understand the idea of not using an aquarium for corals after using it with copper treatment, because I had no problem keeping corals in a 38g tank that had copper treated water in it for several months. All you have to do is rinse them out really well. I think the problem is more with porous surfaces. Rinse it under the sink, and throw it in your tank. My entire tank was treated with copper continuously for a few years, now that same tank is a full blown reef. The rocks and gravel and heaters are the same. It is filled with SPS, LPS and spawning fish some of which are 24 years old. Forget those stupid rumors about copper, it is not toxic waste and there is copper in salt water anyway. I'm starting to see a lot of that sentiment on other threads too. I have not yet seen anyone's tank crash because of prior copper use on equipment. But I have seen a lot of scared people talking about the potential of said crash. This tank I'm setting up is not really that important. I might just set it up, put in a tiny kenya tree and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul b January 11, 2015 Share January 11, 2015 This hobby is almost all rumors started by people who may not have direct experience with something, but hear about it and it gets perpetuated. How many people think you can cure ich with a cleaner shrimp? Or with garlic? I really don't want to know because if you think that works, good luck with that, but that is one of those false rumors that keeps going around which is why I don't post in ich threads any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 This hobby is almost all rumors started by people who may not have direct experience with something, but hear about it and it gets perpetuated. How many people think you can cure ich with a cleaner shrimp? Or with garlic? I really don't want to know because if you think that works, good luck with that, but that is one of those false rumors that keeps going around which is why I don't post in ich threads any more. Amen, and I have used lots of pumps, buckets, nets ect that were once in hospital tanks and now used around corals and inverts. I'm also pretty sure cooper doesn't bond to plastics and glass so with a good rinse it's good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wangspeed January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 I did have a rock leach copper, which caused brilliant coloring in SPS, followed by STN, and little LPS growth as well. Took forever to figure that one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 12, 2015 Share January 12, 2015 Rinse it under the sink, and throw it in your tank. My entire tank was treated with copper continuously for a few years, now that same tank is a full blown reef. The rocks and gravel and heaters are the same. It is filled with SPS, LPS and spawning fish some of which are 24 years old. Forget those stupid rumors about copper, it is not toxic waste and there is copper in salt water anyway. I set up a tank with rock, coral, fish, inverts, etc and was using well water only to find out it had high levels of copper. after seeing the decline of nearly all of the corals, I discovered the copper in the water and immediately switched to bottled water. That was over a year ago and now all corals and inverts are doing fine. I didn't change anything but water. All equipment is the same too. As far as using stuff that was in your QT system goes, I think you should have dedicated equipment for that to prevent contamination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 I set up a tank with rock, coral, fish, inverts, etc and was using well water only to find out it had high levels of copper. after seeing the decline of nearly all of the corals, I discovered the copper in the water and immediately switched to bottled water. That was over a year ago and now all corals and inverts are doing fine. I didn't change anything but water. All equipment is the same too. As far as using stuff that was in your QT system goes, I think you should have dedicated equipment for that to prevent contamination. amen, sir. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sen5241b January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 This hobby is almost all rumors started by people who may not have direct experience with something, but hear about it and it gets perpetuated. How many people think you can cure ich with a cleaner shrimp? Or with garlic? I really don't want to know because if you think that works, good luck with that, but that is one of those false rumors that keeps going around which is why I don't post in ich threads any more. Had copper in my tank too. Did water changes and its been fine for years. It is amazing how many myths are out there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle January 14, 2015 Share January 14, 2015 Had copper in my tank too. Did water changes and its been fine for years. It is amazing how many myths are out there +1. I just washed the tank with fresh water and led it dry before using it again with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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