Tank Failure!!!

[dputt88]

some people enjoy seeing the more technical terms show up in the forums, i think it takes the hobby to a higher standard. plus isn't the point of these forums to improve upon the hobby and the knowledge of the hobbyist? this hobby is very science oriented and i would expect terms like allelopathic to be used. can't believe someone called them out for using a big word, and then misinterpreted it.....

[katymunoz]

Originally Posted by dputt88

some people enjoy seeing the more technical terms show up in the forums, i think it takes the hobby to a higher standard. plus isn't the point of these forums to improve upon the hobby and the knowledge of the hobbyist? this hobby is very science oriented and i would expect terms like allelopathic to be used. can't believe someone called them out for using a big word, and then misinterpreted it.....

I think we have moved on from this........

[Hooked]

instant ocean? Did a water change and everything died in like 7 hours looked like the coral just melted away

[cmaxwell39]

I would definitely check mot only your new RO water for copper, I would personally test the newly mixed saltwater for copper as well, since you said it was a new bucket. Hate to see you keep changing the water and have the copper hang around forever.

Also, if you wanted to save your rock you could try acid bathing it. Here is a link to a thread that describes the process. I would probably still test the rock in a bucket of new water after the acid bath to see if it is still leaching copper. This will kill your rock and you will still be starting over, but at least it may keep you from having to buy new rock.

Sorry to hear about this. Hope you can figure out where the copper came from. If I were closer I would house some of your coral for you. Unfortunately I am too far away. Keep us updated.

[Naiad]

I will run tests on everything. I know my tap has a copper reading of .5. I don't use it for anything on the fish tank intentionally. It is a brand new bucket of Instant ocean Reef Crystals salt. I have new RO running so I will test that once my barrel is full then will test again once I mix up new salt. Is there anywhere else copper contamination can come from? I don't see anything in the tank or any equipment that broke but is there something that could give off copper that I should investigate more closely just in case it isn't contamination from the water. I want to get this out asap!
Jen

[katymunoz]

Did you buy your tank and equipment new? Just wondering if someone before you used copper on anything and it leached from that?

[fishfreak2009]

Originally Posted by katymunoz

Did you buy your tank and equipment new? Just wondering if someone before you used copper on anything and it leached from that?

Honestly, copper treatments are not that bad, especially cupramine. I had nothing but problems in my 187 gallon (including some zoanthids that looked exactly like the bad ones), a black and white crab about 3 inches across that I killed with a hammer as it ran across the top of my tank one night while carrying my half-eaten flame angel, and a 2 foot bobbit worm that I had to pull everything out of my tank to get rid of. Even after a 3 month fallow period, every fish addded (after a 6 week quarantine with prazi and cupramine) came down with velvet. Finally I dosed the tank with cupramine (leaving everything in it and running). Ever since, every fish I added has thrived, I have no carnivorous crabs, bristleworms, bobbit worms, or fireworms, I also have no fear of palytoxin poisoning (which the blue spotted toby helped with as well, he seems to like zoanthids). After an 80% water change, adding activated carbon, turning on the skimmer, and using a polyfilter pad, copper is unregisterable and all my snails and hermits that manage to avoid the bluehead wrasse and toby survive.

I will mention though, that copper killed all my mushroom corals, as well as my leather coral, and all the stomatella snails that bred in my refugium. It had no impact on the chaeto in the sump however.

[fishfreak2009]

Originally Posted by Naiad

I will run tests on everything. I know my tap has a copper reading of .5. I don't use it for anything on the fish tank intentionally. It is a brand new bucket of Instant ocean Reef Crystals salt. I have new RO running so I will test that once my barrel is full then will test again once I mix up new salt. Is there anywhere else copper contamination can come from? I don't see anything in the tank or any equipment that broke but is there something that could give off copper that I should investigate more closely just in case it isn't contamination from the water. I want to get this out asap!
Jen

Do you have a chiller? Cheap(er) Chillers are notorious for leaking copper into the water after a few months of use.

Any powerheads with cords underwater? If the rubber coating has been removed (scratched through by a rock, or bitten by an inquisitive puffer or trigger) then the copper wiring inside would be exposed to the water.

[Naiad]

Originally Posted by fishfreak2009

Do you have a chiller? Cheap(er) Chillers are notorious for leaking copper into the water after a few months of use.

Any powerheads with cords underwater? If the rubber coating has been removed (scratched through by a rock, or bitten by an inquisitive puffer or trigger) then the copper wiring inside would be exposed to the water.

I dont run a chiller but I will double check all my cords ty.

[cmaxwell39]

I run across threads from time to time where a penny ends up being the source of the problem. Normally it is kids who don't know any better that throw them in. Not sure if there are any kids around, or have been any kids around. Just figured I would put it out there just to try to cover all the bases. Sounds like it probably came in your tap water and made it through the RO, just want to make sure nothing gets left uninvestigated.

Again, I wish you the best as you move forward and try and right your tank. I can only imagine the horrible feeling you must have.

[Naiad]

Originally Posted by cmaxwell39

I run across threads from time to time where a penny ends up being the source of the problem. Normally it is kids who don't know any better that throw them in. Not sure if there are any kids around, or have been any kids around. Just figured I would put it out there just to try to cover all the bases. Sounds like it probably came in your tap water and made it through the RO, just want to make sure nothing gets left uninvestigated.

Again, I wish you the best as you move forward and try and right your tank. I can only imagine the horrible feeling you must have.

I think it was an issue with the RO as well but I want to check every thing. I don't have kids, just two parrots. That might be worse as far as putting things in the tank and making trouble. They are sly creatures. I will check the refugium and sump for anything that doesn't belong. Thank-you everyone for the ideas and help. I am sure I will be asking for more opinions as I work on fixing things.
Jen

[10K]

Don't forget to check your heater. I am not sure what type you use, but a glass heater can have a crack or a leaky seal. I know most of them have copper components. I have one more thing I learned many years ago. Do you by chance use a Tunze auto top off system? The little blue and white pump that comes with the unit that actually adds fresh water from the reservoir contains a motor that has copper windings. I found this out the hard way!

I know you have more important things to worry about right now, but I wanted you to know that when things get settled with your system, I will replace those three frags for you.

[Naiad]

Thank you 10k that means a lot to me. I feel horrible having added those frags to a contaminated tank, though Cu was not part of my normal testing routine. I am thinking about replacing my RO unit. I don't trust it anymore . Does any one have any input on them? I really like the BRS units I have looked at. I have looked over all my mechanical elements and none of them look bad so I can only figure the RO unit let it through somehow. though the water coming out is now testing 0, I think. I can never get the color to match one that is one the chart. It is a color similar to the zero reading but could that mean there is some Cu but not enough to get the .1 color?
Jen

[Naiad]

I have done a 50% water change, will keep posted on results. I have a question though. If my rocks and sand are not leaking Cu back in the water now can I trust them not to in the future or could a drop in pH/some other phenomenon cause them to begin to leach out of the blue? I know the ideal thing is to replace all the rock and sand but I am working on a collage budget. It is also a BRAND NEW sand bed!!! I am sorry but the thought of all that money/time to switch the sand going down the drain kills me.
Jen

[runzwithscissor]

When did you actually do the 50% change? Did you test before you did the change? It shouldn't take more than 48-72 hours to notice a difference in CU (according to the fish experts). Test daily and if you have no increase by the weekend...(I say hesitantly), you may be out of the woods as far as the copper that may have leached into you LR. I would still err on the safe side and give it a week with no increase in copper levels. You caught this fairly quickly, so it's not like the rock and sand was sitting in high levels of copper for an extended period of time.