Copper @ 290.5 µg/l per ICP

[ScubaSkeets]

Hi folks!
I recently got my ICP results back and it shows copper @290.5 µg/l (.2905 ppm?).
I am wondering how accurate this is and if so, how bad is that amount. I have never put copper in this tank, but however it got in there, could it be the reason why my corals were not doing very well. Once I got the results, I put a bag of Cuprisorb in the sump, and the corals are starting to bloom. I know any trace of copper is detrimental to corals, but is 290.5 µg/l a crazy high amount?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Hi folks!
I recently got my ICP results back and it shows copper @290.5 µg/l (.2905 ppm?).
I am wondering how accurate this is and if so, how bad is that amount. I have never put copper in this tank, but however it got in there, could it be the reason why my corals were not doing very well. Once I got the results, I put a bag of Cuprisorb in the sump, and the corals are starting to bloom. I know any trace of copper is detrimental to corals, but is 290.5 µg/l a crazy high amount?

For ionic copper, that is higher than the highest therapeutic dose (.22 ppm). This would kill all of your invertebrates and possibly some of your fish. I see two options; the test was flawed, or there is residual bound copper in the system (like Coppersafe or Copper Power). Even then, that value would be 10% of a standard dose and you would know about that, as you would have had to coppered the system at some point in the recent past.

My bets are on a testing/reporting error. I would contact the company to see what they think. My understanding is that these firms use batch standardizations, so if the device wasn't calibrated properly, they should be getting all sorts of customer questions.


Jay

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If not a top tier ICP company, and if they do not reply that it may be an error, I'd suggest a repeat test with a different company.

FWIW, I don't consider 0-15 ug/L copper to be a clear problem, but yours would likely be be.

 

[ScubaSkeets]

Thanks for the replies. It is ATI Labs test. Again, there has never been copper put in this tank. I put a Poly Filter before I put in Cuprisorb in the sump and it did not turn black to indicate copper. However, once I added Cuprisorb, the corals started to look better. I will contact ATI to see what they say.

 

[Littlefishbursalı]

Cevaplar için teşekkürler. ATI Labs testidir. Yine, bu tanka hiç bakır konmamıştır. Kartere Cuprisorb koymadan önce Poly Filter koydum ve bakırı belirtmek için siyaha dönmedi. Ancak Cuprisorb'u ekledikten sonra mercanlar daha iyi görünmeye başladı. Ne dediklerini görmek için ATI ile iletişime geçeceğim.

copper enters your tank with the additives you give. fauna marine colors element, grotech abc, aquaforest component abc. They always contain trace amounts of copper. When corals do not consume, they can accumulate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

copper enters your tank with the additives you give. fauna marine colors element, grotech abc, aquaforest component abc. They always contain trace amounts of copper. When corals do not consume, they can accumulate.

We could debate whether those words are literally correct as written (are corals the main sink for copper in a reef tank? does it accumulate over time?), but even assuming the words are correct, your statements imply something that is not likely correct, IMO. That is, you imply that normal use of additive might have been the cause of this high copper, and I do not believe that could be true.

Normal use of a trace element additive is not going to give copper that high unless it was not properly made or properly dosed. The copper levels in additives are too low to ever attain 292 ug/L in the aquarium when properly used according to manufacturer directions. If it were, there would be many people with copper levels this high, but there aren't. it is very rare and usually relates to brass parts in use somewhere.

 

[Littlefishbursalı]

Normal use of a trace element additive is not going to give copper that high unless it was not properly made or properly dosed. The copper levels in additives are too low to ever attain 292 ug/L in the aquarium when properly used according to manufacturer directions. If it were, there would be many people with copper levels this high, but there aren't. it is very rare and usually relates to brass parts in use somewhere.

I actually spoke for more general. In the icp tests I had, I observed that my copper was gradually increasing. Of course, 290.5 copper does not accumulate with the elements of the brands. however, as our aquariums age, we must be wary of copper buildup.