Copper disappearing from system?

Sipec · Jul 1, 2020

I am currently treating my fish for ich or velvet, one of the two, but the copper will not reach the recommended level
After doing the math I believe I have added more than I should have, yet it's disappearing. Test kit should be fine, it has a control that comes with it that registers right
Could it be that the bits of rock rubble I put in are absorbing it out of the water?

Mastiffsrule · Jul 1, 2020

Hi,

The substrate will absorb copper. This may be a bit of help

Copper treatment

Copper treatment What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) and Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum). There is some anecdotal evidence that copper will suppress symptoms of Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum; however it is unlikely to completely eradicate either. How...

www.reef2reef.com

Sipec · Jul 5, 2020

So what do I do about biological filtration then?

Hugh Mann · Jul 5, 2020

When I treated for copper I just jammed my two HoB filters full of filter floss (not the poly filter, that takes out carbon)
And I didn't have any ammonia issues. Mind you I only had 3 fish in 55 gallons.

Sipec · Jul 5, 2020

I could try that... I have eight spread out across two twenties tho, four in each

Hugh Mann · Jul 5, 2020

Can also use sponge filters. Seeded from bottled bacteria, or a clean display tank.
Definitely add a seachem ammonia alert badge to each tank as well.

I meant copper, not carbon in my previous post. I hear poly filter will remove copper, so you'll want just regular old filter floss stuff. No carbon as that will also remove copper.

And if necessary, you can do water changes if ammonia starts to show up. However, correctly dose your new water BEFORE adding it to the tank.

Also, depending on which copper you are dosing the instructions may be wrong. I used coppersafe, which is chelated copper, and it had the instructions giving a dosage of ionic copper, which is much lower than chelated.