Copper in DT?

[merlberg]

So i went to a new fish store n started talking to 1 of the guys there n told him tht my fish are in qt because of ich and he told me why do i not just keep copper in my dt -_- umm I've never heard of anyone doing this but id like to knw if anyone here does that n your thoughts please?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

So i went to a new fish store n started talking to 1 of the guys there n told him tht my fish are in qt because of ich and he told me why do i not just keep copper in my dt -_- umm I've never heard of anyone doing this but id like to knw if anyone here does that n your thoughts please?

You can if it is not a reef.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Never treat a DT with copper. It will "contaminate" the rock and sand. Even if just a FOWLR, you will kill all the inverts....and not be able to keep them again until copper leaches back out.....with multiple water changes and possibly copper absorbing agents.

Copper should only be used in a QT or Hospital tank.

 

[Duke4Life]

Never treat a DT with copper. It will "contaminate" the rock and sand. Even if just a FOWLR, you will kill all the inverts....and not be able to keep them again until copper leaches back out.....with multiple water changes and possibly copper absorbing agents.

Copper should only be used in a QT or Hospital tank.

+1

 

[eatbreakfast]

Long-term copper use also damages the internal organs of fish. It is harmful to everything, just moe harmful to the pathogen.

 

[rayn]

I might suggest a different lfs as well. They should know better then that.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I might suggest a different lfs as well. They should know better then that.

It depends on the overall attitude and knowledge. The thoughts and strategies of one employee doesn't mean that all the employees and management subscribe to that, although it mean mean they don't either.

 

[rayn]

It depends on the overall attitude and knowledge. The thoughts and strategies of one employee doesn't mean that all the employees and management subscribe to that, although it mean mean they don't either.

True. But that one employee, by themselves on any given day, could destroy how many tanks by bad knowledge. True, maybe the whole group doesn't employ that thinking, but it is the managements job to make sure their employees are knowledgable in what they are doing. Just MHO

 

[eatbreakfast]

True. But that one employee, by themselves on any given day, could destroy how many tanks by bad knowledge. True, maybe the whole group doesn't employ that thinking, but it is the managements job to make sure their employees are knowledgable in what they are doing. Just MHO

It's true that the thinking and strategy of this particular employee can be improved upon, but realistically most LFS employees are not paid enough to be experts in all facets in the hobby.

Just as in any workplace/industry there are a variety of qualities that employees may or may not possess.

Some are hard working, others knowledgeable, some strive to learn new details and approaches, some have a lot of experience. It is frequently not possible for all the employees to have these qualities, because if they do, they are usually too good to stay working in such a low paying job, it's only the 'lifers' that fit that, and even then they often move on to other jobs in the industry, rather then stay at an entry level position.

Think about most other types of retail stores, electronics, clothing, etc, anytime I knew a good amount about something, there are particular aspects that I knew more than the employees, to expect more out of an lfs is holdingthem to an unfair standard.

 

[rayn]

I agree that not everyone knows everything about what they do. I don't know my entire job, or what I may have to do and I'm the foreman.

So if the OP talked to this employee and has a fairly new tank, trying his hardest to get corals growing and has a fair amount of frags in the tank. Just orders a new batch of CUC. Then one guy tells home to copper his tank to help his fish.

Sorry, but copper in the DT should be a basic no no.

In any retail type setting, the employee goes through a basic training before being let loose on consumers. do I expect them to be the end all on everything? No. But the basics are expected.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I agree that not everyone knows everything about what they do. I don't know my entire job, or what I may have to do and I'm the foreman.

So if the OP talked to this employee and has a fairly new tank, trying his hardest to get corals growing and has a fair amount of frags in the tank. Just orders a new batch of CUC. Then one guy tells home to copper his tank to help his fish.

Sorry, but copper in the DT should be a basic no no.

In any retail type setting, the employee goes through a basic training before being let loose on consumers. do I expect them to be the end all on everything? No. But the basics are expected.

But in fairness, it is unfortunately a pretty common practice for FO tanks to be run with copper, (it shouldn't be, but that has been common practice for many years) so if the employee asked if it was a reef tank or not, and was told it was not, then I understand the answer, don't agree with it, but understand it.

 

[Humblefish]

Back in the day we used to do this in tanks with dead coral skeletons and crushed coral/dolomite substrates. Of course, you had to permanently give up all your corals/inverts - which were few & far between anyways back then. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't; probably because we didn't realize that our rocks/substrate were absorbing some of the copper, dropping it below therapeutic levels.

Nowadays I don't even see how it could work, considering how much rock even a FOWLR typically has. The absorption/leaching going back & forth has got to make it almost impossible to maintain a stable Cu level. Back then we used very few rocks (i.e. dead coral skeletons) as "decorations"; your biological filtration was either all in the gravel if using a UG filter or in the wet dry trickle filter (usually bio-balls.)