How Often Do You Test Copper During Quarantine?

[nickkohrn]

I have a couple of wrasses in quarantine that I started treating with Coppersafe. I picked up a Hanna Checker the other day, and I tested as I raised the copper level to 1.73ppm. Coppersafe has a therapeutic range of 1.5 - 2.0ppm, so I am within that range.

I’ve been looking at many threads regarding the usage of copper. However, I don’t know how often I should test. It’s possible that I overlooked that information, but I didn’t see any recommendations.

 

[HotRocks]

I personally test daily.

During ramp up period and for the first few days of therapeutic copper I would still recommend testing daily. Then you could go to every other day.

Copper is typically is very stable in water so long as there isn't any absorption. I just personally don't like taking the risk of a drop in Cu level and having to restart the treatment clock.

 

[nickkohrn]

Maybe I will pick up an API test kit so that I don’t run through all of my Hanna reagents so quickly. I could test every few days to be highly accurate and then use the API test kit to ensure that I’m above the minimum of the therapeutic level on the days between.

I appreciate the information!

 

[jsvand5]

As long as there is no sand or live rock in the QT, I only test after waterchanges.

 

[nickkohrn]

This is the first Hanna Checker that I have had. It read 1.73ppm yesterday, and today is reads 1.70ppm. Is that typical?

My quarantine system consists of a heater, PVC fittings, an air pump and an air stone, and two HOB filters that have filter floss for mechanical filtration and sponges for bacterial colonization.

I assume that the air stone will absorb a small amount of copper.

 

[Deiblerj]

Maybe I will pick up an API test kit so that I don’t run through all of my Hanna reagents so quickly. I could test every few days to be highly accurate and then use the API test kit to ensure that I’m above the minimum of the therapeutic level on the days between.

I appreciate the information!

Don’t recommend API copper kit. Doesn’t give an accurate enough reading. I picked up seachem copper test kit for pretty cheap and it’s a lot more accurate than API

 

[nickkohrn]

Don’t recommend API copper kit. Doesn’t give an accurate enough reading. I picked up seachem copper test kit for pretty cheap and it’s a lot more accurate than API

I’ll see if my LFS carries that tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Deiblerj]

Make sure you don’t have any carbon in your tank when copper dosing either. Sounds like you don’t though. Air stone is good idea as copper can deplete oxygen in the tank

 

[nickkohrn]

Make sure you don’t have any carbon in your tank when copper dosing either. Sounds like you don’t though. Air stone is good idea as copper can deplete oxygen in the tank

That’s correct; I don’t have any carbon or other media than what I listed above in the system. I’ll test again at this time tomorrow and see if there is a trend with the results.

 

[HotRocks]

Don’t recommend API copper kit. Doesn’t give an accurate enough reading. I picked up seachem copper test kit for pretty cheap and it’s a lot more accurate than API

The seachem copper kit doesn't read high enough for chelated copper (coppersafe/copper power) products. It is only suitable if using ionic (cupramine/cuprion) copper.

 

[Thales]

Why are you running copper?

 

[nickkohrn]

Why are you running copper?

As a preventative before I introduce the wrasses to my display. They went through a PraziPro treatment and were freshwater-dipped to check for flukes, which I didn’t see. They were scratching against the PVC fittings when I acquired them, and they have been acting strangely, such as swimming erratically at times, lethargic, and a loss of appetite. One was skinny when I acquired it, so I want to ensure that I’ve treated them preventatively and monitor them for other signs of possible issues.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I use CopperSafe often, sometimes ‘breaking the rules’ and using actual rock in the QT. I have found it to be stable enough that once I’m in the therapeutic range— and I tend to go high, to 2.0– it never drops anywhere near 1.5 for the 30 days. As the dosage is 1 teaspoon per 4 gallons, I make up 4 gallon batches of water as needed— no salt for evaporation, saltwater for changes—and I test the new batches with my Hanna Checker. Again, I find the CopperSafe to be very stable. Hope this perspective helps. Best wishes!

 

[nickkohrn]

I use CopperSafe often, sometimes ‘breaking the rules’ and using actual rock in the QT. I have found it to be stable enough that once I’m in the therapeutic range— and I tend to go high, to 2.0– it never drops anywhere near 1.5 for the 30 days. As the dosage is 1 teaspoon per 4 gallons, I make up 4 gallon batches of water as needed— no salt for evaporation, saltwater for changes—and I test the new batches with my Hanna Checker. Again, I find the CopperSafe to be very stable. Hope this perspective helps. Best wishes!

Thank you for sharing your experiences! This is my first quarantine system, so I’m trying to ensure that I do it correctly so as not to restart the clock by letting the level slip below 1.5ppm.

Could my ATO cause it to drop by pumping fresh water back into the system that doesn’t contain copper, or does the copper concentration rise as water evaporates?

 

[JumboShrimp]

I understand your question—basically asking ‘just like when water evaporates leaving salt behind, does the copper get left behind and balance back out when the ATO adds more fresh water?’ Though someone else who knows for sure might want to chime in, but I “think” so. As a practical matter, when I watch my QT SeaChem ammonia badge, it usually alerts me to change out water within a 3-6 day window of time (depending on the tank size and number of fish being treated at a time), so during 30 days running CopperSafe I’m doing 4-5 changes with 4-gallons of newly medicated water; so I’ve never encountered your ATO question directly. But I really don’t “think” the copper ‘evaporates’— As the brochure reads: “Because CopperSafe solution is so stable in water, partial water changes are the quickest way to remove it from the water.”

 

[HotRocks]

I understand your question—basically asking ‘just like when water evaporates leaving salt behind, does the copper get left behind and balance back out when the ATO adds more fresh water?’ Though someone else who knows for sure might want to chime in, but I “think” so. As a practical matter, when I watch my QT SeaChem ammonia badge, it usually alerts me to change out water within a 3-6 day window of time (depending on the tank size and number of fish being treated at a time), so during 30 days running CopperSafe I’m doing 4-5 changes with 4-gallons of newly medicated water; so I’ve never encountered your ATO question directly. But I really don’t “think” the copper ‘evaporates’— As the brochure reads: “Because CopperSafe solution is so stable in water, partial water changes are the quickest way to remove it from the water.”

That is correct^^^^

Copper does NOT evaporate. The only way it can leave is by absorption or removal of water containing copper. It's safe to use an ATO to compensate evaporation without adding copper.

If you see salt creep anywhere though from airstone splash or something like that very minute amounts could be being removed.

However as you mentioned if you do a water change it's very important to pre-dose the new water before adding it to the tank to prevent any fluctuation in copper level.

 

[nickkohrn]

Thanks so much for your help, everyone! I’m definitely feeling better about the process and moving forward.

 

[4FordFamily]

You’ve had some great guidance here. Good luck! I also highly advise against CopperSafe. Bottle potency is inconsistent at best. It’s less of an issue with the Hanna copper checker but with dosages on bottles as dosed leading to 2.0-5.5 PPM that’s one heck of a swing. I will not purchase this product any longer.

 

[nickkohrn]

You’ve had some great guidance here. Good luck! I also highly advise against CopperSafe. Bottle potency is inconsistent at best. It’s less of an issue with the Hanna copper checker but with dosages on bottles as dosed leading to 2.0-5.5 PPM that’s one heck of a swing. I will not purchase this product any longer.

I did see your testing results, but only after I started dosing with it. That’s what made me go purchase the Hanna Checker rather than the API test kit. That’s one heck of a range...

 

[4FordFamily]

I did see your testing results, but only after I started dosing with it. That’s what made me go purchase the Hanna Checker rather than the API test kit. That’s one heck of a range...

We were absolutely astonished. Fritz never admitted any wrongdoing— and perhaps it’s a coincidence but a month later we couldn’t find it even on amazon. Could be a coincidence, perhaps they’ve fixed it but we continue to see people astonished by their copper levels and killing fish by following the instructions