Maximum copper level in a reef tank

[Spare time]

What is the maximum ppm of copper than can be detected in a reef system before it causes a problem.

 

[laverda]

Undetectable with hoppy grade test kits.

 

[Marc2952]

From what i know anything that is detectable in hobby grade kits spells trouble specially for sps.

 

[Spare time]

The system I tested read 0.09ppm copper (Hanna checker with gloves and cleaned with microfiber towel). The margin of error is +/- 0.05ppm

 

[Miller535]

PPB, parts per BILLION is actually bad, so parts per million of anything is really bad. With that said, the hanna checker is actually ±0.05 ppm ±5% of reading @ 25°C/77°F , and is not very good at being accurate at low levels like that. I have seen several threads about it on here. The hanna checkers only real intended purpose is for dosing copper up to 2-2.5ppm, and is not very accurate at the low end of it's range. It is not meant for detecting low levels of copper but for dosing high. That's why they called it "copper HIGH range colorimeter".

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The system I tested read 0.09ppm copper (Hanna checker with gloves and cleaned with microfiber towel). The margin of error is +/- 0.05ppm

That is an unreliable test that can safely be ignored. It is not nearly as accurate as that uncertainty claims.

Many folks see elevated levels with it (most, I think, since so many are suddenly reporting these "levels") and when tested by ICP that is way more sensitive: none or tiny amounts.

 

[Spare time]

That is an unreliable test that can safely be ignored. It is not nearly as accurate as that uncertainty claims.

Many folks see elevated levels with it (most, I think, since so many are suddenly reporting these "levels") and when tested by ICP that is way more sensitive: none or tiny amounts.

The tank does have an icp test being processed at the moment so that is good. Is the hanna checker too unreliable for something such as copper in a quarantine tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The tank does have an icp test being processed at the moment so that is good. Is the hanna checker too unreliable for something such as copper in a quarantine tank?

I do not know, but I expect it is suitable for that.

 

[Miller535]

The tank does have an icp test being processed at the moment so that is good. Is the hanna checker too unreliable for something such as copper in a quarantine tank?

That is it's intended purpose. If you go on to the disease and quarantine section of reef2reef, that will be one of the 2 main suggestions you will get for copper in quarantine. The hanna checker becomes more reliable at the higher end. And there are dosage calculators for adding copper. In this instance the hanna checker is verifying the dose from the calculator, and I suppose visa versa,