Play Sand and Copper Levels

[Lostoften]

I started a second QT tank, 29 gallons, and have started dosing copper but not reaching therapeutic levels. Currently have a flame angel, goby, leopard wrasse and two flasher wrasses in the tank. Given the goby and wrasses, I decided to put a take out container of sand in the tank. The sand is quikrete from Lowes, which I thought was supposed to not absorb copper. So far I have dosed 25ml's of CopperSafe and still not above 2 via hanna checker. Is this expected with the sand?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I started a second QT tank, 29 gallons, and have started dosing copper but not reaching therapeutic levels. Currently have a flame angel, goby, leopard wrasse and two flasher wrasses in the tank. Given the goby and wrasses, I decided to put a take out container of sand in the tank. The sand is quikrete from Lowes, which I thought was supposed to not absorb copper. So far I have dosed 25ml's of CopperSafe and still not above 2 via hanna checker. Is this expected with the sand?

I looked up the SDS for this and it says it is 100% silica. That is inert with coppersafe or copper power. However, I have had issues with commercial sand and gravel products in the past - we once had high pH issues in a FW tank with supposedly inert gravel. We took some gravel out and added some muriatic acid and we found that about 10% of the gravel was calcium-based.

The full coppersafe dose for that tank is about 32 ml (assuming the tank holds 25 gallons of water).

 

[Lostoften]

@Jay Hemdal thanks, didn't stop and do the math for dosing as thought I dosed the other tank at 15ml but that was my initial dose. Wanted to go slower with the wrasses/goby in this tank so works out. I will still be at target dose within 48 hours.

 

[Lostoften]

Just tested and its at 2.42 (tank is not 100% full), so 25ml got it to target. Fingers crossed the blue flasher wrasse comes out of hiding in the pvc, been there all morning. I don't see any signs of difficulty breathing but is lethargic and did not come out and eat today. He did eat yesterday morning.