Which copper test kit?
- Thread starter Scooter21
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I don’t know about inexpensive, but the Hanna checker is highly recommended on here.
Gtinnel
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I have only used two copper test kits and they were the seachem and the Hanna. I absolutely hated the seachem because it was nearly impossible to distinguish the different shades of blue, but if you are just trying to see if your tank is at 0 then it would probably work okay.
Is there some reason you think copper may be present?
Is there some reason you think copper may be present?
Hanna here also. Did you buy the tank set up and reuse the rock? If not I would by a few snails and hermits and toss them in. Snails tend to be short lived for me in any tank. Also they may have had fish that killed them.
The only thing I can think of is if you don't want to buy the Hanna test kit. You can buy the seachem media to remove copper for piece of mind. Run it for a couple weeks and see if there is a color change. That would be cheapest option but there would be no testing involved and you may always wonder
I have the Hanna and it’s great. I use it for quarantine. But I don’t think it will work for your purpose. I’ve read a few threads where the resolution near zero is not useful.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I would caution that copper kits are fine for medication levels, but poor to useless for verifying levels are low enough for inverts. The Hanna is included in that concern, since it seems to give false high readings in reef tanks that show little to no copper by icp.
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Scooter21
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Maybe I should just ask him and see if i can get some clarification. I think he said he had a crab for quite a while but the snails always died fairly quickly. I don't think he meant instantaneously, though
Randy Holmes-Farley
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With any kit besides Hanna, if you detect copper there is too much.
If you see a blank reading, it can be time to move to the "try it" stage. True for Hanna as well.
I personally would discard any sand that was present during treatment as it has a very high surface area to bind copper and is not that expensive to replace.
Rmckoy
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For many years when I first started I couldn’t keep cleaner shrimps alive . And hermits always killed the snails .
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Scooter21
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Thanks. I guess I'll just try the API kit because it's the cheapest.
I don't think there was ever any copper treatment in the tank. There should not be any reason for copper to be in there, it's just that the previous owner said he could never keep snails alive for a long time. I don't know what he meant by that exactly. He did say he thought Mayne they weren't getting enough to ear and were starving to death. So, I don't think they would die the same day
