Copper Coins

[purple]

Has anyone heard of adding copper coins to the aquarium to eradicate snails? My tank is over run with these pests and it has been suggested by a tropical fish keeper that this method really works! Thanks.

 

[Griz]

I may work on snails, but copper can also be toxic to fish. I wouldn't risk.

 

[raptorrex]

Has anyone heard of adding copper coins to the aquarium to eradicate snails? My tank is over run with these pests and it has been suggested by a tropical fish keeper that this method really works! Thanks.

copper kills inverts, so shrimp, crabs and the like will die too. copper is used in a few fish meds, but that is in a controlled situation. though it seems like a good idea, if the tank is empty of fish and is suffering from a snail infestation. adding carbon to your filter for a while will remove it.

 

[xostrawberryox]

Hi purple, if you are in the UK, Interpet do a snails away med. Perhaps give that a go?

 

[Sambo]

you could also use certain fish that eat snails such as clown loaches although they can get up to 12" in length.

 

[Callum]

i would suggest a medicine as a copper coin could have lots of things lurking on it However considering this would kill the snails you would get a big ammonia spike which could harm fish so only any good in a fishless tank

 

[raptorrex]

i would suggest a medicine as a copper coin could have lots of things lurking on it However considering this would kill the snails you would get a big ammonia spike which could harm fish so only any good in a fishless tank

lol "copper" coins are magnetic!!!!!!!!!! now! so don't think they are all copper! might be wrong though. lol

not sure about fish but silver in humans is used to control infection. there is a firm in, i think Loughborough, that makes medical gowns that are 100% effective at killing RSA bacteria. they even made hospital gowns that offer the same protection to patients. these are woven with silver thread, as well as polyfibres. NHS trusts wont buy them, on cost grounds. bit off topic, but you know me!

 

[joloco]

time for a puffer puffer puffer

(not entirely sure why i had to type that three times - probably puffer related enthusiasm, sorry)

 

[Tolak]

Copper in an aquarium is something you want to control, as in no more than .15ppm to .25ppm. Just tossing in a coin or two gives you no control at all. Copper also does a number on algae, concentrating in it, and making it toxic for any algae eating fish. It's not a thing to play guessing games with.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

additionally (in the US) pennies are primarily made of zinc, not copper, making them toxic to fish as well. (this is why most public places with fishponds have countless signs up begging you not to throw in coins.)

 

[mr.dark-saint]

Adding copper pennies (U.S.) pre 1983 anything after that is copper plated Zinc core gunge was an old school cure all. I knew few old school keepers did it almost out of ritual since it was just couple of little pennies in a 55 gallon tank. One would think they'd need something like a man hole cover sized copper discs to have any effect on such tanks . There are much better snail oil these days than going in and using some arcane fix. Having to adjust the water to desolve or oxydize the coin(s) in a useful manner is kind of more trouble than it's worth.

As for fountains being toxic from coins it's more of cleaning the stains left by coins. Labor is much more expensive than the collection of chump change (or few dead birds. Besides the water is so heavily chemed up with pool cleaners the birds will go and die from their liver or kidney shutting down way before the heavy metals killed them.