Copper In My Tap Water

[thomas10051988]

when i first filled my tank i used tap water with red sea salt will this tap water have had enougth copper in it to affect inverts if so what can i use to fix the problem maybe polyfilter

 

[andywg]

It is very unlikely that there was enough copper to cause any problem for any inverts. People previously kept corals in tap water with algae being the issue, not copper poisoning.

While copper is without doubt a toxin, I fear its effect has been blown out of proportion somewhat on these boards, with some people all but claiming once a tank has touched anything at all to do with copper it can never be used for a reef.

 

[thomas10051988]

from what i have read on this site any virtually every other site inverts are extremely sensitive to copper

 

[andywg]

That's as maybe, but I have two tanks that have had copper treatments in them (rinsed thoroughly) let alone tap water and I have noticed no ill effects on my SPS growth and I am seriously having to move stuff around to cater for the insane growth my anemone is showing.

All in all, while they are sensitive to it (as all life is) the levels found just in tap water are very rarely going to be any sort of issue, especially if you use a heavy metal binding dechlorinator.

 

[SkiFletch]

Agree with Andy, copper levels from filling the tank once with tapwater will NOT likely cause problems. Using tap daily for topups may cause copper to rise to dangerous levels over time, but you're fine with the initial fill. Using distilled from now on is a good practice to get into not just for concerns with copper, but also other things like silicates, nitrates, phosphates, iron, and other possible nasties in tapwater. So, use distilled from now on and you should be fine