I have a quarantine tank set up that I'm going to use for copper treatment. I have a couple live rocks in there for filtration. Is copper ok with live rock?
You'll never be able to use that live rock in your reef tank again. It will only be good as decorations and hiding places for your quarantined critters.
Thanks David. That's because it retains the copper forever, no matter how many water changes?
I'm prepared to subject those rocks to copper and leave them in the quarantine tank for good, if they still provide filtration. If copper kills the filtration value, there would not be much payoff leaving them in.
Does the copper kill the live rock? If so would that turn the rock into a source of toxicity, rather than filtration?
Yes, studies have been done and even bleaching and drying out the rock for months barely reduced the amount of copper being leached out of the rock.
I'm prepared to subject those rocks to copper and leave them in the quarantine tank for good, if they still provide filtration. If copper kills the filtration value, there would not be much payoff leaving them in.
Does the copper kill the live rock? If so would that turn the rock into a source of toxicity, rather than filtration?
It's been over 40 years since I've studied any of this and I sucked at chemistry but from what I recall the copper has a way of affecting the Denitrifying Bacteria in a way that causes an increase in Nitrites.
Yes the rock can leach copper back into the system possibly contributing to an overdose of copper to the tank inhabitants.
Yes, you will kill the organizms in the rock that make it "live rock", even the coralline algae will probably die off. The rock will then no longer be any use as a filter. Copper and inverts don't mix AT ALL.
