Copper treated equipment

[MadReefer]

Question.

I used a HOB filter for the hospital tank but would like to add it on on to DT later to run GFO.

How do I clean it to ensure no copper get into the DT and kills coral?

Thanks
Mark

 

[redfishbluefish]

Vinegar bath/cleaning and you should be good.

 

[njtiger24 aquariums]

Vinegar bath/cleaning and you should be good.

Agree with Paul but I *knock on wood* never had to do any copper treatments. To be safe I would clean it as Paul said above and then run it in a bucket of water or something for awhile and test the water with a copper kit just to make sure its copper free

 

[MadReefer]

Thanks
The filter is easy as I can run it in a vinegar bath. The heater is not submersible so that would be harder. Luckily its not going in the DT.

 

[Raffle King]

I dissagree you never get the copper out once you use something for copper its no good for a reef tank

 

[AqOb]

I dissagree you never get the copper out once you use something for copper its no good for a reef tank

That is incorrect. There are many tanks out there that have been exposed to copper treatments and are full blown reefs. This includes all equipment and all ROCK having gone through treatment. Not saying treat with copper and you can immediately add corals but it can be and has been done many times before...Perfect example is this aquarium

 

[HerbieK]

I have used rocks that were in a QT tank with cupramine for months and they are now in my display tank with no ill effects.

Herb

 

[redfishbluefish]

OK, here's the poop on copper. It really wouldn't stick to non reactive smooth surfaces. So things like glass or plastic, a wash in a mild acid (vinegar) will knock the copper right off. So glass or plexi tanks, glass heaters, plastic filters....all fine.

I appreciate @HerbieK success with rock from copper treatment, but would not recommend this unless that rock was repeatedly rinsed and ideally a copper absorbing product used to extract any copper. Rock just has too much porosity and "active" sites for copper to bind. It's similar to folks who acid dip rock (which I don't understand) to supposedly remove phosphates. What actually occurs is that any surface phosphates that get removed by the acid simply turn around and reattach to the freshly cleaned rock (unless a phosphate absorbing compound is used in conjunction with the acid....and who does that!)