Old tank...copper treatment. Can I use it??

nemonick84 · #1 12/19/2007, 05:10 PM

I have a 10 gallon tank that was once used as a hospital tank when I was fighting Ich back in the day. It was a one-time treatment over the course of maybe a week. The tank has since been used as a freshwater setup for the past 2-3 years. I know it's usually advised to not use tanks that have ever had copper treatment, but do you think it would be ok? My thinking is that if any copper set in to the silicone it would surely have depleted by now. But then again, I'm not at all familiar with the properties/characteristics of copper. Any help would be tremendously appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick

apex003 · #2 12/19/2007, 05:53 PM

Personally, I wouldn't. Especially since you can get a brand new 10g pretty cheap and completely avoid the question altogether. It's *probably* safe, but why chance it?

mbbuna · #3 12/19/2007, 05:54 PM

silicone does not adsorb copper.

all you need to do is scrub the tank well with vinegar and rinse with water

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...ghlight=copper

nemonick84 · #4 12/19/2007, 07:44 PM

Thanks a lot. That's reassuring. My only concern, however, is with this statement made by Randy:

Quote:

2. While free copper may or may not bind much to glass (and likely none to silicone, IMO), organic bound copper will bind to both glass and silicone surfaces. Not into it, but onto it. It would be an interesting experiment to put some clear cured silicone into a copper/water solution to see if it turns blue. My expectation is that it will not, but I've not done the experiment.

You see, my silicone has turned blue to a certain extent; the silicone was fully cured as it was purchased off the shelf of a Petsmart.
The copper additive I used was Nox-Ich - Malachite Green being the active ingredient. I'm hoping that the dyeing is simply a result of the strong blue coloration of the Nox-Ich - not an indication that copper has been absorbed into the silicone.

JediReefer · #5 12/19/2007, 07:47 PM

I would personally just run to a general pet store and get a 10g for $9.99 and never have to worry.

Lucky-rc · #6 12/19/2007, 07:54 PM

Yes sir cause your first coral will run around $50... unless you go big

Lucky

nemonick84 · #7 12/19/2007, 07:55 PM

Ya... I might as well. I just don't like being wasteful if I can avoid it.
Oh well... At least now I have an excuse to go spend money at the LFS.

shawnkfl · #8 12/19/2007, 08:05 PM

scrape the old silicone out and reseal it. save the tank and save a few bucks.

mbbuna · #9 12/20/2007, 12:11 AM

replacing the silicone or replacing the tank are not needed.

from the quote above "While free copper may or may not bind much to glass (and likely none to silicone, IMO), organic bound copper will bind to both glass and silicone surfaces. Not into it, but onto it."

i think your reading into it too much about the experiment to see if copper will get "in" silicone. Randy says right before that that it wont

littlefish72 · #10 12/20/2007, 01:32 AM

should be fine........i've treated with copper and a few months later seen pods on the glass and in the rocks........if copper was present in significant quantities the pods would not be living..........but if you want to test it out try a few hermits or snails first......they will tell you if copper is present or not