Help with Copper in Reef tank

[AuroraDave]

I just received confirmation that our aquifer, and therefore my well, has some level of contamination. It is early, so I don't have complete info or final test results, but the IL EPA, my County, Dept of Agriculture and others are involved.

We do not know how long copper has been present, however I have a RO for top-off, so only very low levels of copper have probably been going into my reef. According to my research the RO should filter 95+% out, however that depends on the age of the filters/membranes.

I have about 450 gallons of volume and I dose 2-3 gallons of water per day top-off. My initial theory is that maybe very low levels over time have built-up in my closed system. Copper binds to substrate, rock, detritus, etc.

Right now my primary questions are if I can truly remove copper from an existing system, how to do it and how effective it may be. My well is testing positive for copper at levels > .25 mg/l that my test kit measures. The county's initial tests came back and the highest well test was .367 mg/l. Not high enough to kill me, but we can't drink the water. My tank is testing between .20 - .25 mg/l and the kit suggests .15 mg/l as the level for parasitic control.

Will carbon remove Copper? Do I have to throw away my rock or is that an old wives tale? I’ve found a lot on the web, but not much related to fish tanks…mainly ponds. Copper is difficult to remove due to its binding properties. I also thought I had heard that copper is unstable in salt water and you need to keep adding when treating fish. Is that also a wives tale or is it the constant addition in my system that is causing my problem?

Any knowledge would be helpful. TIA
Dave