Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

I have some problem with copper in my tap water (I think) unless I let
the tank age with out any water changes in one or two months apple snails
and other snails dies very soon ,have had some problems with other inverts also but not as much.Does any one know a way to deal with this
problem would active carbon work,I know there are also some copper removers for salt water aquariums do they work in fresh water?
Would be thank full for any adviceö.

The problem with chemicals which claim to "neutralize" or "remove" metallic ions is that any chemical reaction is reversible. Although the copper is bound and not active, a change in water conditions could reverse the reaction.

My suggestion would be to actually remove the copper through reverse osmosis.

I use Aqua Plus and sometimes Amquel Plus to treat my tap water with no ill effects on my apple snails, other snails, fish or shrimp.

One more thing. Before you set out to solve a problem, you should probably get a test kit for copper to make sure that it is even a problem at all.

Aquarium Pharmaceuticals makes a home test kit for copper which might be a good place to start.

Although it is a bit expensive, you can also send a water sample out to a lab that does home water testing and get a comprehensive report on your water.

Another way to learn more about your tap water is to contact your local water company. They are required to share their annual test reports with the public and many of them have these reports available online.

I suggest using R/O water which you can buy at the local drinking water vending machine of some LFS. You can also buy a R/O unit for your home, I hear they cost around $200. You can then add back some electrolites with things such as R/O correct if you like. Hope this helps, please keep us updated.

YuccaPatrol wrote:The problem with chemicals which claim to "neutralize" or "remove" metallic ions is that any chemical reaction is reversible. Although the copper is bound and not active, a change in water conditions could reverse the reaction.

My suggestion would be to actually remove the copper through reverse osmosis.

Thats only particularly true. Chelators in water treatments can bind copper and other heavy metals very strongly. That is almost irreversible. Some of the strongest chemical bindings belong to chelators. Like in the area of 10(-12) for EDTA. That means that only one in a million times a million copper ions is free in the water. Bacteria tend to collect heavy metals from the water. They can use metals binded to most chelators, so in the end, they will end up in the filter.

Thanks for the information

I've used copper-removing compounds in my freshwater tank in the past. It wasn't a shrimp tank, though. If you look on the directions of the jar in the fish store, it should tell you.

Another product you can use is Poly-Filter, which is a special type of floss that removes many different chemicals, including copper. It works on freshwater too, but I have never used it in a shrimp tank.

You might want to check your local water company's water quality report, and follow up with a test of your tapwater before you start treating your water.