Used Aquariums - Residual Copper/Ich Treatment

[jamest]

I have been told previously that when buying used aquariums for a reef tank you have to be super careful that the tank never held freshwater fish due to the copper-based ich treatments which are (were?) common.

Is that true? Does the copper "poison" the tank against all future invertebrates or if it's been dry an empty for months will there be a problem?

Thanks!

[Parrothead]

any tank either salt or fresh that has been treated with copper or copper based meds, can pose a hazard to inverts and corals down the road, there are procedures for cleaning but it is a pita and you can research it and try.

[Ninong]

Read this thread for an example of what can happen when you buy a glass tank that was previously used as a freshwater tank.

Read this thread for an example of what can happen when you use brass fittings in your plumbing setup.

Read my response (Post #2) in this thread for an easier way to decontaminate a glass tank that has been exposed to copper.

Please read those threads first and then if you have any questions that were not covered, please ask, but I think just about everything was covered. Thanks.

P.S. -- Yes, even if the tank has been "dry for months," if will still have to be decontaminated. My response in that last thread offers an easier way to do this that should work for all practical purposes, unless you intend running invertebrate larval survival studies or something super sensitive like that.

P.P.S. --