- Hey, it's Thomas here!
And today, we're gonna be taking a look
at Seachem's CupriSorb, and I'll be giving you
you a firsthand account of how this stuff
actually saved one of my reef tanks.
True story.
Copper and other heavy metals
can wreak havoc in our reef tanks.
Invertebrates like our shrimps,
crabs, snails, clams, and of course our corals
are very sensitive to elevated levels
of heavy metals, and will show signs
of deterioration quite quickly.
And, if those heavy metals are allowed
to build up high enough in the water,
our inverts can certainly perish
from exposure to those toxic levels.
Fish only, or quarantine systems aside,
how do these heavy metals
end up in our reef tanks?
Well, using a piece of Garry you forgot
to clean since being used
on a medicated quarantine tank, is one way.
Using tap water for top offs, or mixing
up saltwater will certainly do it.
Even using low TDS RO/DI water
can cause whatever is slipping through
to build up over time.
Buying previously used live rock
or sand or equipment is another way.
Or, accidentally dumping water
from a medicated system into your tank
while transferring a new fish
into your display, could be the cause.
Or, like in my case, you could have
a piece of equipment on your reef system
that's rusting away without you noticing it,
leaching out those dastardly heavy metals.
I had the very unfortunate experience
of having one of my reef tanks showing signs
of stress, pale bleachy-looking corals,
retracted or shrunken and polyps.
And although things were growing,
they just didn't look right,
or grow as quickly as I would expect.
After a couple of months of trying
to figure out what the problem was,
I finally landed on it by accident
while doing some routine maintenance.
My UV sterilizer at the time
had a stainless steel sleeve inside of it
that was in direct contact with the saltwater,
and it was rusting away,
releasing heavy metals into the system.
Taking that UV sterilizer offline and putting one
on the tank that didn't have a metal sleeve
inside of it was step number one,
but it's step number two that really saved
my tank and turned everything around.
That step was adding Seachem CupriSorb
to my filtration.
It has the ability to rapidly remove
not only all types of copper medication,
but also a variety of other heavy metals as well,
making it a great solution
for tackling emergencies
like the one I was facing.
What makes CupriSorb even better
is that it is a rechargeable,
absorbent resin bead,
that will not release copper
or other heavy metals back into
the aquarium water, even once it's exhausted.
So, you can use it and reuse it with confidence.
CupriSorb is available in a few different sizes,
including 800 ml container, a 250 ml container,
and a 500 ml container,
which will treat 90 gallons,
150 gallons or 300 gallons, respectively,
to remove up to 12 mg/L of copper from the water.
Much like Purigen, the CupriSorb beads are tiny,
and you'll want to use
the correct type of media bag.
It should be a fine mesh,
without any stretch, around 180 microns or less.
Once you have it in the bag,
place it in an area of high or direct flow.
You can even put the bag inside
of a hang on, a canister filter,
or a media reactor
if you don't have an ideal spot
in your sump or filter chamber.
To get the best results,
you'll want to leave the CupriSorb
in your system for two weeks
after your testing shows there's no longer
copper or other heavy metals
in the system, to make sure any residual copper
or heavy metals that might leach out
from the rock work or sand
or other porous media is also removed.
Other than removing copper from an aquarium
that was treated with a copper medication,
a CupriSorb can also be used periodically
as a preventative to the buildup of heavy metals,
or as a way to help remedy the effects
of any equipment or magnets you found
rusting away on your system.
However, you don't want to run CupriSorb
or any heavy metal media full time,
because trace amounts of heavy metals
are natural and beneficial for your reef
and completely removing them can be harmful.
So when in doubt, you can always do
a large water change with a quality reef salt
after using CupriSorb, to restore
any trace elements that have been depleted.
The resin beads will change from their gold-ish
coloration to a deep bluish black
when they're depleted, indicating that
it is time to either toss it away,
or to recharge it.
Regenerating CupriSorb can be done
with a muriatic acid bath,
but I will say that it does require PPE
and should be done outdoors
or in a very well ventilated space
and with the utmost care.
For the average reefer, given that this stuff's
not very expensive, it is way easier
to just toss it out once it's exhausted
and pick up a new jar,
which is what I personally do.
And I just like to have a ball of CupriSorb
on hand in case of emergencies.
After that one run in with a rusty piece of gear
and seeing how quickly CupriSorb was able
to restore my reef to it's former glory,
it is just one of those tools
in my tool belt that I am happy to have.
If being prepared in advance matches
your reefing mantra, or if you've ever faced,
or are currently facing a heavy metal issue
with your reef tank, you can go ahead
and pick up some CupriSorb for yourself
by clicking right here.
(relaxing music)