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From: richard@gryphon.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Anemonies and copper, was :Re: turning the filter off?
Message-ID: <2468@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Date: Thu, 3-Dec-87 01:31:49 EST
Article-I.D.: gryphon.2468
Posted: Thu Dec  3 01:31:49 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Dec-87 20:03:19 EST
References: <4381@ihlpg.ATT.COM> <3517@sdcc6.ucsd.EDU>
Reply-To: richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton)
Organization: Trailing Edge Technology, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 44

In article <3517@sdcc6.ucsd.EDU> ix426@sdcc6.ucsd.edu.UUCP (tom stockfish) writes:
>
>I would be very careful about turning off a filter when you have invert-
>ibrates in the tank.  They are very sensitive to hydrogen sulfide, which
>is a product of anaerobic processes.  Before I knew this, I killed an
>anemone by running a (noisy) filter only when I was not home.  Of course,
>I compounded the problem by closing the valve to the filter, which really
>cranked up the anaerobics.  I think you will find if you put the liquid
>food (like sea urchin eggs) in the water with the plastic part of a syringe
>near the anemone that it will get plenty.

Uhh, not many anomonies are filter feeders. They will eat lumps
of beef-heart or guppies. They DO eat fish in the wild, right ?

>>I'm told that when adding trace elements and using the polyfilter
>
>I haven't heard about adding trace elements,

I find this a tad surprising.

Cobalt, Molybdenum, etc. all toxic in small ppm, but absolutely
mandatory for life. In the right concentrations. They are depleated
and must be replenished from time to time.

>but one thing you should
>know is that anemonae are extremely sensitive to copper.  If you have
>ever treated a tank with copper, all the gravel and coral will forever
>have enough trace copper to harm anemonae.  Commercially available
>test kits for copper will
>not reveal this as the anemonae are much more sensitive than the test.

Yeah, specifically, it binds the ions and they sit in the substrate
and *may* just stay there. But if the pH ever gets a tad more
acid, all those copper ions are back in solution.

Copper is best used in a BARE tank.


-- 
Richard J. Sexton
INTERNET:     richard@gryphon.CTS.COM
UUCP:         {hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, ihnp4, nosc}!crash!gryphon!richard

"It's too dark to put the keys in my ignition..."