Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] Dead Fish after New Copper Pipes

Paul, the first thing you need to do is to get a test kit for copper. You should be able to find one at your lfs or online without too much trouble. That will help to answer the question about copper and how it may have affected your fish.
Another thing to consider is a breeding pair of angels in a 20 gallon uncycled tank.... and how quickly waste levels likely increased.

You didn't mention your acclimation procedure, whether or not you tested the tank water vs the water the fish came from, temp and any temp fluctuations that may have happened, etc. There could be multiple causes for what killed your fish.

If the problem is/was copper, then your tap water may not be safe for fish tanks, at all. You may need to use bottled spring water for your aquarium instead of tap. Copper is not something that can be removed just by letting the water sit. IF the copper level is not real high you may be able to set yourself up with a tub/vat and filtration, and using carbon and/or a few other filter medias, you may possibly be able to prefilter your tap water to make it safe for an aquarium. You should know ahead of time that inverts (shrimp, crabs, snails, etc) are particularly sensitive to copper and you may never be able to keep those while you live there. Even trace amounts of copper can cause death to most inverts. Copper will also contaminate rock, wood, and other decor in an aquarium, which means if its coming from the pipes, you may never be able to keep a tank there that is completely copper free.

Good luck to you!

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Fri, 4/1/11, Paul <Plwg000@aol.com> wrote:

From: Paul <Plwg000@aol.com>
Subject: [tropical fish club] Dead Fish after New Copper Pipes
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 9:25 AM

I put a breeding pair of angelfish in a new 20 gallon aquarium, left for an hour and a half and came back to find both fish dead. A couple of days earlier my landlord replaced the old plumbing with new copper pipes.

Did the new pipes kill the fish? Was it the most likely the copper? How long before I can use the water?

Paul

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