i just noticed i have copper pipes

i have either copper or brass pipes leading into my house, and i know i read that copper and brass are bad for invert, is there a way to test and or remove with it does to water to hurt inverts?

 

You can use an rodi unit

 

ok good thats what i thought i already have one on way

 

Pretty much everyones water goes through copper at some point, so don't worry too much.

 

Worry about it. Test your water for copper. They make a test specifically for copper.

 

RO/DI will remove it from your tap water. Cuprisorb will remove it from your tank if necessary. I'd test before using anything in the tank, though. If your corals/inverts look healthy, chances are you've not really added any detectable amount of copper to the system.

 

I also have copper pipes in my home and tested the water straight out of teh spicket...... no dectiable levels were present in the fresh and salt water ( API test kit). I also run off a deep well. the truth if you toped off with plain old sink water everysingle day then yea you could have some issues but it would take a while. you also drink from these pipes and you health would start to detoriate if it was at super high levels. now all that being said....

USE a RODI and it will filter out most to all of teh smallest copper traces. if you seem to have dectiable then you might be able to use prime to help with these levels.

 

Copper pipes are not an issue.
Years ago the EPA enacted the "Lead and Copper Rule" which requires water utilities to monitor the water quality at the tap, not just from the treatment plant or in the distribution system.
If lead and copper are found at the tap in very low levels, the utility must treat the water so it is slightly scaling and not corrosive and do pH adjustment. They may have to add phosphates to coat the pipes or adjust pH and Langlier Index so it is slightly positive and the water will not leach copper from the pipes or lead from the solder or older pipes.

I would be more concerned about the phosphates some utilities add as corrosion inhibitors. You best option is a RO/DI system as it removes any and all of the above and gives you pure water regardless of the condition but again copper pipes are not an issue if you are in a regulated water utility service area.

 

im on well water and have a RO/DI unit on way

 

Do you know the pH and langlier index of your well water?

Its probably not an issue.

If you are on a domestic well you may need a RO booster pump to raise the pressure high enough for an RO membrane to function properly. Many pressure switches on submersible well pumps are set around 35 psi which is just under the bare minimum or 40 psi required for a RO to work properly. The RO will function much better at 60-80 or even 90-100 psi so a booster pump may be in your future.