Reef Central Online Community - View Single Post - Removing copper from reefs, How about calciumethylenediaminetetraacetate ([CaEDTA])?

jamiep · 02/07/2008, 04:48 AM

My thought was for any acidental contamination that ever happened in our reefs. If copper gets in, alot of things are stuffed and live rock can be considered useless unless being used in a FO tank.

Calcium is displaced by copper in EDTA so I would struggle to think other wise that its wouldn't displace magnesium, both being very similar except in size and the fact the Mg's electronic configuration is further from d subshells.

The other thing we have to take into account is that these complex's are in equlibrium, so how much do we have to worry about Calcium in some tanks, primarly those not containing any SPS or LPS corals, clams or other Calarific species.

I will try and check when I am on university computers the binding energys of EDTA to a few ion's in our reefs (Ca, Mg, Sr and Cu)

02/07/2008, 04:48 AM	#4
jamiep Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 458	My thought was for any acidental contamination that ever happened in our reefs. If copper gets in, alot of things are stuffed and live rock can be considered useless unless being used in a FO tank. Calcium is displaced by copper in EDTA so I would struggle to think other wise that its wouldn't displace magnesium, both being very similar except in size and the fact the Mg's electronic configuration is further from d subshells. The other thing we have to take into account is that these complex's are in equlibrium, so how much do we have to worry about Calcium in some tanks, primarly those not containing any SPS or LPS corals, clams or other Calarific species. I will try and check when I am on university computers the binding energys of EDTA to a few ion's in our reefs (Ca, Mg, Sr and Cu)