copper question

[fkshiu]

Bleach won't do anything for heavy metals like copper.

I'm not sure the theory that heavy metals leech into silicone is a proven one, but if the person is adamant that they want to go reef and must use that particular tank then there is a product made by Seachem called Cuprisorb which is specifically designed to absorb heavy metals he can use. I've used it in the past and it works as advertised although it probably can't suck out the copper that is embedded in the silicone (if there is any in there).

Run the Cuprisorb in the tank for a few months without inverts while testing for copper. If everything remains at zero then try a few inverts. If that is successful then he can switch to using carbon which will also absorb heavy metals, just not at the same rate as the Cuprisorb resin (which is a lot more expensive than bulk carbon).