All lifeforms that you place in the tank take up many elements from the water. This includes this one. Not reducing its levels can, therefore, prove dangerous over long periods of time. It can account for the sometimes hard to explain death of corals and invertebrates. This may not occur immediately. It usually doesn't. Problems only start after several months. Arsenic may be one of the causes, but there are many others.

The reasoning is as follows: maybe just one compound, for instance arsenic, would not be all that dangerous. It is when the synergistic effect of all of them starts to work against you that unexplainable problems occur. Keep it in mind.

Change water, and treat the water you are using chemically. We describe how to do so elsewhere in this book, and also in my other book: _Small Reef Aquarium Basics_, a companion book to this one, and one of the four that make up this series, together with _Marine Reef_, the newsletter dedicated solely to reef aquariums, of which I am the Editor.

I have already mentioned it, but attention to details, and maintaining a regular and complete maintenance schedule is what makes the difference between an aquarium that looks good even after many months, and one that looks good for a while, and then starts deteriorating. If this is the type of problem that you are experiencing, or have experienced, you may benefit a great deal from the suggestions made in this book.

The chemical "boron" is, in nature, always found in bound form. Usually it is bound with calcium or sodium. Plants definitely require it, but it has not been demonstrated to be essential to invertebrates. Kopp (1967) has demonstrated that seawater contains higher levels of boron than, for instance, lake water.

Spotte (1979) reports that boron makes up a sizable portion of the seawater buffer, but does not find evidence that it is required by invertebrates. Artificial sea salts contain boron, and so do certain fertilizers used to stimulate macro-algae growth. Adding trace elements to the reef on a regular basis ensures that you supply adequate quantities of boron. We suggest you do so. Some KH builders contain sodium biborate, e.g. Aquarium Systems and TAT.

Note: additives are a controversial subject in certain circles. Whenever you decide to add supplements, follow the directions of the manufacturer. Use all additives that such a manufacturer markets. They often work together to give you the overall result that you are looking for (the so-called synergistic effect). A complete program of additives is offered by several companies: Energy Savers Unlimited with their Coralife range of products, Thiel*Aqua*Tech with their Tech*products, Hawaiian Marine, Sera and a few others. If certain newer additives are not offered by all of them, get them separately. They are needed, at least based on my experience and research. Read hobby magazines and books to keep yourself informed on the newest developments in this respect. With all the progress being made, this is a must.

As most aquarists already know, chlorine is extremely toxic to fish, algae, beneficial bacteria, and invertebrates. Its presence in the tank's water and in the water used to perform water changes and top-offs, must be avoided at all cost. Just about the only reason for chlorine entering the tank is as a dissolved compound in tap water used by the hobbyist. Since this is a process over which the latter has total control, removing chlorine should not be a problem.

The manner in which this is done is where the problem may be. Two types of approaches are commonly used: aerating the water for a number of hours, or adding chemicals or additives that contain chemicals that neutralize the chlorine. Chlorine removing liquids all contain sodium thiosulfate, a compound that eventually breaks down to sulfate in the water.

Using such compounds continuously, for weeks or even months on end, eventually changes the sulfate hardness of the water to a level that is no longer recommended. It also affects the ionic balance of the water by increasing the proportion one compound: sulfate.

Remove chlorine by aerating only. It is safer in the long run. All you need to do so is an air pump and an air stone. A few hours, to a maximum of overnight aeration will remove all chlorine. Alternatively, flow the water through a good quality activated carbon that does not leach phosphates into your water.

Your tank's water should not contain any copper whatsoever, except for some traces that enter the water as part of the salt mixes that you use. Such trace amounts are a necessary part of the nutrient mix that all living things require. More than traces is extremely toxic, especially to invertebrates. You must ensure that all excess copper is removed from the water you add to the tank before you actually add it. Not doing so will make it impossible, to very difficult at best, for you to keep invertebrates. It poisons and kills them. Test the water you use before deciding that you will add it to your tank.

If copper is present, the water must be filtered chemically to remove it before you add salt. Such is easy to do. All you will need is a set of Poly Filter pads from Poly Bio Marine Inc., they are available from dealers and pet stores nationwide. Use either 1 or 2 pads, depending on how much water you are in reality treating.

Since you will also require Poly Filters for the chemical filtering of the aquarium water, you will need more than those filter pads. Do not use the Poly Filters that are dedicated to removing copper from the tap, or well, water for any other purpose. Use them only for that purpose. After each treatment, rinse the pads, and store them until the next time you need them. Typically if copper was present, the Poly Filters( will change to a blue or greenish color, depending on what form of copper is being removed from the water.

Some types of rocks that are placed in the tank, for instance some types of lava rock, some decorations and equipment used, and so on may leach copper into the system as well. This may sound farfetched, but it is not. Make sure that all the equipment you use is absolutely saltwater safe and does not contain any metals other than 316 SS (stainless steel), titanium, and/or gold. Often hobbyists overlook this, and copper and sometimes zinc (another toxic heavy metal) end up in the aquarium water for reasons that they cannot determine. Alternatively, because they are not adding any copper based medications, they are convinced that no copper can be present in their tank, such is or can be a mistake. Indeed, copper can enter the aquarium in many ways.

For example: new copper pipes that are part of the water supply system in your house or building, will also cause copper to appear in your tank. My recommendation is, therefore, that whenever you use tap water, you first let the water run for about 2 to 3 minutes before actually collecting any. Then, filter the water chemically to remove ionic copper and other compounds that must be removed.

Alternatively use a reverse osmosis unit to purify the water. The better reverse osmosis units, with the very efficient thin film membranes, cost around $325.00 and can be used safely (I use such a unit, TAT sells them; they are very efficient) . Be aware though that reverse osmosis is a slow and somewhat wasteful process as, typically, you will only collect 20 % of the water being treated. This means that for every five gallons treated, one is collected.

You must also know that R.O. systems work at top efficiency when the temperature of the water being treated is around room temperature, and the PSI going into the unit is around 60. Any deviation from those numbers reduces the efficiency of the unit; either less pollutants are removed, or less treated effluent is collected (the amount of water wasted is greater).

Be aware too that at higher pH levels some copper will precipitate. It will not all be in solution. When you then test for copper, you will not really get an accurate result, or may think no copper is present. As the pH drops for any number of reasons (e.g. a water change, or the build up of organic acids, etc.), some of that precipitated copper may go back into solution and damage your invertebrates. This is extremely dangerous as you may loose some animal life. Animals that die pollute the water; this leads to, and increases the stress on the remaining ones, which can lead to even more problems.

RECOMMENDATION: Keep all measurable levels of copper to zero ppm. Treat all water before you add it to the tank. Do not use lava rock in the salt water aquarium. Use a chemical filter both in the tank, and in the treatment setup used to clean up the water you will use (Poly Filters are a must).

Check all additives used to ensure that they do not contain any copper. Do not use micro-algae destroying products unless you know they do not contain copper. Freshwater algaecides should not be used in saltwater tanks.

Be aware also that certain filters sold in hardware stores, and used to pretreat water for taste and odor (as they are usually labeled) may contain filter material that is made of heavy metals that may leach into your water.

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