Do you have copper water pipes?

Did you know that a lot of our water pipes are made of copper? Do you know the effects of copper on aquatic organisms? The answer is easily “Googleable”.

However, what I’d like to share with you is that if the incoming water’s pH is acidic or the water is warm, then there could be higher than normal amounts of dissolved copper in the water you’ll be adding to your aquatic set-ups! In fact, it may be high enough to unintentionally create problems with your aquatic critters!

This is why you should never use hot/warm water from the tap for your aquaria. Also, it’s a good idea to check your tap water’s pH when you’re conducting large water changes.

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Aquaculture
Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011)
	Copper bioavailability and impact on bacterial growth in flow-through rainbow trout aquaculture systems
	Authors:	Andreas Tom-Petersen, Kristian K. Brandt, Ole Nybroe, Niels O.G. Jørgensen
	Author Affiliations:	no affiliations available
	Source:	Aquaculture, Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011)
	Page Numbers:	259 – 262
	Available Full Text:	Full Text: Subscription Required to view full text Format: PDF Size: Unknown Location: Publisher’s Site Authentication: Publisher’s Site
	Abstract:	Copper is an important additive in the aquaculture industry for control of algal growth and ecto-parasites. However, copper may impact microbial communities depending on its biological availability and hence negatively affect microbial degradation of organic matter or other microbial ecosystem services. Here we applied a whole-cell bacterial biosensor to determine copper bioavailability (proportion of bioavailable vs. total copper) in water from three rainbow trout aquaculture facilities. Copper bioavailability varied between 24 and 37% and the differences were compatible with differences in carbonate alkalinity, concentration of dissolved organic matter and amounts of suspended matter in the water. Subsequently, we determined the effect of copper on bacterial growth activity at concentrations realistic for aquacultures. Although a field exposure to ca. 0.1µM bioavailable Cu had no effect, laboratory exposure to comparable concentrations reduced the bacterial growth activity. Hence, common copper amendment procedures may lead to concentrations close to the threshold that impacts bacterial activity.
	Citation:	Andreas Tom-Petersen, Kristian K. Brandt, Ole Nybroe, Niels O.G. Jørgensen . Copper bioavailability and impact on bacterial growth in flow-through rainbow trout aquaculture systems. Aquaculture, Volume 323, Number 1 (December 2011), pp. 259-262,
	URL:	http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=484CA2BB418460FAC7CC