I've found 2 or 3 short lengths of flat copper coiled into a spiral, in my new Black Earth substrate, very fragile. Has anyone experienced this before and can convince me the soil will be shrimpsafe?

Thanks,

Stefan

Probably during production, while it's strange that it's copper. A soft metal that it not used in machines often?

But copper in your tank is not what you want. I would not use it myself, since I would not want to check the whole bag. But if you've got time for it, check it all and make sure no copper pieces are in it anymore. Then you could use it. I won't think the copper part are inside the substrate itself. 

Thank you.

It might be brass possibly. 

Do you have a picture of the pieces?

 

Even if it was copper, I believe the toxic form of copper is when it is in a copper sulphate form (please correct me if I'm wrong).

The only way of producing copper sulphate is to treat the metal in sulphuric acid. 

So unless your tank is full of sulphuric acid, the copper (or brass) pieces should stay inert.

There is no harm in removing as many visible pieces as you can, though.

 

 

Thanks Jayc :)

I have read conflicting information, so I'm not really sure what to believe.

In some research papers I read that natural organic acids e.g. humic acid are corrosive to copper metal, and that the zinc (which can also be toxic) in brass is corroded in low pH. I've also read that free copper ions, chelated copper and copper sulfate are all toxic to crustaceans.

I'm not comfortable with the uncertainty so I ended up removing that bag of soil.