At What Point Does Copper/aluminum Become Toxic To Shrimp/snails?

[Jeremy180]

According to my water supplier, my water has .22 ppm each of both copper and aluminum.
Is this enough to hurt shrimp or snails?
If so, is there any way to remove it?

 

[Far_King]

Certain water treatments claim to remove dissolved metals - quite how much they remove or how well they really work I can't say.
 
No idea how many PPM is dangerous I'm afraid.

 

[Chad]

This is actually a pretty tough question for two reasons 

1. Shrimp need some copper, trace amounts. Just like humans use hemoglobin shrimp use copper to carry oxygen in the blood stream. So zero copper is harmful but too much is deadly.
2. Just how much is too much depends on the invertebrate. Size matters. A dwarf shrimp is going to be more sensitive. 

So...just how much? When I was breeding shrimp I did a lot of research on shrimp related web sites and read a lot and never found a general consensus. Some said 1PPM, some said dangerous level of copper for shrimps is 0.03 mg per liter and others 4PPM. 
 
I had to decide what was safe on my own and decided to never add anything to the tank with copper in it so that the only copper was that which naturally occurred.
 
Here's a scientific paper on the subject: http/www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/33443.pdf 
 
Here's a longish article on metals in reef aquaria: http/reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rhf/feature/index.htmMuch of it applies to FW as well. 

 

[StevenF]

Keep in mind in the aquarium world copper doesn't mean metallic copper.  Instead it means copper compounds and copper salts.  Each with a different solubility in water and different toxicity .    Since we don't know what type of copper is in your water there is no way for any of us to know if itis safe.  
 
However if you know of anyone in your area with fish then it is possible the water is safe.  If your town has a fish store ask them if they use tap water.and what do they use to treat the water before putting it in the aquarium.  Another thing you can do is to get an aquarium copper test kit.  Sometimes water quality reports are only for the water source.  Once the water has passed through treatment and filters and the pipes to our home the chemistry may have changed.  A copper test kit would help determine copper levels at the tap and in your aquarium.
 
If you want to filter out the copper a RO system will remove almost all minerals making the water safe for your aquarium shrimp and snails.  However RO water is too clean for plants (they wil die).  If you want plants you need to use micro nutrient fertilizer such as Seachem  Flourish.  Yes good micro fertilizers have copper but at levels that are safe for shrimp and snails.
 
Aluminum is not toxic and is frequently in the form of aluminum oxide.  Beach sand is about 40% aluminum oxide and people do use it in aquariums.

 

[Jeremy180]

Thank you for the replies everybody.
In doing my own research, I found a scientific paper that stated that the lethal dose of copper sulfate for amano shrimp was 0.14ppm,
I've also heard a lot of good reports on cupri-sorb, so I might get some just to be on the safe side.