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rainwater catchment

Copper in water prevents algae buildup?

Timothy Norton

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posted 11 months ago

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Something I stumbled on that I'm not sure if it is some old timey wisdom or bunk?

Allegedly, if you add some copper (pipe fittings or pennies) to a container of water, you can prevent the buildup of algae.

I'm not sure of a situation where I would utilize this, but if its something that works its not bad to keep in the back of my mind.

Let me know your experiences.

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John F Dean

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posted 11 months ago

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Hi Timothy,

I have heard the same. To expand, copper pipe has been used in homes for many years. That said, I have had one hideous encounter with copper that has scarred me. I encountered a young lady with Wilson’s Disease …the inability to metabolize copper. She went from normal to dead in a very short time, and the progression wasn’t for the faint of heart. Of course, the disease is rare …and I do have copper plumbing in my home. But, whenever I hear the word copper, I flinch.

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Steve Mendez

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posted 11 months ago

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for years I used a diluted formalin solution to treat for Saprolegnia fungus in the water supply of upwelling trout egg incubators. Without the formalin the eggs would be covered in fungus within a few days. In order to be more ecologically responsible I tried using copper scrub pads packed into a chamber on the inflow of the upwells. Not only did our fungus problems decrease immensely but the receiving water trough became totally algae free. There were fewer deformed sac fry also.

Matt McSpadden

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posted 11 months ago

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Copper is anti-microbial. I don't see why it wouldn't lessen or prevent algea build up.

I have been told Gold and Silver are also anti-microbial.

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Nirmal Vidura

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posted 11 months ago

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I’ve heard that putting copper, like pennies or pipe fittings, in water can stop algae from growing. I tried it in my garden water container, and it seemed to help, but I didn’t use too much copper. Apparently, copper kills algae, but I’ve also read too much can hurt plants or bugs. Not sure if it’s really foolproof, but it seemed to work for me!

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