Water Conditioner

username321 · 07-13-2007, 05:32 PM

I am currently using Top Fin's Water conditioner. however, i ran out of it recently. Before buying another bottle, i wanted to know if there are other superior products which you guys would recommend for conditioning the water.

Thanks,
UN321

mousey · 07-13-2007, 05:37 PM

Prime is very good.

Dr_House · 07-13-2007, 06:23 PM

Nearly every fish-keeper that I respect uses Seachem Prime. They list a plethora of reasons, none of which I can recall right now. I use it for 2 reasons:

1. The people who I respect using it
2. Because it is concentrated, it is actually cheaper than most water conditioners. 1 capful treats 50 gallons, rather than 10.

username321 · 07-13-2007, 06:28 PM

thanks dr_house and mousey. I think i read somewhere that prime also removes the ammonia from the tank, therby starving the bacteria. Can someone please verify this? Most likely i remember wrong!!!

GoodMike · 07-13-2007, 07:35 PM

prime is a good product, i personally think it smells bad and is more expensive than you need to spend. i use genesis, if you can find that its a good product and its WAY cheap.

Scuba Kid · 07-13-2007, 07:46 PM

I use Stress Coat because it dechlorinates water as well as aiding in keeping the fishes' mucus coats healthy. To each his own.

emc7 · 07-13-2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

I think i read somewhere that prime also removes the ammonia from the tank, therby starving the bacteria

No, it "detoxifies" the ammonia and nitrite, it is still available for the bacteria, but it is less likely to kill your fish. For this reason I always recommend Prime to noobs. (note: Prime is great for cycling and shipping, but it doesn't replace water changes). Ammocarb take the ammonia totally out of the water, thereby saving the fish, but starving the biology and disrupting the cycle. I keep using Prime because .5 mL treats 5 gallons and every time I price it out, Prime wins. Also, I trust Seachem and Prime has a long shelf life (those little black spots keep the solution level constant) it doesn't settle and doesn't seem to affect pH. I do think it can affect some ammonia test results. And yes, it does stink like sulfer.

Apotheosis · 07-14-2007, 02:12 AM

Most fishkeepers use prime. Other brands will definitely work though.

emc7 · 07-14-2007, 02:16 AM

I've used top fin, its fine. But where I live Prime is 2x the $, & treats 5x the water. You do need a pipette to measure it or end up wasting it.

username321 · 07-14-2007, 07:22 AM

thanks guys for your replies. I think I will go and buy myself a bottle of prime. I have a dropper that measure in increments of .5ml. i was also told that if one has hard water, you would need to add double the recommended dosage. is that true?

Reefneck · 07-14-2007, 09:47 AM

While I have nothing against "Prime" I prefer "Stress Coat" for freshwater. I buy it by the gallons for my African breeding rooms. Have used it for over 15 years. I love it.

Prime is the best for saltwater over Stress Coat because it does not contain Aloe Vera which makes skimmers go crazy. Prime does not cause that plus has the added benefit of detoxifying ammonia.

emc7 · 07-14-2007, 10:05 AM

Nothing on the label about hard water needing a higher dose. Maybe if your water supplier ODs the chloramine. The 2x dose is safe, but I don't think you need it. Seachem's labeling is usually spot on.

**Obsidian** · 07-14-2007, 12:30 PM

I use novaqua plus. I like it. You don't need much and while it does help with the slime coat it does not use aloevera, which also can coat the gills which is not good for the fish. So it makes a good coat without the downside.

username321 · 07-14-2007, 01:07 PM

thanks for all your responses guys!

Damon · 07-14-2007, 01:21 PM

To throw a monkeywrench into the works, I no longer use any water conditioners on my fw tanks.

emc7 · 07-14-2007, 02:18 PM

lol, do plants dechlor or do you have well water?

**Obsidian** · 07-14-2007, 02:56 PM

technically i could get away with that if i were willing to put my water out overnight because our water company does not use chloramine, just chlorine which will dissipate out on its own. I still wouldn't do it though LOL.

Scuba Kid · 07-14-2007, 03:32 PM

I hardly ever do use dechlorinator because our tapwater is very good and has minimal chemicals in it. But when I do, I do use stress coat.

Damon · 07-16-2007, 04:04 PM

I use at least 50% R.O. water in all but my shellie tank. That tank has water that sits for 3-5 days with an airstone in it before I change it out.

foehammer306 · 07-26-2007, 12:04 PM

I use topfin, but I want to start using prime.

07-13-2007, 05:32 PM	#1
username321 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 66	Water Conditioner I am currently using Top Fin's Water conditioner. however, i ran out of it recently. Before buying another bottle, i wanted to know if there are other superior products which you guys would recommend for conditioning the water. Thanks, UN321

07-13-2007, 05:37 PM	#2
mousey Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 839	Prime is very good. __________________ mousey Toronto. Canada

07-13-2007, 07:46 PM	#6
Scuba Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 18 Posts: 4,225	I use Stress Coat because it dechlorinates water as well as aiding in keeping the fishes' mucus coats healthy. To each his own. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

07-14-2007, 09:47 AM	#11
Reefneck Senior Aquarist Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Near a Coral Reef Age: 47 Posts: 1,351	While I have nothing against "Prime" I prefer "Stress Coat" for freshwater. I buy it by the gallons for my African breeding rooms. Have used it for over 15 years. I love it. Prime is the best for saltwater over Stress Coat because it does not contain Aloe Vera which makes skimmers go crazy. Prime does not cause that plus has the added benefit of detoxifying ammonia. __________________ I wonder how much salt mix I would need to turn our in ground pool into a Reef.

07-14-2007, 12:30 PM	#13
Obsidian Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Age: 37 Posts: 1,070	I use novaqua plus. I like it. You don't need much and while it does help with the slime coat it does not use aloevera, which also can coat the gills which is not good for the fish. So it makes a good coat without the downside. __________________ Obsidian 20 gallon 1 Dwarf Gourami; 5 Cherry Barbs; 7 Black Neon Tetras; 3 Peppered Cory's; 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco (Old Blondie) 10 gallon Breaking it down for storage. 5.5 gallon Betta 100 gallon 7 giant danios; 4 Rosy Barbs, 1 German Blue Ram, 7 Julie Cory cats, 2 Burmese Loaches; 4 Zebra Danios

Members currently in the Chat:0
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07-13-2007, 06:23 PM	#3
Dr_House Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 346	Nearly every fish-keeper that I respect uses Seachem Prime. They list a plethora of reasons, none of which I can recall right now. I use it for 2 reasons: 1. The people who I respect using it 2. Because it is concentrated, it is actually cheaper than most water conditioners. 1 capful treats 50 gallons, rather than 10.

07-13-2007, 06:28 PM	#4
username321 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 66	thanks dr_house and mousey. I think i read somewhere that prime also removes the ammonia from the tank, therby starving the bacteria. Can someone please verify this? Most likely i remember wrong!!!

07-13-2007, 07:35 PM	#5
GoodMike Banned Join Date: May 2006 Age: 22 Posts: 558	prime is a good product, i personally think it smells bad and is more expensive than you need to spend. i use genesis, if you can find that its a good product and its WAY cheap.

07-14-2007, 02:12 AM	#8
Apotheosis Adamant Minded Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Location is only a matter of physical being. The perceiving mind is omnipresent. Age: 17 Posts: 352	Most fishkeepers use prime. Other brands will definitely work though.

07-14-2007, 02:16 AM	#9
emc7 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Johns Creek, GA Posts: 3,654	I've used top fin, its fine. But where I live Prime is 2x the $, & treats 5x the water. You do need a pipette to measure it or end up wasting it.

07-14-2007, 07:22 AM	#10
username321 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 66	thanks guys for your replies. I think I will go and buy myself a bottle of prime. I have a dropper that measure in increments of .5ml. i was also told that if one has hard water, you would need to add double the recommended dosage. is that true?

07-14-2007, 10:05 AM	#12
emc7 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Johns Creek, GA Posts: 3,654	Nothing on the label about hard water needing a higher dose. Maybe if your water supplier ODs the chloramine. The 2x dose is safe, but I don't think you need it. Seachem's labeling is usually spot on.

07-14-2007, 01:07 PM	#14
username321 Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 66	thanks for all your responses guys!

07-14-2007, 01:21 PM	#15
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,972	To throw a monkeywrench into the works, I no longer use any water conditioners on my fw tanks. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

07-14-2007, 02:18 PM	#16
emc7 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Johns Creek, GA Posts: 3,654	lol, do plants dechlor or do you have well water?

07-14-2007, 02:56 PM	#17
Obsidian Moderator Join Date: May 2007 Location: Arizona Age: 37 Posts: 1,070	technically i could get away with that if i were willing to put my water out overnight because our water company does not use chloramine, just chlorine which will dissipate out on its own. I still wouldn't do it though LOL. __________________ Obsidian 20 gallon 1 Dwarf Gourami; 5 Cherry Barbs; 7 Black Neon Tetras; 3 Peppered Cory's; 1 Albino Bristlenose Pleco (Old Blondie) 10 gallon Breaking it down for storage. 5.5 gallon Betta 100 gallon 7 giant danios; 4 Rosy Barbs, 1 German Blue Ram, 7 Julie Cory cats, 2 Burmese Loaches; 4 Zebra Danios

07-14-2007, 03:32 PM	#18
Scuba Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: RI Age: 18 Posts: 4,225	I hardly ever do use dechlorinator because our tapwater is very good and has minimal chemicals in it. But when I do, I do use stress coat. __________________ Current setups: 1800 gallon koi pond, 10 gallon planted, 150 gallon reef, other FOWLR tanks

07-16-2007, 04:04 PM	#19
Damon Aquatic Naturalist Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Dayton, Ohio Age: 32 Posts: 14,972	I use at least 50% R.O. water in all but my shellie tank. That tank has water that sits for 3-5 days with an airstone in it before I change it out. __________________ For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Member of the AGA (Aquatic Gardner's Association) Member of the IBC (International Betta Congress)

07-26-2007, 12:04 PM	#20
foehammer306 Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 33	I use topfin, but I want to start using prime.

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