# brand of water conditioner



## Malawi_G (Jan 24, 2005)

Just a question for everyone....I just wanna know your opinion in what brand of water contioner do you think is the best. The reason I'm asking is that I've been using Prime for such a long time and now I'm starting to hear some people say that it's not that good and that it causes stress on some fish...Does anybody have this experience before????. What other brand out there that's available that do you guys think is better or have work well with you.....thanks for your inputs.....


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## Tinga (Nov 27, 2009)

I use prime and have never had a problem at all with it.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

PRIME


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## kinesis (Aug 20, 2009)

Prime is all I need!


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## CrypticLifeStyle (Dec 14, 2009)

Did they say how it causes fish stress? I'm kinda curious hearing their reasoning...I don't think i've heard any negative feedback about prime before...Stuff is great & fairly cheap :-??


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## Malawi_G (Jan 24, 2005)

They did not really specify, but the guys that I talk to said that it has something to do with the slime coat( I might have mis understood him), but he refferred me to a different brand, but I can't remember.....I'm having problems right now with my angel fish and this started happening after I did a 30% WC and rescape(minor) the tank....the guy also said that it might be something in the tap water, but i don't know how you could find out.....my parameters are okay I check for Ammonia(0), Nitrite(0), Nitrate(20 ppm), ph 7.4.....


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Tetra Aquasafe is good too. They all use a sodium compound to knock chlorine out. 
I've seen prime used on obscenely fragile fish (checkerboards, etc) with no issues though.


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## ~Fish Guy~ (Feb 7, 2010)

PRIME RULES!

It rids the water of chlorine, chloramine, and protects fish from ammonia without starving the bio filter bacteria. best stuff on the market. Period. Its also normal for it to smell like rotten eggs when you open the bottle.

People say its expensive but its really not because of its high concentration. One cap-full treats 50 gallons vs. the same amount tetra aqua safe or API stress coat treating only 10 gallons. its really good stuff!


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

I've been using prime for pretty good while now (year +). Best stuff in my opinion. I am so use to using it i do not even measure anymore.

I used that API stress zyme twice and actually noticed my fish freaking out and flashing afterwards....

Never seen any ill effects with prime and i have used at least 10 big bottles of the stuff.


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## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Prime for years. No problems. Who told you it puts stress on the fish and why?


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> They did not really specify, but the guys that I talk to said that it has something to do with the slime coat( I might have mis understood him),


Prime stimulates the fish to produce more of a slime coat by adding something that in some way irritates the fish into doing so. They're not telling what that is. That's my big gripe with Prime and similar products. I'd suggest using something that handles the chloramine/chorine only. Healthy fish don't need to be irritated into producing more of a slime coat. Of course, that assumes it does what they say it does. If it doesn't really do as they say (always a good chance of that) then no harm in using it. Not everone here is on the Prime bandwagon, can you tell. 

When I hear folks raving about it, I have to wonder and ask what in the world it does that's so wonderful. It's a dechlorinator. Kind of boring, actually. If a product deals with chloramine by breaking the chlorine/ammonia bond and then binds up the ammonia into ammonium, then it works just as well as Prime or any other product that does the same thing. The rest of the stuff on the bottle came out of a marketing department of people who've probably never kept a fish in their lives. Sheessh! I'm done now. 

Check out this article on conditioners.


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## robg33 (Feb 12, 2010)

I like Prime. I don't claim that it is any better than other dechlorinators but I like the fact that it is highly concentrated. This makes it easier to dose to my tank that is constantly changing water via a drip feed. I can use smaller amounts and therefore refill my doser less often. I have not had any problems with it in about eight years. About five of those years I have been dosing my tank with small amounts constantly and also using it for manual water changes.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

prov356 said:


> > When I hear folks raving about it, I have to wonder and ask what in the world it does that's so wonderful. It's a dechlorinator. Kind of boring, actually.


I read an article a while back where they tested what all the product says it does and what it really does and prime did what it said.... others didnt pass the test for what they said they would do.

Its too late now but i will try and find that article tommorow.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

http://www.thetropicaltank.co.uk/rev-cond.htm

I couldnt find the article i was looking for but stumbled upon this. This still makes me feel good about prime because it removes everything i need it to and you can use it at up to 5x the dose without an overdose and it is very concentrated so you end up using less.

The aquasafe looks like it does a good job as well. The API contains aloa vera which i guess is what makes my fish freak out when i add it to the tank.


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

I have not used dechlorinater in 1 1/2 years. I change 1,000 gallons a week on 11 different tanks. Spa flex hose is packed with pellitized carbon. Works for me and my fish.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> I read an article a while back where they tested what all the product says it does and what it really does and prime did what it said.... others didnt pass the test for what they said they would do.
> 
> Its too late now but i will try and find that article tommorow.


Please link it if you find it, as I'd love to read it. I guess if you have a heavy metal problem with your water maybe you'd need something like Prime to deal with it. Is that what you mean by 'removes what I need it to'?

I've often advocated the use of Prime as a detox product on this forum btw. If it weren't for the 'slime coat' thing, I'd give it two thumbs up actually. I just don't like the way these companies falsely hype up their products. That chart in the link illustrates the problem very well. Many try to keep up or get ahead by making additional claims that go beyond simple dechlorinating. They try to find a way to stand out. Who got the idea in their head that fish need help with their slime coats? And why did everyone run with that? Because it sells product. Any benefit to the fish? No.


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

I agree that adding something to protect the slime coat is unnecessary. Healthy fish do not need that anyway. I searched the website for prime and could not find what they add to help the slime coat. Just says it promotes the production and regeneration of the slime coat.

Living off of city water supply i want something that is going to remove all the heavy metals and chlorimines possible. I am sure plenty of people buy something that only dechlorinates but doesnt take out heavy metals and other deposits from their city water supply.

Just curious (sorry if i missed it) but prov356 what do you use with your water changes?


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

This guy and I are on the same page.

http://tbas1.wiredtron.com/index.php?PH ... opic=149.0


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## GaFishMan1181 (Dec 17, 2008)

Very interesting! Thanks for posting that link.

I dont know about all the fancy scientfic names or methods. I'm just a country boy who moved to the city and wants the best possible water for my fish without spending an arm and a leg.

How do you remove the problem of city water or any water unfit for cichlids without having to pre treat all of your water with carbon?

I'm sure plenty of people would be open to things other than chemicals. Just not sure what?

krfhsf- i saw you run your water through a carbon type hose. Where do you get this at? and does it remove all the chlorine and chlorimines and heavy metals from city water?


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

Don't want to hijack malawi_G's thread so I will start a new one tomorrow.


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

> Just curious (sorry if i missed it) but prov356 what do you use with your water changes?


I buy sodium thiosulfate crystals and make my own dechlor. Where I live the city water only has chlorine. I wouldn't assume all city water has a heavy metal problem. I've been keeping tanganyikans for years this way. And, actually I only use the dechlor when filling smaller tanks with the python. Most of my water changes are made using water that's stored for 24 hours or more. I don't use any conditioners at all for that. When I first got started up with tangs, I went with Prime because of all of the recommendations out there on the forums. But, I've moved away from it now for reasons previously stated.

Great link *krfhsf*, thanks :thumb: Less is more. Know what you're adding and why. Don't blindly trust what's written on bottles sold at fish stores. Know what's in your water and investigate options to deal with it and make an informed decision.


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## ssondubs (Nov 16, 2008)

Seachem for me


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