How do you measure Prime for a 5 gal container?

[caudelfin]

I just purchased a bottle of Prime. Instructions say add 1 capful (5 ml or 5ppm) to each 50 Gal of chlorinated or chloramine tap water. I knew it was concentrated but it is much more concentrated than I thought.

Since I only add water using a 5 gal container, how many drops of Prime should I add to dechlorinate the water and detoxify the ammonia that was in the chloramine which is in our tap water??

I use the 5 gal container because I change 2.5 to 3 gal in the 10 gal tank,
7 - 10 gals in the 29 gal tank and I change 15 gals in the 90 gal tank. The bottle says that each cap thread is approx. 1 ml which would go in ten gals, but I need only .5 ml in 5 gal and I know somewhere I saw a conversion factor for ml to drops.
Thanks
caudelfin

 

[revhtree]

Not sure but i think it is 2 drops per gallon.....

Hold on though let me check!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I use 1 ml per 5 gal. But we also have a higher concentration of Chloramines in our water so we have to double up according to the Prime instructions. So if you have a lower concentration of Chloramines, you'd use 1/2 ml per 5 gal. Go to Wal-Mart or some other Pharmacy and ask for a Baby Medicine Syringe (it doesn't have a needle on it). It measures by ml. That's what we use to measure the prime and it has marks on it to measure 1/2 ml's. Have you thought about using a Python instead of the bucket system?

 

[caudelfin]

I use 1 ml per 5 gal. But we also have a higher concentration of Chloramines in our water so we have to double up according to the Prime instructions. So if you have a lower concentration of Chloramines, you'd use 1/2 ml per 5 gal. Go to Wal-Mart or some other Pharmacy and ask for a Baby Medicine Syringe (it doesn't have a needle on it). It measures by ml. That's what we use to measure the prime and it has marks on it to measure 1/2 ml's. Have you thought about using a Python instead of the bucket system?

I do need a test kit for measuring Chlorine/Chloramine in the water. It seems to be really low here. We are at the end of the water supply and it has gotten down to a very small amount of the stuff in our water by the time it gets here.

I had a Python that I purchased 8 years ago, never did use it and the dogs chewed up the fittings laying around on the back porch near the pond. I still use the gravel vac from it to vac the 90 gal tank out into the backyard.

I have thought about getting another Python but I have not been convinced that getting even a little chlorine-chloramine in a tank before it finds the dechlorinator might harm some fish.

If they would fix a sure fire method to mix the Prime in the Python at some point so the water would come out with the heavy metals, chlorine, etc taking care of before the water hits the tank I would use it.


And it seems like a waste to use enough prime for a 90 gal tank when you only need enough for 15 gals, going from 15 ml down to 1.5 ml. But it would save some work to use a Python, then again, I do need some exercise. (G)

Thanks for waking me up, I have the syringes that I got from the vet and I use them all the time to measure water in to test tube vials to check the tank water. These will be good for up to .5 ml, but I still would like to convert the ml to drops for less than 5 gal.
caudelfin

 

[Fishyfanatic]

If you do it for less than 5 gal, just use .1 ml per gal. I came across an assortment of syringes that are used for babies at my mom's friends pharmacy. They have one that is long and narrow. It only fills to 1 ml. That way you can measure for smaller doses. It measures as small as .05 ml per line.

Running water that is not dechlorinated into a tank is not going to harm the fish. I've been doing it for a year without any ill effects. Although, I did kill all my fish one time, but that was in the beginning phases and I forgot to put in the dechlor after a HUGE water change (somewhere around 90% pwc). Many members do it and haven't had problems. I was concerned when we moved to our new apt because the water company uses chloramines and our old place only used chlorine. But so far we haven't had anything bad happen. It's basically a convenience. It's nice to sit down on the couch while the water is refilling into the 150. I couldn't even imagine filling buckets for water changes on all of our tanks. That would be 16 buckets. Not to mention 16 buckets of nasty water being removed.

 

[severum mama]

I have the small dropper bottle of Prime (50 mL), and the instructions say 2 drops per gallon. In fact, the reason I bought the small bottle is so I could refill it from the 250 mL bottle and keep using the dropper. As a product of the American education system, I don't measure in mL!

BTW, your fish would be fine with a Python if you want to try it. Tons of people here use them with no problems. I used to be one of those people, but my water pressure is so low in my house that it's actually faster to use buckets.

 

[Toirtis]

I still have the little plastic dropper that came with Prime originally, so I use slightly under half of that...Prime doesn't (as far as I know) supply them anymore, but you can buy them online:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Plastic-Dropper...ryZ26417QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Bhunsucker]

Can you over dose your tank with Prime? What are the effects if you use to much? What if you put a cap ful in a 5 gal bucket during a water change?

 

[Toirtis]

Overdosing is never good, but fortunately with Prime, even a double dose is still safe....a whole capful for 5 gallons is a bit much, though.

 

[revhtree]

I like to put a little extra in myself....Not too much though...

 

[patagonia]

i posted the same question here like 6 months ago since i use prime and i had a 5gal tank...ive been dosing 2 drops per gal and i havent had a problem...

 

[Bhunsucker]

The reason that I was asking is that when I do my water changes I use the old fashion way 5 gal buckets (no python here) and I add the prime to my new water in the 5 gal buckets then dump it in my tank. So I was unsure how much prime to put in the buckets. It sounds like 10 drops should be enough for one bucket then?

 

[severum mama]

I also use a 5 gal bucket, but I can't really pick it up too well when it is totally full. I used a gallon water bottle to fill the bucket up to 3 gallons, and then scratched a line on the inside of the bucket to mark it. Then I know for sure that I need 6 drops for every bucket.

 

[SlipperyFishy]

I put a whole cap full of prime in a 5 Gal bucket. I'm nervous now. Should I dump some out?

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[SlipperyFishy]

Keep in mind this is water I am declhorinating for a salt tank. I still haven't put salt in water yet, as the salt instructions say declhorinated water

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[Skyjacker07]

It'll be fine, that's quite a bit, it's 1 mil per 10 gallons, each thread on the cap is a mil, it will make it easier if you just buy a syringe to measure it it would be ok to use 1 mil in a 5 but it's suppose to be a half a mil.

 

[lksdrinker]

I'm pretty sure the lines from the thread on the inside of the cap are used to measure the dosage. for a dosage to treat 10 gallons I fill to the lowest line. You could also buy the smallest bottle of prime which comes with a flip cap that allows you to add by the drip (and that cap can be transferred to the larger bottle later if need be).

 

[Marble128]

I would recommend picking up an eye dropper at your local drug store or aquarium store.
I have a 20 gallon fresh water tank and I bought a crazy large bottle of Prime (that what the guy recommended). I picked up a eye dropper from the aquarium store and add 0.4ml to 4 gallons of water in a bucket. I usually let it sit in my tub over night so the water reaches room temp. and then added it to the tank the next day.
Good luck!