Prime Overdose?

[PoseidonCichlid]

Yesterday a friend and I were talking and he told me a story. I'd like to find out whether it's an urban legend by getting your opinions. He said he knew someone in his old apartment building with a seemingly healthy tank who decided to add some Prime after a slight maybe 10% water change. The tank was 100-125 gal. This was a guy who had already used Prime in the tank the day before, always threw in a little when adding new fish, so I'm assuming the water already had too much Prime in it to begin with. He dropped a whole cap full of the big bottle (maybe more) directly into the tank after topping it up. Within minutes all the fish in the tank rushed to the surface gulping for air. The airstones and filter were running but it didn't help. They started dropping dead to the aquarium bottom. He lost almost every fish in there except the labyrinth fish (his gouramis) and the air gulping catfish like corys. Is such a scenario possible?

 

[Brookster123]

I can assure you whatever occurred in the tank had absolutely nothing to do with prime, water chemistry? Temp? Chlorine? Sabotage?? Not prime. .

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[Delapool]

Plus 1. Interested in any more details but a bit dubious that prime is the culprit after reading through.

 

[sinibotia]

Well, from what I just read, prime is a reducing agent, so if he really, really badly overdosed it, it could have affected oxygen levels in the tank.

Prime Overdose -vs- Oxygen - Seachem Support Forums

 

[aqua_holic]

The caps are the same size on all the bottles (except the tiny one). One capful treats 50 gallons. Seachem says prime is safe to dose up to 5x the recommended dosage, which would be 10 capfuls on a 100 gallon tank.

People have a tendency to grasp on to anything when looking for reasons why fish die. Often we just don't know why they die, but that is how myths are started - someone assumes something is the case, pushes it hard and then people start repeating it until it's "common knowledge".

 

[Delapool]

I was wondering if it could of been a smaller tank (for the OP)?

 

[PoseidonCichlid]

Well, from what I just read, prime is a reducing agent, so if he really, really badly overdosed it, it could have affected oxygen levels in the tank.

Prime Overdose -vs- Oxygen - Seachem Support Forums

Thanks so much for posting that link! Great detailed response.

 

[aqua_holic]

I don't think the actual number of gallons of the tank in the OPs story is important - it's a big tank, whether it's 75, 90 or 125 gallons. All would require several capfuls of prime.

 

[Mebbid]

Was he treating the tank with copper?

 

[Delapool]

I don't think the actual number of gallons of the tank in the OPs story is important - it's a big tank, whether it's 75, 90 or 125 gallons. All would require several capfuls of prime.

True, true - I was wondering if it was maybe 10gal or some mix up with litres. Big tanks I just find a pretty bullet proof (until they are not and you are cursing that a water python was never purchased after the umpteenth bucket).

 

[Delapool]

Was he treating the tank with copper?

What that make a difference? Just in general out of interest.

 

[Mebbid]

What that make a difference? Just in general out of interest.

Cupramine and prime mixed in a tank creates a toxic stew in rhe tank. Offhandedly, its the only thing I can think of for this that would directly relate to prime.

 

[aqua_holic]

True, true - I was wondering if it was maybe 10gal or some mix up with litres. Big tanks I just find a pretty bullet proof (until they are not and you are cursing that a water python was never purchased after the umpteenth bucket).

A capful in a 10 gallon would certainly be at the manufactures proclaimed limit for safety. Would be much more plausible.

 

[Delapool]

Cupramine and prime mixed in a tank creates a toxic stew in rhe tank. Offhandedly, its the only thing I can think of for this that would directly relate to prime.

Thanks for the reply - that is interesting.

 

[dalto]

Even a 5x dose of prime by itself would not produce that kind of instant death. It had to be something else tied to what he was doing.

 

[Titaniumtim]

Its sounds like he got the prime mixed up with the ammonia! I almost did that once.lol

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[Brookster123]

Its sounds like he got the prime mixed up with the ammonia! I almost did that once.lol

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Or the vodka I always know where the vodka goes though...

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[Mebbid]

Or the vodka I always know where the vodka goes though...

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Vodka is a legitimate way to reduce nitrates though

 

[Mebbid]

Or the vodka I always know where the vodka goes though...

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Vodka is a legitimate way to reduce nitrates though

 

[Brookster123]

Vodka is a legitimate way to reduce nitrates though

You said it!!! Wc's and vodka go hand in hand

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