Prime water conditioner

[Sahabo]

So I'm calling around to my LFS's in the area, looking to see who carries Prime. Not much luck with that.

One LFS told me that I didn't need it, and that I should just be getting something like AmQuel to condition the water. He said that if I wanted to promote slime coat on my fish, I should add aquarium salt. He said he found that some of the ingredients in those other conditioners blocked fish gills and caused problems, and that if my tank was properly set up, I shouldn't need extra agents to detox nitrites, etc.

Although he said he likes to do things "the old fashioned way" when it comes to fish, I don't necessarily trust him, because he was the one who sold me my fish and told me all sorts of junk that caused problems for me.

What do you all think?

 

[Skyrmir]

Amquell and Prime are the same thing. Prime is just more concentrated so you use less at a time and get more out of a single bottle. It's not a quality thing so much as an economy thing.

 

[fijiwigi]

Prime is a dechlorinator and is all you need really. I use aquasafe and have been for years because I can buy it at wal-mart for a lot cheaper than the LFS When I had african cichlids I added A salt designed for cichlids that liked hard water. I think its called brackish fish. With a betta I don't really see a need for anything other than dechlorinator.

 

[CatatonicBug]

The nitrite claim is true. If everything is balanced, and the bio-filtration is running well, the ammonia-ntitrite-nitrate problem should not be an issue (though regular testing is still vitally important). The main purpose of using Prime is as a dechlorinator for tap water. That is a very important ingredient. Aquarium salt is good too, if you have fish that need it. I notice that my fish have done much better when the tank has aquarium salt added. The people on this site seem to swear by Prime, and the super-concentration of it makes it so you use very little compared to many other conditioners.

As for doing things the "old-fashioned" way, that should send up a red flag. Fishless cycling has proven to be a better and more gentle way to set up a tank, but most LFS's have no idea what you're talking about if you ask for ammonia to start the cycle. The old-fashioned way stresses the fish, and often kills them.

 

[Purrbox]

I think that the fact that Prime detoxifies Ammonia is much more important than detoxifying Nitrite, especially since most places are using Chloramines to treat the water. About the only time that detoxifying Nitrite would be important is when cycling a new aquarium, or if something happens to cause your aquarium to go through a mini cycle.

Sounds to me like your LFS has a preference for certain brands and is very set in their ways. I think they may also be confusing Prime with Stress Coat which claims to improve the slime coat. I would never recommend Stress Coat for some of the same reasons your LFS mentioned. Prime on the other hand is just a good dechlorinator that will also handle chlormines and is very economical.

The PetSmart by me carries Prime, so that may be an option if you have one near you. Otherwise you may have to order online.

 

[Sahabo]

So here is what the Prime website says about it:

"Prime™ removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Prime™ converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Prime™ may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Prime™ detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels.Prime™ also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat."


Here is what the AmQuel website says about it:

"AmQuel quickly and effectively removes/detoxifies ammonia, chlorine and chloramines (three of the most toxic chemicals commonly found in tap water from public utilities) from fresh and salt water. AmQuel is the first to be a true one-step liquid ammonia and chloramine remover that is simple to use.

AmQuel is completely unlike those dechlorinators that claim to "remove" chloramines. Those products only break the chlorine-ammonia bond of chloramines by simple dechlorination, leaving the toxic ammonia in the water. Using those other products, the resulting ammonia must be removed by bacterial action which can take days or weeks."

Which one is better? Or is it just personal preference?

I'm tempted to go with Prime because so many people here swear by it, and I've not been steered wrong by this site yet! Plus I am on a tight budget, so economical would be good. The nearest place to get it is 30 minutes away (gas prices!!), whereas I could get AmQuel locally. But if it's worth it...

 

[pitt420dude]

I'm tempted to go with Prime because so many people here swear by it, and I've not been steered wrong by this site yet! Plus I am on a tight budget, so economical would be good. The nearest place to get it is 30 minutes away (gas prices!!), whereas I could get AmQuel locally. But if it's worth it...

WARNING: A haiku ensues:

You should go with prime!
You can order it online!
Your fish will be fine!

 

[Purrbox]

They are equally effective, but since Prime is more concentrated it's more economical.

First I'd seen that about Prime having claims of improving slime coat production.

 

[CatatonicBug]

WARNING: A haiku ensues:

You should go with prime!
You can order it online!
Your fish will be fine!

That is absolutely cool! I haven't seen a haiku since High School!

Little beaver dam
Dam* that little beaver dam
Little beaver - Dam*...

 

[Sahabo]

You should go with prime!
You can order it online!
Your fish will be fine!

I think I will. But I'll have to get it at PetSmart and drive the 30 minutes. One thing about being on a tight budget, you wait until the very last minute to get things, hoping that they'll last longer than you anticipate. So I need it for tonight. The economical choice to go with Prime and the gas money to drive to get it will probably cancel each other out

Thanks for all your advice!

 

[Skyrmir]

They're both various concentrations of sodium thiosulfate, sodium bisulfite, sodium hyposulfite or sodium metabisulfite. (The sulfur is why they smell bad) The slime coat claims are simply because the sodium combines with the chlorine to make sodium chloride...aka salt. Salt+fish = slime. The sulfides account for the claims of detoxifying ammonia and nitrite. The rest is pretty much just marketing.

If you only need it for your 5.5 Betta tank, then even the concentration difference won't matter. You won't be needing much of it either way. It's when you get up to bigger tanks or catch MTS that the price difference gets worth it.

 

[An t-iasg]

I used to use Amquel in my betta tanks a long time ago. I haven't been able to find it for a few years, so I switched to Prime basically because it was the only thing I could find. It does last a very long time - you need drops vs. some fraction of a teaspoon - and it didn't seem like it hurt anything so it's all I buy now. Plus I got a big bottle free at the last MACNA

 

[Sahabo]

It does last a very long time - you need drops vs. some fraction of a teaspoon - and it didn't seem like it hurt anything so it's all I buy now. Plus I got a big bottle free at the last MACNA

I did get some this evening...and I love the drops vs. trying to figure out 1/16th of a teaspoon or something like that!

What's MACNA?

 

[An t-iasg]

For ease of dosing, Prime can't be beat!

MACNA stands for Marine Aquarium Conference of North America and it's a saltwater-reef exhibit held once a year. I don't have SW tanks but it was held in Pittsburgh last fall so I couldn't pass it up! I have some cool pics from it in my gallery!