And the winner is..... Seriously guys/girls, is it worth the risk? Barring shipping rates to the North Pole, water conditioner is not all that outrageously priced..
Right, but the point of the thread was the OP wanted to know why his boss made him have the water sit for 24 hours despite using prime.
Also many conditioners only contain sodium thiosulfate and maybe some aloe. Sodium thiosulfate will remove chlorine but when it interacts with chloramines it releases ammonia. With an established biofilter this may not be a problem but agian the OP's boss may feel more comfortable letting it sit for 24 hours so any ammonia that may released from cholramines dissapates.
Prime however claims to contain more complex hydrosulfite saltes that not only remove chlorine and chloramines but also binds ammonia and heavy metals as well as detoxifies nitrite and nitrates for 48 hours. Pretty cool if you ask me. And it keeps the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates bound in a form that can still be utilized by plants and the bio filter. So it is completely unnecessary to let the water sit for any amount of time when using prime. It works instantly.
When I do water changes I dose prime for the entire tank volume. If I do small top offs I do not use a water conditioner but I know whats in my tapwater.
So in reference to the OP's original question that is why I gave the information the way I did. To give you the reason why his boss wanted the water to sit for 24 hours despite using prime. I was not suggesting anyone not to use a conditioner just stating why in certain situations it is not necessary.
Here is a reference from seachems site:
Prime
Product Description
Prime® is the complete and concentrated conditioner for both fresh and salt water. 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. Prime® is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Prime® will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water.
Sizes: 50 mL, 100 mL, 250 mL, 500 mL, 2 L, 4 L, 20 L
Why It's Different
Nearly all companies manufacture a product that removes chlorine. None of those, however, can compare in quality, concentration, or effectiveness to Seachem’s flagship product: Prime®.*Prime® is the second most concentrated dechlorinator on the market after our own aquavitro*alpha™. A single 100 mL bottle will treat 1000 US gallons of tap water.*Prime® will remove both chlorine and chloramines from municipal water supplies.
Prime® also contains a binder which renders ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate non-toxic. It is very important to understand how those two functions work together. All dechlorinators operate through a chemical process known as reduction. In this process, toxic dissolved chlorine gas (Cl2) is converted into non-toxic chloride ions (Cl-). The reduction process also breaks the bonds between chlorine and nitrogen atoms in the chloramine molecule (NH2Cl), freeing the chlorine atoms and replacing them with hydrogen (H) to create ammonia (NH3).
Typically, dechlorinators stop there, leaving an aquarium full of toxic ammonia! Seachem takes the necessary next step by including an ammonia binder to detoxify the ammonia produced in the reduction process.
Be very careful when purchasing water conditioners. If your municipality includes chloramines in the water supplies, a standard sodium thiosulfate dechlorinator is not enough. Prime® promotes the natural production and restoration of the slime coat rather than relying on artificial or non-native slime compounds. A further bonus for the reef hobbyist—Prime® will not overactivate protein skimmers.
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