well, i have had 3 LFS tell me to switch dechlorinators

[Guest]

all suggested either aqua safe or start right for our water supply. anyone know why they would tell me to switch?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

What are you using?

 

[Guest]

Prime

 

[jsoong]

Prime is as good as any .... but since it is so concentrated, a bottle will last you 10x longer than the others so the lfs makes less profits.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

No reason to change your dechlorinator. Prime is the best IMO. And I completly agree. The more dechlor that you use the more money that the lfs gets out of it. It's kind of like them telling you to change your cartridges every 4 weeks.

 

[Guest]

I would stay with Prime IMO. Its always done its job for me and never let me down. And as before, if you get a big bottle of the stuff it does last quite a long time.

 

[severum mama]

I've been using Prime for about 3 years and I've had no problems at all. I've used other brands too, but none of them are as concentrated as Prime, so I agree that other brands are more expensive in the long run.

 

[joannde]

FishyPeanut - most people are not going to remember that you're battling tap water with high ammonia. You might want to do a google search on the other products and see if they REMOVE ammonia or just render it non-toxic like Prime does. If it removes it then you risk starving your biofilter unless you dose exactly for the amt of ammonia you're adding with water changes. If they just render it non-toxic then they are the same as Prime.

 

[fish_4_all]

I know this is off topic a little but with ammonia in the tap water, couldn't you use another tank with plants in it to remove the ammonia before adding it to the tanks? Maybe fill it with water and let it set until the ammonia reaches 0, do a water change and refill the plant tank? Could save a lot of money and grow some easy plants in a low maintenance tank also, maybe elodea or wisteria or just some floating plants like water lettuce or Phyllanthus fluitans aka Red Root floater, (czcz's idea). A totally black painted tank or covered with something outside with the floating plants maybe just what you need to remove the ammonia. It could be an inside tank to avoid algae problems. You could grow some really cool plants really fast and save a little money or even get some cool plants in trade for the ones from the "filtering" tank.

Just and idea but if it does work it could be a way for others to deal with ammonia in tap water.

 

[nzpv03]

No reason to change your dechlorinator. Prime is the best IMO. And I completly agree. The more dechlor that you use the more money that the lfs gets out of it. It's kind of like them telling you to change your cartridges every 4 weeks.

So how often SHOULD you change your filter cartridge?? My lfs told me the carbon in my Penguin 200b would stop being effective after 4 weeks! I should have known it was a scam

 

[joannde]

The carbon actually loses effectiveness alot sooner than 4 wks - more like one.

Filter material can be rinsed in old tank water before you dump it. You don't need to replace it until its falling apart. If you have the type of filter where the carbon already comes inside of it you can slit it and remove the carbon saving it for only when you really do need it (ie: removing meds)

 

[Jchillin]

Charcoal is the only media that requires replacing on a regular basis, sponges and bio-media can last for years if maintained as joannde mentions.

Fishypeanut: If the same store and same employees are advising you to change dechlorinators 3x, something is seriously wrong with their advice. You have ammonia in your tap, Prime will take care of it. FWIW, I use Aqua-Plus and not Prime.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Stick with Prime.

 

[Menagerie]

So how often SHOULD you change your filter cartridge?? My lfs told me the carbon in my Penguin 200b would stop being effective after 4 weeks!

I don't use carbon in any of my tanks, unless I medicate a main tank--which would be a RARE event. When I used HOB filters, I always rinsed the filter and reused. They will last easily a year+ I went to canister filters before the cartridge fell apart.

FP-if Prime has been working for you, no need to change.

 

[nzpv03]

ok so now my question is...even though the carbon is old in my cartridge can I just leave it in there for a long time until i decide to change the cartridge? I don't need to use any carbon...or should I just make a slit and take it out?

 

[Pleco]

FWIW i replace the AC based media in my eclipse filter every 3-4 weeks. I rinse the top of the media off once a week.

For a water conditioner i use AquaSafe, i started with it and it just kinda stuck with me. It does the job

-Pleco

 

[odessadude]

Most fish stores are there to make money. They will tell you anything to sell more product. Think about it, they pay their employees close to minimum wage. They are driven by their bosses to sell product. No product sales, no job.

On the other hand, you can get your information on a thread like this. Are you going to take what you read here to be 100% true? You can gain valuable information here, but you also have to realize some of the information you receive here may be bad information.

I learned that the publishers and authors of most Tetra publications have the best information. Look for books written by, Dr. Paul V. Loiselle or Dr. Rudiger Riehl. I feel these are the most informative books on the market and you can also pick their articles up on the net for free.

There are many other good authors, go to the library and check them out. It is a great way to get in and to enjoy the aquatic hobby.

 

[Sicklid]

Menagerie, what do you use, strictly bio-filtration? I have been thinking about that for a while, since I had my rams die from HITH disease, and heard over-filtering with carbon can be the culprit since my water quality was pretty good.