Are all these products snake oil?

[FirstTime]

Well I finally got a newtank set up. Said to add the included packet of aqua safe to dechlorinate the water.

Then it goes on to add jungle starter once the fish are in, then it takes about something called easy balance, and talked about all the other crap available.

I had goldfish about 5 years ago, and I put town water in it with no aquasafe (too young to know about that stuff), never put it any kind of chemicals at all, and I think the 5-6 fish I had lasted a good 2-3 years.

Is all this stuff a waste of money? What kind of chems do I REALLY NEED for a trop tank?

 

[FirstTime]

One other question. I bought a 50 watt heater that says 2-15 gallons. My water was 58 when poured in, and it's been 4 hours and it's only gone up to 68.

 

[mistersprinkles]

One other question. I bought a 50 watt heater that says 2-15 gallons. My water was 58 when poured in, and it's been 4 hours and it's only gone up to 68.

You never mentioned what size your tank is so I can't tell you if the heater's good enough. Generally 10 gallons is the max size for 50 watts. You can get away with it in a 15 gallon if it is in a warm room.

Most aquarium products are not snake oil. There is a purpose and functionality to most of them.

Products you must use if on chlorinated water are dechlorinators. One of the better values for the money is seachem Prime. It's very concentrated. You'll need a syringe to dose it. 1mL per 10 gallons. Works out pretty cheap.

Also, it's not a bad idea to add a high quality beneficial bacteria supplement when starting a new tank. Tetra Safestart is the best one on the market.

Other than that, there's nothing else you need to add to your water. Except for buffers, should you wish to change your pH, which is not recommended unless you have been keeping fish for a long time.

 

[trinifella]

Yea the dechlorinators are a must, because besides removing chlorine, they remove chloramines, which isn't removed when we let tap water sit. Like Mr. S also said, adding good bacteria from the start helps