question about PRIME

[mfdrookie516]

My bottle says 5mL per 50G of NEW water. So they are not recommending treating the whole tank.

Since it is a chemical reaction, what matters is that there are enough molecules in the dose for the molecules in the water that need to be detoxified. The Prime is diluted, but so is the water. In this case, treating the volume of new water would work.

But if you are trying to detoxify ammonia in the tank, then go with the volume of the tank.

It is only a guide, because otherwise, they would need to give you a complicated formula requiring you to calculate the concentration of ammonia or chlorine in order to get you the proper dose.

IMHO
G

not trying to argue... but this is straight from the website...

Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 200 L (50 gallons*) of new water. This removes approximately 1 mg/L ammonia, 4 mg/L chloramine, or 5 mg/L chlorine. For smaller doses, please note each cap thread is approx. 1 mL. May be added to aquarium directly, but better if added to new water first. If adding directly to aquarium, base dose on aquarium volume. Sulfur odor is normal. For exceptionally high chloramine concentrations, a double dose may be used safely. To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 °C (86 °F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose.

Seachem. Prime

 

[Greeny]

I should have read the whole bottle. It probably says that on there too. Feel free to go with their recommendation if you want to.

I'm not trying to argue either...really I'm not. The chemistry principles I was talking about still apply. If you are just treating for chlorine and you don't need to detoxify anything else, *I think* you can just treat based on the volume you are putting in. And I am asterisking that *I think* because I am an accountant, not a chemist so take it for what it is worth. (but I did get a good mark in chemistry those 21 years ago)

 

[mfdrookie516]

I should have read the whole bottle. It probably says that on there too. Feel free to go with their recommendation if you want to.

I'm not trying to argue either...really I'm not. The chemistry principles I was talking about still apply. If you are just treating for chlorine and you don't need to detoxify anything else, *I think* you can just treat based on the volume you are putting in. And I am asterisking that *I think* because I am an accountant, not a chemist so take it for what it is worth. (but I did get a good mark in chemistry those 21 years ago)

I'm just guessing here (truly guessing), but going off what HN1 said, you're diluting the chemicals in Prime when you add to water. Now, they're designed to be diluted to an extent. Basically, the solution is guaranteed to make chlorine and/or chloramine safe for fish at a rate of 5ml prime to 50 gallons of water. Now, when you go adding in more water that changes. So if you have a 100 gallon tank, do a 50% water change and only add 5ml of Prime, you're only dosing 1/2 as much Prime as what is required.

A good analogy (IMO of course) would be that you're planting flowers. Say you need 50 pounds of potting soil for 10 flowers in a 2'x3' pot. Now, lets say that you decide to use a 4'x3' pot. You've doubled the size of the pot, but you think that the "rule" is that you only need 50 pounds of potting soil for those 10 flowers. Well, you're going to see that you only have 1/2 as much as you need. Ok, bad analogy, but you get my thinking... maybe jsoong can chime in with his awesome chemical knowledge?

 

[Greeny]

Would love to hear jsoong's awesome chemical knowledge applied to the problem. Better safe than sorry, but if I can get safe with a lower dose, then I'm good. Prime is NOT cheap. I use a lot of water changing my betta fry jars and the discus water. I'm constantly topping up the water reservoirs (separate aging tanks for discus and others) and treating the amount of the new water added to get rid of the chlorine and chloramines.

My money is on the molecules. Dilute one and dilute the other and you are good. Sorry, but the flower pot doesn't work as an analogy for me because it isn't a chemical reaction.

Still...not arguing!

 

[taylorodw]

IMO it may have less to do with chemistry and more to do with dilution and safe reaction times...

The real question is, how much chlorine/chloramine is harmful to our tanks, and how quickly can exposure to chlorine/chloramine harm them? Maybe adding only enough prime to replace what you removed would bind/remove all the chlorine, but because that prime is diluted throughout the tank, it takes too long to react and the chlorine harms our biological filter, fish, or invertebrates. This is the reason (in my uninformed, armchair opinion) that overdosing the prime makes sense. The overdose means the untreated water is more likely to quickly come in contact with prime.

Hope that helps shed a little light on it.

 

[maxima423]

yea i usually dose twice the amount i put in, but i guess i will start dosing for full tank volume =]

 

[krap101]

I'd imagine that the reason they say this is to keep their butts covered for the people who have pythons, and add the prime during or after the wc. If you treat the water before, I'm sure just adding enough for the amount changed is fine, but if you add directly to the tank, then the concentration goes down, and might not be as effective.

 

[BlackMagic]

its all about not using any conditioner, save you more money.

 

[BlackMagic]

but yeah, prime is like 2 drop by L. loL thats the only Pros. about prime.
and thats y mostly everyone use prime.

 

[BlackMagic]

I'd imagine that the reason they say this is to keep their butts covered for the people who have pythons, and add the prime during or after the wc. If you treat the water before, I'm sure just adding enough for the amount changed is fine, but if you add directly to the tank, then the concentration goes down, and might not be as effective.

this is y i use bucket, fill it up, prime it or stress coat it, wait 15 mins than fill the tank back up. this way is more effective to me.

 

[meegosh]

I'd imagine that the reason they say this is to keep their butts covered for the people who have pythons...

Who doesn't use pythons anymore?!

I always dose to the full tank volume. I figure if it can be dosed up to 5x then why even worry. A bottle of prime is cheaper than replacing all my livestock.

 

[HN1]

Amen....

For those looking for max cost efficiency, check out pond prime.

 

[BillD]

I make my own. $4 for 20,000 gals.
I don't use a python, as I don't need one. I siphon to the basement drain, and a python is too slow. I can fill faster with what I have on the end of my hose, than you can with a python; a gooseneck ending in a tee. I can fill one tank while draining another, which is a plus having one python doesn't allow.

 

[Twoapennything]

Just another +1 for Prime!

 

[maxima423]

this is y i use bucket, fill it up, prime it or stress coat it, wait 15 mins than fill the tank back up. this way is more effective to me.

thats the way i do it!!!!!

 

[taylorodw]

If you dechlorinate water before adding it to the tank, you don't need to dose for full tank volume.

 

[BlackMagic]

I make my own. $4 for 20,000 gals.
I don't use a python, as I don't need one. I siphon to the basement drain, and a python is too slow. I can fill faster with what I have on the end of my hose, than you can with a python; a gooseneck ending in a tee. I can fill one tank while draining another, which is a plus having one python doesn't allow.

Same here. Y spend 30 to 50 buck on a python when u can make one with tube line or water hose for 10 buck.

Me myself don't use python. Me myself use the basement.