Treating city water... removing chloramines...

[fprintf]

I have the following two chemicals:
Doc Wells Aquarium Salt
Stress Coat

The Stress Coat claims to remove chlorine and chloramine, but I had heard/read at one site that anonymized product names that anything that claims to improve slime coating isn't going to work properly at converting chloramine to ammonia.

Do either of the chemicals I have remove chloramine? If not, is there a recommended dechloraminer (is that a word?)? I did a search a few minutes ago and saw a few recommendations for something called "Prime". Ideally I'd like to either visit my LFS or order from bigalsonline so I can do my next water change in peace. So far the tank has been clearing up nicely (water test kit is also in the budget) and the fish seem to be happy, so I'd hate to ruin the cycle by not removing the chloramine.

 

[Bhunsucker]

What type of fish are you going to keep? Some fish do not do well with salt added to the tank.

I use Prime in my tank thats the only thing that I put in my tank. I have not had an issue or problem with it.

 

[patagonia]

like you i also have chloramines in my tap water...i use prime and i cycled both my tanks with it no problem...plus a 500mL bottle will last for ever...

 

[malkore]

No need for the salt.

I strongly discourage using stress coat. It contains a lot of junk that fish don't need (like aloe vera...what fish in the wild uses aloe vera to maintain a healthy slime coat??)

I too use, and recommend, Prime by seachem. One bottle will last a year, as 1mL treats 10gallons, unless your city heavily chlorinates the water, in which case, 2ml per 10gal is plenty.

 

[Toirtis]

Prime all the way here, too.

 

[rich311k]

Prime is all I use.

 

[beblondie]

Prime here too-Anne

 

[fprintf]

It is unanimous. Prime it will be then, thank you!!

 

[malkore]

Oh also, Prime does take on a funky smell after its been opened a while. so the odor when you open the bottle to dose it, after a few months, is totally normal. Prime doesn't go bad...not that fast. I'm pretty sure the smell is the result of oxidation of one of the chemicals.

In fact, I'll see if I can get a definitive answer from Seachem on this, and I'll post my findings.

 

[Toirtis]

Oh also, Prime does take on a funky smell after its been opened a while. so the odor when you open the bottle to dose it, after a few months, is totally normal. Prime doesn't go bad...not that fast. I'm pretty sure the smell is the result of oxidation of one of the chemicals.

In fact, I'll see if I can get a definitive answer from Seachem on this, and I'll post my findings.

Seachem's own FAQ has this...not detailed, but...

Prime™ Support
Q: I think that my Prime™might be old because it smells like it went bad...
A: Prime™has a very distinct odor that is similar to sulfur which is completely normal. Also, the presence of small black specks is normal.

 

[severum mama]

Prime here, too. That's interesting about the smell, I had never noticed before. 8)

 

[Bhunsucker]

"And I like the smell of my hair treatment; the pleasing odor is half the point."

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Prime also on this end. I have noticed that our bottle has started to have a stink to it. It didn't at first, but now does.

 

[Purrbox]

Heh... I'm odd man out. I currently use AP's Tap Water Conditioner. At one drop per gallon, this stuff lasts forever with my small tanks. Basically the main thing to look for is that it treats for Chlorine, Chloramine, Heavy Metals, and nothing else. I'm not to brand loyal when it comes to tap water conditioners.