water conditioner what is is

[foma2000]

so ive heard alot about water conditioners but im still alittle fuzy about the subject. is it something i need, or can i do with out. is it a "use it when you need it" or a "use it every day" kind of thing. im really confused as to what it does and what it is. i went to the lfs the other day to find out about it and when i asked for it the guy handed me de-chloranator. (but he also handed me ph buffer when i asked for kalkwasser) so im alittle confused and need a little enlightening. tia

 

[Drake]

It depends on the situation. If you're changing the water it is a good idea to use a water conditioner to help maintain it biologically and chemically. Or if you are handling fish using a fish net. If that is the case then use something like stress coat for handling fish to help build up their natural slime coat.

 

[foma2000]

ok. so its a chemical that you would use once in a while for certain cituations. thanks. just good to know i wasn't confusing it with de clor.

 

[youronlysin]

There are a lot of chemical additives for water that a lot of us may or may not endorse, but I think the water conditioner your thinking about is a definite must if your filling your tank with tap water. A good water conditioner will remove chlorine and chloramine...primarily the only reason we want to use it. We arent that concerned with slime coat enhancing conditioners, although many have that feature. You should use a water conditioner or, dechlorinator, anytime you add a sizeable amount of water to the tank; i.e during water changes and at first fill up. Jungle labs makes a decent product called Start Right and Tetra Aqua makes a product called Aqua Safe...There are many others. Ive used both of those with good results.

 

[foma2000]

k. so i have a product that i call "de-chloranator" thats called "prime" its made by seachem. it removes chlorine, chlormine, amonia, detoxifies nitrite and nitrate and provides a slime coat. so would this be a water conditionar? i always thought water conditinor was something compleatly difrent. the more i think about it the more i realize that what i have is more of a conditioner.

 

[youronlysin]

Sea chem makes some good stuff. I cant speak for that particular product; I havent used it. I would have to say, though, that it should work just fine. Your primary concern is removing the chlorine and chloramine, so youd be fine with a product that does only that. I believe that it is the general opinion of most enthusiasts that products that claim to remove or reduce ammonia, nitrite or nitrtate dont really work as claimed. If you already have it, I would have to say that its better than nothing....maybe you could try something different when this is all gone. In all, I think its perfectly safe to use what you have. Oh, and yes...Id say what you have is a water conditioner.