Water changes? :\

[mikev]

I'm pretty sure I remember reading a warning not to overdose prime.

No. The packaging states that you can overdose 4 times safely in case of an emergency. In fact I did this, w/o problems.

It is not clear why you need Prime anyway. It will not help with nitrAtes, and chlorine can be handled by any other conditioner.

hth

[brett_fishman]

yea, i just use aquaplus.. i've been using it for the last 6 years with no problems

it just neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals, as well as repairs the slime coat of the fish..


-brett.

[crazy loaches]

The debate on conditioners has come up here before. Not sure why so many on this forum in particular dont like Prime (well, it does smell really bad lol). Most conditioners work fine. The only problems I have heard with some is the ones that contain stuff like aloe vera can pollute the water. So assuming most do their job it just comes down to cost.

I dont know much about Aqua Plus so I looked it up. For one thing it seems pretty rare. None of my normal places sells it (BigAls, Petsolutions, and Drsfostersmith). About the only place that sells it in any significant quantity that I found was pets-warehouse in a 2L for $15.75 which I am guessing is still a lot better deal than you could get at your lfs.

So lets compare it to Prime. BigAls sells Prime in 2L as well (although there 4L would be slight savings). 2L of Prime is $32.99

So what does 2L of Aqua Plus treat? I found dosing directions that said 10ml per 15G. So 2L would treat 3,000G.

Prime is 5ml per 50G. So 2L would treat 20,000G.

You do the math from there, and tell me why Aqua Plus could possibly be a better solution.

It is not clear why you need Prime anyway. It will not help with nitrAtes, and chlorine can be handled by any other conditioner.

hth

Conditioners arent for nitrates. Prime is simply a good all in one conditioner that is more cost effective than most other conditioners, even the ones that do less, except for buying pure sodium thiosulfate like previosly mentioned.

[brett_fishman]

crazy loaches, the reason why i use aquaplus is because my one really local shop sells it, and its very reasonable ($6 cdn for an 8oz. bottle)

i just bought a 'duo' combo from petcetera today, its an 8oz bottle, plus a can of nutrafin flakes, for only $8 cdn..

and none of the lfs deal seachem.. so there..

-brett.

[crazy loaches]

Thats fine if you want to pay so much. I didnt realize how much more expensive stuff is in Canada (not due to currency conversion, just plain more expensive) but Prime is still a lot cheaper. An 8oz bottle of Prime from Big Als in Canada is $10 and treats 6 2/3 times as many gallons. And around here the savings are a lot greater. I have no idea if they have either at my lfs, I dont buy much other than fish or frozen food from the lfs. They just dont sell large enough quantities. I bought a 2L jug of Prime and figure that should last me for a while.

[mikev]

You do the math from there, and tell me why Aqua Plus could possibly be a better solution.

Because it does not include extra chemicals to deal with nitrites and ammonia while Prime does. I simply don't want chemicals in the tank, unless there is a reason. So I use Aqua Plus *most of the time*, and Prime when there is a need for it (spikes), and if I had access to dechlorinator in the pure form, I'd use it.

[crazy loaches]

Prime is usually the first choice even with more sensitive fish such as discus or shrimp. Its tried and true. If your worried about putting anything unnecessary in the tank I might suggest using RO water. I've never heard anyone worried about the 'extra' stuff in it. Most folks see the higher price tag and just go with the cheaper stuff, without even realizing how much more concentrated Prime is. But use what you will, I've made my point, just trying to save people some money.

[pedzola]

I've never had a bad experience with prime. I think it's useful to have the nitrite/ammonia "detox" ability in there in case of emergency.

But I realize that that only reason to use it on new water is for chlorine/chloramine removal.

[brett_fishman]

crazy loaches,

there are no big al's within 100 kms of where i live, but there is two on the mainland.

the only seachem dealer on the island is about 40 kms away.. and they are insanely expensive ($18 for a 4 oz. bottle!! )


-brett.