Water conditioners

[glittergirl]

This may be obvious, but...

When I do a water change, how much StressCoat should I add for treating chlorine? Do I add the amount recommended for the amount of water I am replacing, or for the amount of water in the whole tank? What happens if I put too much in by mistake?

I haven't used any of the StressZyme in my tank for a while, are there any circumstances when I might need to use it at all?

[ChilDawg]

StressZyme is supposedly bacteria in a bottle? You'd only need to use it to start a tank, and maybe for mini-cycle abatement...

RTR seems to be a little down on slime coat replacers...even if StressCoat works as a dechlorinator as well, I'd try to find one that doesn't affect slime coats. You only need to add enough to neutralize the chlorine in the water being added to your tank.

[glittergirl]

Oh... my LFS said that StressCoat was the same as any other dechlorinater. Suppose I should have asked here first.
I bought a huge bottle of it a couple of weeks ago!! :(

On the bottle of StressZyme (it is bacteria in a bottle) it says 'continuous use assures a healthy biological filter, good water quality, healthy fish and a clean aquarium'. It recommends adding it once a week. I thought that was a bit excessive, which is why I asked.

[ChilDawg]

Yeah, and it was a good thing that you did so...the amount of fish waste is somewhat of a limiting reagent, so some of that bacteria would die and decay in the tank, and might cause some of the anaerobic bacteria to start working...not sure of the explanation, but I think that's it.

[JSchmidt]

StressZyme = junk. Save your money. The bacteria you want in your tank will come to populate it whether or not you add anything to promote them.


The only bacterial product that has sounded remotely promising is BioSpira, and the jury is still out on it.

Stresscoat won't kill your fish, but the only think in it that's really necessary is the dechlorinator, sodium thiosulfate. Get a cheap dechlorinator next time and save money. (Your fish don't really need Stresscoat's aloe coating their gills, I'd wager....)

Jim

[blade929]

hi you seem to be getting some dodgy advice from your local shop,i.e when you first got your tank they said that it would be ok to stock it like you did, now the stresszyme thing. i would look at going elsewhere to be honest.
anyway if you are wanting a water conditioner i would recommend NUTRAFIN AQUA PLUSthis removes the chlorine and also chloramine which is more poisones than the chlorine.
its not cheap but you only need 1 capfull for every 15 gallons that you change so it should last you quite a while.

you just add aqua plus to the water that you change and hey presto chlorine and chloramine free water for you healthy fish

[ChilDawg]

Aqua Plus sounds pretty good...and it looks like you can get it in the UK. I'd go with that...the aloe, as Jim said, is superfluous, and I worry about the effects that it may or may not have on your fish. RTR said something about that once...can't remember if it was in the myth thread on Tom's, or where it was...

[thom336]

You certainly can get Aqua plus in the UK, I use it...and, of course, you know you can get it from the UK as Blade is from over here...so there wasnt really much point in me doing this post. Well, adds to the post count all the same...;)

[glittergirl]

Thanks everyone, I'll get some of the Aqua Plus. I think I will go somewhere else, like Blade said, especially as last time I went in they had 2 dead fish in their tanks! Put me right off buying anything from them!!

[ChilDawg]

Two dead fish might be par for the course, but I've seen shops where two dead fish is cause for alarm. I'd go elsewhere, too, just to avoid getting the kind of advice which has been handed out to you so freely by that lot...

[glittergirl]

I haven't told you all the 'advice' they handed out. Most of it was completely opposite to the way it should be done. Just as well I found this forum in time. :) :)

[Mantis_22]

Use PRIME by Seachem, The best on the market! Just never touch Ammo-Lock or anything close to that.

[thom336]

What shop is it glittergirl?

And mantis, why never touch ammo-lock??

[glittergirl]

Thom, all I'm saying is that it is one of a large chain, probably not too hard to guess!
In their defence though, I was a bit impatient and the advice I got doesn't seem very different from that given to a lot of others. Perhaps the staff in these places should be trained better. It's only by coming onto a forum like this that you get the experiences of those who have learned the hard way that the local LFS is really only interested in selling stuff. If the fish die they just replace them! :(

[thom336]

If you mean one of the maidenhead chain, then I will would certainly go in their defence. It may be you wernt served by the more experianced staff - perhaps a weekend member of staff, went on a busy day or are just unfortunate with the store you have. But most are very good. Perhaps, also, the information was misinterprited? Most staff at maidenhead stores do have OATA qualifications. In any case, you are certainly get the right info now!

I just realised Im writing two replys to your questions at the same time...one over on aquatech.

Thom.

[thom336]

Of course you could also mean one of the Pets at Home of petsmart or alike pet shop chain stores, and these are honestly completely crap for fish.

[glittergirl]

I just consider myself lucky that all except 2 of my fish survived all the stuff I put them through. Although to be honest, I'm not sure I would have taken on the project if I had known how complicated it can get.
Obviously now everything is starting to come together I am enjoying it all rather than just worrying what I'm putting these poor creatures through! :)

[blade929]

one of the biggest problems is that people get dodgy advice, have nothing but trouble with their aquarium for the first month then give it up as a bad job. stick with it and you will get plenty of enjoyment from your new hobby :)

[glittergirl]

Well, I got some Nutrafin Aqua Plus, but I was a bit puzzled about the difference between the Stress Coat treatment and Aqua Plus.
I spent about an hour in my LFS looking at all the bottles of dechlorinaters (my head was spinning after!) and most, if not all of them contain aloe. This is a bit worrying if it's harmful to the fish.
After studying them all at great length I ended up getting the Aqua Plus because it was so highly recommended.
I ask the question because Stress Coat contains aloe vera which coats the fish, but Aqua Plus contains something as well which 'coats, protects and promotes healing'. Is this aloe as well, which is famous for this effect, or is it something else? If it turns out to be aloe, why should I use this product instead of Stress Coat? :confused:

I have enough stuff to condition my water for years now!

[Anaxus]

Has anyone tried ACE(ammonia chlorine/chlorime elimenator) by jungle?
I haven't tried it but it has no "stress coat", the only problem is I can only find it in a small bottle at wal mart. No other place seems to have it.

[wetmanNY]

glittergirl, at www.skepticalaquarist.com in the "Water" folder there's a page "Conditioners" that might be helpful.

[Mantis_22]

I may sound like a testimonial but its true, using prime eliminates all of the work of finding a good declornator without all the junky additives.

[Anaxus]

Prime also says it "promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat."
What about marineland bio-safe?

[wetmanNY]

Does the natural slime coat of a fish need to be promoted? Or is it a consumer product that needs to be promoted?
How is the slime coat being "promoted?" With sodium chloride?

Bio-Safe. Tell us what you know so far...

[Anaxus]

Only thing I know about it is "Eliminates toxic chlorine, chloramines and ammonia in tap water."
"PRINCIPLE INGREDIENTS: Sodium hydroxymethane sulfinic acid."
It doesn't "premote" slime coating.
http://www.marineland.com/products/mllabs/ML_biosafe.asp

[wetmanNY]

Essentially the same ingredient as AmQuel, then. I guess the same cautions (possible pH drop if overdosed; false-positive ammonia test results) would apply.

[Anaxus]

What do you typicaly use wetman?
Only reason I am still using stress coat is because I can't find anything that doesnt have "stress coat" in it.

[glittergirl]

Now I'm confused again :confused:

Is Stress Coat good or bad? I had the same reaction as Anaxus about finding something without 'stress coat' in it. I got some Nutrafin Aqua Plus and am now using it, but wonder whether it is significantly different than the Stress Coat I started with.

Still, it will last me a long time and it had a very high recommendation from lots on this forum, so that can't be bad! :)

[OrionGirl]

If you don't have chloramines, you can just aerate the water in a open topped tub overnight.

[wetmanNY]

That's really all I do, because NYC water is still simply chlorinated, not chloraminated-- yet. I do have AmQuel, which I use when I'm doing a water change after medication, for instance. Softwater fishes like some tannins (but not Central American cichlids, livebearers Rift Lake cichlids etc)-- so I add some peat tea, or a used green tea bag.

A little chlorine neutralizer, a little chelation to bind any metal ions, as much for the benefit of plants as for fish, a little potassium chloride for fertilizer,and that's it for me. A little crushed coral in the filter to provide minimal pH stability.

[Anaxus]

I found a product by jungle called insta-chlro. It only removes chlorine and chloromine. I am not 100% sure if my water supply has chloromine in it. I check the 2002 report and it only mentioned chlorine not chloromine. I use a python for water changes and I dont have room to store water to let it naturally dechlronate. So hopefully insta-chlro will do it for me, it was cheaper then stress coat and it treats more gallons.