SeaChem Prime - Tech Answer to Slime & Metals

Of course I just HAD to email SeaChem and see if they would divulge their secret ingredient, and of course they wouldn't ;) but I had to ask!

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Date: Tue, 21 Feb 2006 10:13:11 -0500
To: Eileen Kortright (by way of Seachem Tech Support)
From: Seachem Tech Support
Subject: Re: Prime Slime Coat/Metals

Hello Again Eileen,

You are welcome. And regarding the stimulant that is used in Prime, I unfortunately can not divulge that as it is proprietary. Most water conditioners include some type of slime coat stimulator or coating agent. We include a small amount of mild stimulant (as mentioned) in Prime but we do not market Prime as a slime coat type product. We market it as a water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia etc. (see label). We DO however market our StressGuard as a slime coat type product. Our StressGuard is one of my personal favorites in our line and often overlooked. Our StressGuard is a disinfectant to help control spread of disease, it is not sold as a dechlorinator. Since StressGuard controls the spread of disease with a disinfectant and contains protein active polymers to promote the healing process, it is great to use when quarantining new fish or introducing new fish into the main system. I have also found it very helpful for cichlid hobbyists (I'm a big cichlid hobbyist myself). I use it when cichlids don't play nice as it really helps heal wounds, torn fins, etc. If slime coat type products are a topic of discussion on your forum, you may wish to mention that Prime is our dechlorinator while StressGuard is our slime coat product/disinfectant.

Best Regards,
Seachem Technical Support,rb
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Seachem Laboratories, Inc. www.seachem.com 888-SEACHEM
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Roan
 
Roan Art said:
Our StressGuard is a disinfectant to help control spread of disease, it is not sold as a dechlorinator. Since StressGuard controls the spread of disease with a disinfectant and contains protein active polymers to promote the healing process, it is great to use when quarantining new fish or introducing new fish into the main system. I have also found it very helpful for cichlid hobbyists (I'm a big cichlid hobbyist myself). I use it when cichlids don't play nice as it really helps heal wounds, torn fins, etc. If slime coat type products are a topic of discussion on your forum, you may wish to mention that Prime is our dechlorinator while StressGuard is our slime coat product/disinfectant.
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Ok. Now you've opened up another can of worms RA. How does it prevent the spread of disease? :devil:

I suppose by helping to heal wounds...
 
i use simple dechlor products. they take care of chlorine, chloramines and "heavy" metals.

The approach is much more cost effective than the products like Stress Coat, Stress Guard.....the marketing equation and advertising hype has to be paid for in some way. And, it is paid for when you buy their product.

I have always figured that freshwater fish love freshwater. And, if it is kept clean (large volume weekly, or twice weekly, water changes do that) then in most instances something to help a fish through a little cut, scrape, bruise or abrasion is not really required.

I guess I believe in a very basic way to keep fish and hate to put anything in the water (except when attacking particular bacterial and parasitic issues of one sort or another--then i believe in "better living through chemistry"). The use of most of the products that line the shelves of the lfs and chanis reminds me a lot of all the "cold remedies" my wife bought when we were raising kids. They did more for her than they did for the kids.
 
RTR said:
Slime coat is the fish's first line of defense against infections, just as is your skin.
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I understand that, RTR. I guess my question really was, "How does it disinfect?" Preventing disease through maintenance of the slime coat is one thing, preventing disease antiseptically is quite another. Or is it?
 
LOL! IME, "antiseptic" and "aquarium" are incompatable concepts. Tanks have hundreds to thousands to species of bacteria, plus fungi, plus myriads of infusorians, and assorted crustaceans, worms or worm-like creatures, larger inverts, etc. They are micro-ecologies, nothing antiseptic about such. A tank is as rich in life as is soil.

Slime is a physical barrier, also in part a chemical barrier, and may have some antiseptic properties in certain species (but that aspect is not well studied).
 
I understand what you mean. Antiseptic is not a word I would typically apply to the aquarium. Although, Seachem's use of the word "disinfect" is interesting...
 
I dont know about the metals, but think its definitaley worth mentioning since you bring it up. I found that after starting to use Seachem Prime my tanks wouldn't cycle properly, two of them which i was testing closely stopped producing nitrites and nitrates and I had to keep on doing water changes to remove ammonia. It wasnt until several water changes after going back to a generic water conditioner that they started to cycle again. It was very frustrating, i am now suspicious of what is in prime.
 
This is interesting. I use Prime and I love it and have had no problems. But I also add a few drops of Prime when I ship shrimp. Now knowing it has a stimulant in it, I wonder if that is such a good idea. Maybe I should use StressGuard or something else...
 
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