Seachem Prime?

[FtwayneFish]

Is it the best?

Dont plants want some of the stuff in your tap water? besides chlorine ect.

Does it throw off water test? how long do you have to let it "soak in".

How does it work? i add it to the tank it runs to the bottom and mixes? spreads out?

Thanks in advance.

 

[southpaw]

Only thing I will use now... as many on here will tell you. Might seem alittle pricey compared to other water conditioners but it it takes alot less to do the job which makes it in reality cheaper in the long run. The 8.5oz (250ml) bottle I have will treat 2500 gallons. As for using, it I dose for the whole volume of my tank (55g in my case) at every water change. Just add it into the water stream while I fill with my Python ... If you fill with a bucket you can dose just the bucket before adding if you want on smaller tanks. As with almost any water conditioner it is almost instant when adding to the water and havent had any ill effects doing it this way...just add in the water stream and it will get spread around the tank pretty fast. Many people here with plants use it so I wouldnt think it removes anything that plants would need...but I am no expert on that so someone else may chime in.

 

[Hammy & Waf]

we have a planted tank and i swear by prime. its the only water conditioner i use and it seems to have no affect on our plants. it never seems to throw off water tests. and you cant really ever overdose because it says you can use up to 5 times the normal dose if your nitrate/trites or ammonia is really high. i have used 4 times the normal dose for extreme situations with plants in the tank and massive water changes and it still works very well. highly recommended.

 

[Squawkbert]

I like it, but I have found it to alter API NO3 test results (at least in the short term - I think I've started a thread related to this either here or at APC).

 

[H3D]

I like it, but I have found it to alter API NO3 test results (at least in the short term - I think I've started a thread related to this either here or at APC).

Do you mean the NH3 test...because that is very likely. I don't see how it could alter a NO3 test.

 

[jmhart]

http://www.acwd.org/wq_chloraminated_water.php5

That's a link to the Alameda County Water District's website. It's an interesting read entitled "Chloraminated Water and Your Pet Fish", but the main thing I wanted to pull out of it is that chloramine, unlike chlorine, will not naturally dissipate from your water. In the old days, you could just sit water out over night and the chlorine would all dissipate into the air. Chloramine stays. This is where it is beneficial for your local water district. The loss of chlorine is expensive.

The other extremely important point made by the ACWD is that RO units will not remove chloramine.

Therefore, to remove chloramine, you must use some kind of water treater.

Now, from the SeaChem website:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Prime™ is the complete and concentrated conditioner for both fresh and salt water. Prime™ removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Prime™ converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Prime™ may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Prime™ detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. It will also detoxify any heavy metals found in the tap water at typical concentration levels.Prime™ also promotes the production and regeneration of the natural slime coat. Prime™ is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Prime™ will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]


Therefore, I believe it is extremely possible to see a dip in NH3, NO3, and NO2 following the addition of Prime.
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[FtwayneFish]

im sorry i dont know THAT much. whats NH3, No3, No2?

which one of those does it affect?

i thought it was weird my tanks might not be cycled. bought prime added it. 2 days later did test's and they were perfect? then 2 days did WC. going to test tonight?

do you have to let the prime set in? can i test 30seconds after WC?

 

[H3D]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Therefore, I believe it is extremely possible to see a dip in NH3, NO3, and NO2 following the addition of Prime.[/FONT]

Seachem's findings of Prime causing NO2 and N03 detoxification were when EXTREMELY ELEVATED AMOUNTS (Not normal usage) of Prime was being used and these findings were not able to be explained scientifically.

 

[FtwayneFish]

sorry still didnt help the lil guy?

and i know jeffrey is the MAN!

 

[jmhart]

Seachem's findings of Prime causing NO2 and N03 detoxification were when EXTREMELY ELEVATED AMOUNTS (Not normal usage) of Prime was being used and these findings were not able to be explained scientifically.

My thing is, they make the claim right there on their website. "Yada Yada Prime detoxifies NO3 and NO2 making them more accessable to the beneficial bacteria Yada Yada"(so maybe I paraphrased a little ). I'm just saying, based on their claim, I don't think a slight dip in these levels following an addition should cause any concern.

Additionally, if you(being the original poster) are only adding Prime during a water change, how can you attribute a dip in these levels to Prime anyway? First and foremost it would be a result of the water change.