Stress Coat vs. Prime

maxthedog123

maxthedog123

Can't have too many Tiger Barbs...
Jun 6, 2007
604
0
16
Cincinnati, OH
I've always used API Stress Coat for my water, but I see a lot of folks on AC that are big fans of Prime.

What are the differences and why do so many people think Prime is better? Is anyone more of a fan of API?
 
I used to use Big Als water conditioner which they claim to be Stress Coat put into their bottle by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals.

I noticed about 7 months ago that the bottle changed slightly. It is slightly less in volume and a slimmer designed bottle. It took me a while to put 2 and 2 together but since the switch, every time I did a water change, my water would go extremely cloudy. In all 5 of my tanks at 2 locations in 2 cities. No matter if I changed 5% or 50%. The more I changed, the longer it took to go clear again. In this amount of time, I have had more sick fish than I have had for the last 8 years!

I asked a guy at Big Als about it and he said he has not had any other complaints but he said one of the companies did recently get bought out. He thought it was the bottling company but wasn't able to give any more info.

I switched to Prime and so far (only been a month) none of my tanks have gone cloudy after a water change.

Take that for what it's worth. I can't confirm any of this of course. The guy that worked at Big Als may very well have been BS'ing me but he is one of the only guys that works there that I would trust when it comes to information.
 
I'v used API,KENT, and PRIME, i feel prime works the best........:)
 
I've used Prime for several years now. I first got it when a friend of mine got a new 30gal tank and didn't cycle the tank before she bought 50 livebearers to put in it. The Prime not only treated the water but it detoxified the ammonia (which of course was off the charts.) Anyway, most of the fish lived and I've used it ever since... especially once i saw the price-per-dose. the bottle itself can be a little pricey, but it lasts forever.


another fun tid bit.. Have pet urine stains? put a capful of Prime in the washing machine (instead of soap) I had a cat with a failing bladder (he was 19 years old) and he never totally made it to the litter box.. so the rug went into the wash with the Prime... i just thought it was worth a shot.. and it totally worked! way better than just a regular laundry soap does

I do use stress coat when im moving fish.. in addition to Prime. the stress coat does encourage slime coat growth, which protects fish from various stress-related ailments. At least that's what i understand. I could be wrong.
 
I use both. Prime every W/C, and API added in when doing large ones (50~70%). I've always figured it couldn't hurt. API is great for the slime coat, and I don't believe Prime does much in that regard.
 
I started out with Prime because it detoxifies ammonia and nitrites, and my LFS told me at the time that our county water has nitrites in it. I've since tested, and it doesn't. I would think that having Prime in the tank would provide a little cushioning incase for some reason there's ever an ammonia spike... like if a fish dies during my 40hr weekend at work.

I don't know if the others detoxify ammonia and nitrites. I never investigated. $9 for 500ml (16oz) of Prime, and only 2 drops per gallon of water.... no good reason to change to another conditioner.
 
I have always used API Stress Coat and never had a problem with it. When I first started keeping fish and knew no better I never cycled a tank. I just added the appropriate amount of stress coat and the fish were fine. I still use the stress coat whenever I do water changes or add new fish. Pretty much anytime I do something that might stress the fish I add a little stress coat and they are fine. I've heard Prime works great, but i'm a creature of habit so why change what works. That's just me though.
 
kimmisc said:
and only 2 drops per gallon of water.... no good reason to change to another conditioner.
Click to expand...

It boggles my mind that the ratio is so low with PRIME!!!

i always put a little more in, cause i just cant imagine it being that strong...

i could just be paranoid.
 
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