PRIME and other reducers, DO THEY WORK??

[spectre879]

Hello, currently I am using Seachem PRIME and Kent Marine Pro-Clear to help get rid of some of my nitrates and ammonia problems. As well as chlorine and such. I am using these to start off with until I purchase a water filtration unit. Whats the verdict? Do they work? How well?
If any users notice this, could they please post there opinions and test results?? :help:

 

[vtfishies]

it works when starting off..i used prime...after that i know that it is not good to use alot..lfs told me it was like a stress coat..when addin new fish add 4 or 5 capfuls to tank...DO NOT DO THIS it pretty much wipped out my whole tank of fish...and inverts

 

[gtiguy]

yeah as i have learned you shouldnt be adding anything to your tank, most of that stuff is bs in my opinion and only stears the tank in the wrong direction...your tank should progress on its own and start looking good if you maintained everything the right way, ro water, good salinity, temp, and low low levels on the water parameter scale (ph, nitrates, alk, cal etc.) Also a good amount of LR and or sand helps.......it just takes patience!!!

 

[spectre879]

Well the tank has been up for about 1 1/2 years and has for the most part been successful. But I have always been battling nitrates and ammonia. It did cycle as well. Temp and salinity also are no problems but I dont have access to RO water so that makes it a great deal more difficult

 

[wlong336]

I have used prime for years in freashwater tanks, and I think it works great (had an overstocked chiclid tank). vtfishies is right though you do not want to use it on a regular basis as if there is no ammonia or nitrite in the tank it will then deplete the oxygen. One thing though, it only detoxifies ammonia and you will still see ammonia in your test results until it goes down on its own, this makes it hard to tell if the ammonia level has increased since you put prime in the tank and as such should be used with caution (do not rely on just prime to remove am and trites).
Hope this helped

 

[gtiguy]

I think the question we need to find out is before you even look to lfs bottled garbage that promotes results is why is he having an ammonia problem? Are their fish in the tank? maybe one died your not aware of? Hows your rock status is it cured? or base rock?? deep sand bed? all things that can contribute....

 

[murph]

Originally Posted by GtiGuy
I think the question we need to find out is before you even look to lfs bottled garbage that promotes results is why is he having an ammonia problem? Are their fish in the tank? maybe one died your not aware of? Hows your rock status is it cured? or base rock?? deep sand bed? all things that can contribute....
I agree that there should be no detectable ammonia in an established system and what should be looked into here is why the bio filtration of the tank is not functioning or why the test kit is possibly giveing a false reading.
I also agree that most of those bottles on the LFS shelve are useless but prime or a similar product like amquel should be in every aquarium keepers cabinet in case of emergencies.
I have never used Prime but the likely ingredient is sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate and will most definitely work to save the lives of fish in the case of a serious disruption of the bio filtration or accidental introduction of untreated tap water (happens more often than you would think).
A better product yet is an inexpensive ammonia sensor to indicate, at just a glance, the presence of free ammonia which is the ammonia form that will kill fish.
I would suggest Amquel+ as a potentially better product (google it) and in the case of a overstocked or unstable tank the use of an ammonia sensor.
The use of sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate is how fish are shipped over long distances/time without the fish polluting the water it is bagged in with its own waste and killing it.

 

[spectre879]

This is my livestock for a 75gallon:
3 damsels
1 percula clown
1 scopus tang
They all are quite healthy and eat like pigs.
I have no live rock and use tap...Its all I have at the moment
And no, I do not rely at all on PRIME as a ammo, and nitrate remover. I do regular weekly water changes and sythen the gravel until its pure white.

 

[vtfishies]

i would say get some live rock ( cured ) even alittle to start..helps with the filtration..and use ro/di water..even spring water works well... i use it i get it from hannafords but yes determining where the amm is comming from is a good start.. but jmo

 

[gtiguy]

could be from overfeeding too! The lack of LR may be whats causing the lingering ammonia levels which would be why most experts believe you should have about a 1/2lb-1lb of rock per gallon...I guess it really does help to have enough live cured rock! :thinking:

 

[saltwater8]

I use PRIME and can not recommend this stuff enough

I call it "miracle in a bottle", lol.
It gets rid of ammonia, nitrite and thus nitrate.
It also works as a slime coat that actually works and not just adds aloe vera to the water like stress coat.
It converts ammonia into a non toxic state so the biofilter can take care of it quicker and more efficiently. It does the same thing with nitrites and thus nitrates.
I HIGHLY recommend it!

 

[spectre879]

Originally Posted by Saltwater8
I use PRIME and can not recommend this stuff enough

I call it "miracle in a bottle", lol.
It gets rid of ammonia, nitrite and thus nitrate.
It also works as a slime coat that actually works and not just adds aloe vera to the water like stress coat.
It converts ammonia into a non toxic state so the biofilter can take care of it quicker and more efficiently. It does the same thing with nitrites and thus nitrates.
I HIGHLY recommend it!
Not to be rude but, how long have you used it. Has it been long enough to measure side effects on fish??