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isnt prime an ammonia remover and stress coat isnt??

How can you compare the 2, cos they do different things?

Stress coat is a terrible product and, IMPE should never be used on Bettas as it can cause a situation where their skin sloughs off,

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

Prime...all the way

all the way

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 14-Jul-2005 10:53

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Prime.


Kim

I don't think that it's good or bad, really. I just don't like putting anything in the tank. I like stress kote and have used it since I started, but I just don't like the idea of putting extra stuff in the water. I wouldn't just go get some aloe vera and dump it in the water. If it is good for the tank someone please tell me what is so good about it. what does it do, besides thicken up the stress kote to a point where it just sinke to the bottom of the tank?

I use stress coat when doing water changes and have had no problems. I also add other water conditioners. When I add new fish I normally add some stress coat directly to the tank as well just for a safety precaution in case the fish are stressed.
I just bought a new bottle but I might try Prime next time.
If people think Aloe Vera is not good for their tanks why do you think this and why would the company put it in their product if this is the case?

I have always used stress kote, but as was mentioned above I am thinking about switching because I don't like the recdent addition of aloe. I've never had any ill effects from stresskote, mind you I just don't see the need for aloe. makes the stuff too thick and gloopy. after adding one dose to my tank the water got all cloudy and stayed that way for two days.

I just thought that I would put my 2 cents in. I choose to alternate my addtives, that way it avoids any pitfalls of using just one. Why must you just stick with one?

Prime is the only water conditioner I use..

Just for the record, in response to Gold Digger,
Prime does not "remove" ammonia or nitrites or nitrates. What the active ingredient in it "complexed hydrosulfite salts" does, (which by the way is the only ingredient)
is it detoxifies ammonia nitrite and nitrates. This means it changes the chemical composition of these things just slightly, making them slightly less harmful to fish. This is very important if you are cycling a tank -- even Zebra Danios dont like high ammonia!
It also dechlorinates water, as well as binds the heavy metals in water so they can be bubbled out with O2. This is very important for people who have Well Water. You wouldnt even imagine what can be in your Well Water unless you have it tested. The idea that Well Water users can not use a Dechlor is funny. I have been on Wells for the past 3 years, and after doing water testing on 2 of these 3, I decided Prime was an absolute necessity to combat the Lime, Calcium, Iron, etc that is the water.
And, a responsible well owner should and would bleach out their lines every 5 years, so there can also be some remnants of chlorine in the system for some time afterwards. I wouldnt try it.
On another note: I have found Stresscoat itself to also be very bad for Loaches like Dojos, and in addition to Bettas, also to Gouramis. It seems to coat the fish in a gel like stuff that causes their slime coat to slough off.


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prime

I am a bit skeptical about reports that stress coat and similar products can cause skin sloughing.

I will say I have only seen this in bettas, and in bettas who were vulnerable to start with (shop rescues/beaten up fish). I am sure it was the stress coat, as removing the betta from the stress coat water and putting them in "straight" declored water resolved the problem and the skin problems could then heal. Scarring was noticeable, however. It does also tend to have a thickening effect on the gills of Bettas, making it more difficult for them to breathe. This could be due to clogging of the Labyrinth organ brought on by the aloe vera coat, causing the fish to need to use gills more, hence stress and thickening/scarring.

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I like to think that whoever designed marine life was thinking of it as basically an entertainment medium. That would explain some of the things down there, some of the unearthly biological contraptions

yes prime "removes" ammonia....it is also supposed to get rid of nitrite and nitrate.... not really a fair comparison IMO, they're like apples and oranges.

If all I want is a dechlorinator, I just buy straight dechlor....I really don't believe in adding extra chemicals to my water unless I absolutely have to. If you're worried about heavy metals, run activated carbon...

I am a bit skeptical about reports that stress coat and similar products can cause skin sloughing. I have used products like stress coat that have slime coat additives for years without ever seeing this problem.

I think the trend in water conditioners seems to be moving toward products with a huge *shopping list* of features and gadgets, which are really unnecessary in most cases.

Here's a personal experience/opinion poll. I want to compare the Stress Coat and Prime water treatments, because they are so similar and both seem to work pretty well. A knowledgeable co-worker told me that Prime was a better buy, both because it does more and treats more water than a similar amount of Stress Coat.

I have used each of these in my tank, to good effect. I had used Stress Coat for the first seven or so months of my tank's running life, and have just recently switched to Prime by the aforementioned co-worker's recommendation. I haven't noticed a downturn in my water quality or my stock's health since the switch, which I take to be a good sign. However, while using Stress Coat, I didn't experience many problems, either. Sure, I lost some fish, but most of these deaths can be attributed to other causes. This probably had nothing to do with the product.

Anyways, what are your opinions on this? Which works better?

---

And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

i use prime

I've never used Prime, but Stress Coat does work well. My normal choice is Aqua Safe by Tetra. It's cheap, easy to find (even Walmart stocks it heavily-where I normally buy it), and does the same as Stress Coat. I tend to stay away from products that remove Nitrite and Nitrate unless absolutely necessary. I just use Cycle to keep a good biological filter.

I have been using prime now for about a year and a half, I tried Aquasafe and Stresscoat, but found they were far too expensive and too much was needed for doing water changes on a big tank. Prime not only removes chlorine and chloramine, but it removes heavy metals and other compounds such as calcium in well water which can raise ph and hardness, and it detoxifies nitrite, nitrate, and removes ammonia. I would recommend it all round, 1 capful does 50 gallons, a much better buy!!


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http://games.atari.com
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Prime.

-- Gomer

i believe it is seachem that makes prime? I've been using aquaplus since day one. Is a bit more pricey in most cases but its worth it to me.