Does prime/safe detoxify nitrATE?

[Discusdude7]

Does prime/safe detoxify nitrATE and nitrITE or just ammonia?

[joanstone]

It's supposed to remove ammonia and detoxify nitrite and nitrate. Here's Seachem's description:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...ges/Prime.html

[Melissa]

Yes, it neutralizes ammonia and nitrite. It can be safely used up to I think 5x recommended dosage in a Nitrite emergency.

[Elliots]

Nitrates are usually present but not a problem unless they are high. Nitrites are the problem along with ammonia.

[Discusdude7]

Yes, it neutralizes ammonia and nitrite. It can be safely used up to I think 5x recommended dosage in a Nitrite emergency.

Nirites or nitrATEs? Thanks

[Discusdude7]

It's supposed to remove ammonia and detoxify nitrite and nitrate. Here's Seachem's description:

http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...ges/Prime.html

Thanks joan

[Ryan]

R, what exactly are you trying to do with it? Just curious.

[Discusdude7]

R, what exactly are you trying to do with it? Just curious.

Well Ryan to be honest I was wondering this because some days I don't have time to do a WC ( rarely but will admit it does happen, but when It happens it sometimes it happens 2 days instead of one ). Instead of doing a WC at 1AM when I'm bound to screw up and forget something, just wanted to know if I could add some safe and rest assured the fish will be fine till the next day....

[nc0gnet0]

Safe will have no effect on Nitrates and is not meant to be used in that way.

[Discusdude7]

Safe will have no effect on Nitrates and is not meant to be used in that way.

So will not detoxify even for 24 hrs?

[Ryan]

^ Agreed. Besides, nitrates will not build up to a problematic level overnight in an average aquarium. If you think you may miss a water change here and there, go to Walmart or Lowe's and buy some pothos vines from the garden center.

Your main concern would be ammonia and nitrite, but your biological filtration will easily process those as long as the filters are cycled. There's no need to use Prime/Safe unless you're treating new water or having a situation where ammonia/nitrite are present in the tank.

[dirtyplants]

Judge for yourself.

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.

[Ryan]

^ That statement is a bit misleading, considering your biofilter does not remove nitrate. I don't think adding Prime/Safe is going to magically cause that to happen. Nitrates in extremely high concentrations may be toxic to fish but it would take some time for them to get to that level in a normally stocked aquarium. I don't think it'd be worth trying to fight them with Safe/Prime considering you could just remove them with a big water change. I only do water changes once a week on my large cichlid communities and the nitrates never go above 20ppm, and rarely do they even get that high. So unless you had high nitrates in your tap or neglected to do water changes for several weeks, the levels aren't really that much of a concern.

Remember, nitrates aren't the only thing adversely affecting your discus. If that were the case, we'd all just add a bunch of plants or some NitraZorb to the filter and never do water changes. Nitrates are one of the measurable pollutants, but I'm sure there are other nasties given off by dissolving wastes and uneaten foods, not to mention the fact that discus are constantly depleting trace elements and minerals from the water which need to be replaced, etc. etc. There are lots of reasons why we do water changes.

[Melissa]

1000% concur with what Ryan said.


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