Quick Question about Prime

[Hsunami]

So it got me wondering on the back it says " To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5x normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 C (86F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose."

My 55 gallon barebottom tank running at 86 degrees. So when i start doing the water changes next week when my juvies get in (I am excited! 4 turq and 4 snakeskin (from AngelFishUSA.com ty! David!)

does that mean i can still dose the normal amount since the water is at 86 degrees? or does that mean i have to do half of it? or does that only apply when you are "detoxifying nitrite in an emergency"??

2nd Question: Should Prime be added while i am aging the water in a barrel? or during when i put it into the tank? Cause i know i will be throwing in a heater to bring the water temp to 86

[Skip]

2nd question.. if you are AGING the water, and have air diffuser. there should be no need for prime, (at least 24 hr)

[Hsunami]

air diffuser? is that an air stone?

[Skip]

yes.. sorry.. i am old school ;)

the thing that makes bubbles.. bubbles help move the water and the Cholarine evaporates..

hmmmmm.. not sure what that does if it has ammonia in it.. but people age and skip chemcials..

[Hsunami]

o really? i never knew that if you age water you do not need to use prime. So aging water usually means 24 hours right?

Still looking for answer to question 1 too.

[moon_knight1971]

I've never heard of anyone over dosing using Prime. If you have adequate aeration you should be good. I personally use the powder form of Prime, which is called Safe, and just add it directly to my tank after I have drained it and before I add the new water in. I use alot of aeration though, a hob filter made for a tank 2x the actual size of the tank, a sponge filter and a bubble wand.

[CajunAg]

For the first question, I would add the recommended dose, not half, if you are adding to detoxify new water. I think the instructions you quoted refer to emergency situations only, and then only if the conditions of high water temp, low ammonia, low chlorine are all met. As the label said, up to 5x dosage is still safe (in an emergency).

Aging tap water will help to get rid of Chlorine (it will off-gas), but not Chloramines. If your local water contains chloramines, you'll have to use something like Prime or Safe or similiar. If your local utility doesn't use chloramines, then an airstone over 24hours should be sufficient for the removal of chlorine.

BTW, the airstone upsets the water tension at the surface, allowing Cl gas to escape. Alternatively, anything that keeps the surface area of the water moving will work.

[Hsunami]

ah ok. Thank you very much Cajun for clarifying my first question. Yea when i read it i never really attention to it, but when i decided to start keeping discus i guess i read more into it LOL.

Thanks all again.

[Jhhnn]

It's extremely important to understand your water & what your supplier uses to sanitize it. My provider, Denver Water, uses chloramines, not just chlorine, so using prime, safe, cloram-x or similar is absolutely essential. Repeat- absolutely essential, because normal dechlorinators and/or aging water will not neutralize chloramines, at all.

More and more providers are switching to chloramines all the time, to meet EPA guidelines, and it's not like they make some big announcement about it at all. The big announcement comes in the form of lots of dead aquarium fish.

If you don't know, then the smart answer is to use prime at the recommended strength for normal water changes. If you're having trouble getting the proper cycle established, then using prime at up to 5X the normal dose reduces toxicity of fish wastes in your tank, until the cycle is fully established. If this happens, lots of water changing is highly recommended.

[TURQ64]

2nd question.. if you are AGING the water, and have air diffuser. there should be no need for prime, (at least 24 hr)
My short two cents worth is..Chloramines are waay cheaper than chlorine for water depts. to use...Chloramine cannot be evaporated out, by aeriating, or aging...Charcoal blocks can remove it, water conditioners can bind with it...At lower ph, the ammonia in the chloramine becomes ammonium, which is non toxic..BUT, higher ph releases it as toxic ammonia....just google 'how to remove chloramine'...

[Eddie]

Use safe


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