waterdrop
Enthusiastic "Re-Beginner"
Quite the opposite. I think Seachem Prime and perhaps Amquel+ are the two very best conditioners to use -during- cycling and the startup year. They are perfectly good to continue with too, but you could also consider then switching to whatever bottles of pond conditioner work out to be the cheapest (you can stand there in the store and scribble your lists of each brand and how much the instrucs tell you to put in and later figure out how far it goes per money amount.)Thanks everyone!
OldMan47: You mentioned Prime. I THINK I read somewhere on here (read sooo much I can't keep it straight any longer!) that Prime wasn't a good choice while you were cycling - is that right? I looked at it in the LFS and saw it said that it detoxifies nitrite - does it give you a false negative on the test (API liquid) then? I won't know where I am in the cycle if it "takes it away" if you kwim? Is Prime indeed okay to use while still in cycle or should I just stick with API's regular tap water conditioner until, at least, I'm done?
Rabbut - that does indeed make sense. Once question though - you said you don't even use declorinators anymore. Isn't chlorine supposed to be quite harmful/irritating/whatever to the fish themselves (filter issues aside)?
I didn't know Aloe was irritating to them! Hmm, gotta rethink my use of Stress Coat then.
Reading the big threads on Conditioners at TFF over the years can keep you busy for a long time! Its a great introduction though into how many angles there are on a single topic once you get deeper into the hobby (regardless of whether its really even important sometimes, lol)
~~waterdrop~~