Api Tap Water Conditioner

[Byron]

Akasha, I would stay with API rather than Prime.  With Prime, one again has the issue of more chemicals, and this conditioner messes with the nitrification process that should occur naturally and safer.  There is also an issue with using Prime with certain other products; I've forgotten the specifics, it has something to do with Prime and some other compounds being reducers I think.

 

[Akasha72]

well the API is easy to get hold of where-as prime is hard work to get hold of. Chances are that I will stay with the API just because my local pet store always has it in stock and I can just pick up a bottle when I'm there buying my dog food

 

[Byron]

well the API is easy to get hold of where-as prime is hard work to get hold of. Chances are that I will stay with the API just because my local pet store always has it in stock and I can just pick up a bottle when I'm there buying my dog food

 
With something like water conditioner that I use regularly in all tanks, i purchase the largest size.  Per volume this is much less expensive, and you use so little it will last years.  In my case, with a fish room of tanks and my substantial water changes, I tracked down the 1 gallon jug online.  I worked out that this will last me 4-5 years, and the per volume cost was half what it would be if I bought the smaller size.  Now, with only one or two tanks, you would not notice the extra cost as much.  B.

 

[Akasha72]

I think once I get my diy python water changer up and running I will notice the difference then because I'll be having to dechlor for 240 litres instead of just 60 when using buckets. 
With the old tapsafe dechlor that would mean using half the bottle - that bottle costs about £4. With the API I'll be using just 4ml for the entire tank with each water change and the bottle size I got will do 6,700 litres and it cost me around £7 ... it's much more concentrated. As you have rightly said - there are larger bottles available online but for now this small sized bottle will last me a while. It does have a use by date on it so it will be interesting to see if I use it all up before the use by date which is 2020.
 
I'm also hoping to eventually see a difference in my filter pipes. I am now convinced that it is the aloe vera that is causing the pipes to clog

 

[gmc1]

Akasha have a look at the kitchen chemistry bottle.it's a tiny bottle that lasts for ages.nothing else in it.

 

[Akasha72]

where will I find that? Ebay? Amazon? or general online pet store?

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Akasha, I would stay with API rather than Prime.  With Prime, one again has the issue of more chemicals, and this conditioner messes with the nitrification process that should occur naturally and safer.  There is also an issue with using Prime with certain other products; I've forgotten the specifics, it has something to do with Prime and some other compounds being reducers I think.

I got it because it gets rid of nitrites and gives the fish a slime coating... so maybe I should just use my other conditioner.

 

[Byron]

 

Akasha, I would stay with API rather than Prime.  With Prime, one again has the issue of more chemicals, and this conditioner messes with the nitrification process that should occur naturally and safer.  There is also an issue with using Prime with certain other products; I've forgotten the specifics, it has something to do with Prime and some other compounds being reducers I think.

I got it because it gets rid of nitrites and gives the fish a slime coating... so maybe I should just use my other conditioner.
 

 
During the initial cycling (= new tank), Prime can be useful since it detoxifies ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.  Or if one has nitrite or nitrate in the source (tap) water, this is a useful conditioner as it will detoxify these in the fresh water during a water change, and by the time the Prime loses its effectiveness (which is roughly 24-36 hours) the plants (if any) and bacteria can deal with things.  But on a regular basis, with no nitrite or nitrate in the tap water, I would not use Prime.
 
And as noted above, Prime is only effective for a specific period.  If the nitrites are still present in their bound state (Prime somehow binds nitrites to make them safe), the nitrites will change back to being highly toxic.  Prime is not the way to deal with nitrites other than those in the tap water if any.
 
As for the so-called slime coating, many conditioners claim to do this by various means.  Some use questionable chemicals or additives.  Aside from the risky ones, this should not be necessary anyway.  Unless fish are being netted or severely stressed by similar issues, there will be no damage to their slime coats that a clean and suitable environment will not remedy.
 
It all comes down to the basic premise, that the less chemicals and substances added to a fish tank, the better the fish will be.  Treating specific disease issues is obviously another thing entirely.
 
Byron.

 

[Byron]

I think once I get my diy python water changer up and running I will notice the difference then because I'll be having to dechlor for 240 litres instead of just 60 when using buckets. 
With the old tapsafe dechlor that would mean using half the bottle - that bottle costs about £4. With the API I'll be using just 4ml for the entire tank with each water change and the bottle size I got will do 6,700 litres and it cost me around £7 ... it's much more concentrated. As you have rightly said - there are larger bottles available online but for now this small sized bottle will last me a while. It does have a use by date on it so it will be interesting to see if I use it all up before the use by date which is 2020.
 
I'm also hoping to eventually see a difference in my filter pipes. I am now convinced that it is the aloe vera that is causing the pipes to clog

 
Just in case I am mis-understanding something here...you should never add conditioner for the entire tank volume (unless all water is fresh obviously) but only for the amount of fresh tap water being added.  Using double or triple the necessary dose is not only wasting conditioner and money, it is adding more chemicals into the fish without needing to do so.
 
I use a Python on all my tanks except the 10g (which is too small to fuss with the Python when a bucket or two of water will work fine--plus, I have pulled up tiny fish and fry using the Python in tanks with these).  On the 90g for example, I drain about 60% of the tank, which is roughly 40 gallons (the tank full is about 70-75 gallons of water, taking into account the substrate and wood that displaces water).  After I start re-filling, I use the dropper to squirt in 2 ml (1 ml treats 20 gallons).  In 15 years I have never had a problem.  The fish are frequently so busy spawning during the re-fill they probably don't even notice what is going on.

 

[gmc1]

Ebay.

 

[Akasha72]

I've always understood that when adding water via a python or hose straight to the tank you needed to dechlor for the whole tank volume and not just for the amount you change. That is the advice I was given on this forum when I first started my fish keeping journey and when I joined this forum. I've since repeated the same advice several times to others and never been corrected. 

Ebay.

 
Thanks I'll have a look

 

[Byron]

I've always understood that when adding water via a python or hose straight to the tank you needed to dechlor for the whole tank volume and not just for the amount you change. That is the advice I was given on this forum when I first started my fish keeping journey and when I joined this forum. I've since repeated the same advice several times to others and never been corrected.
 

 
I've come across such advice, but it was originally promoted by certain manufacturers and some people just accept it.  It is only beneficial to the manufacturer if they can get us using twice as much conditioner...then we obviously have to buy more.  There is absolutely no benefit to the fish or the aquarium to use more dechlorinator than what will handle the volume of replacement water.  I know you are very concerned about your fish's health, as I am.  Aside from the chemicals in the dechlorinator, they add TDS (total dissolved solids).
 
Think of it as using medications for a disease.  If the recommended dose is 2 ml per 20 litres, adding 4 ml per 20 litres is not going to improve things, and may do quite the opposite.
 
Byron.

 

[Akasha72]

the way it was explained to me all those years ago was like this: You add new water and that new chlorinated water mixes with the old dechlorinated and so you dechlorinate for the tank as a whole rather than just for the new water. It made sense then and it still makes sense now 

 I'm confused. I get what you are saying completely and it does make sense but my biggest fear in this hobby is ending up having to re-cycle with the amount of stock I have. I'd be changing water several times a day and probably end up in hospital on traction!

 

[Byron]

the way it was explained to me all those years ago was like this: You add new water and that new chlorinated water mixes with the old dechlorinated and so you dechlorinate for the tank as a whole rather than just for the new water. It made sense then and it still makes sense now 

 I'm confused. I get what you are saying completely and it does make sense but my biggest fear in this hobby is ending up having to re-cycle with the amount of stock I have. I'd be changing water several times a day and probably end up in hospital on traction!

 
Yes, that is the argument, but if you think about it, it really does not make sense.  If there is no chlorine in the water already in the tank, then the dechlorinator remains inert in the water.  It only activates when it comes in contact with chlorine.  A chemist would probably be able to explain the technical equation/process, but I might not understand that any more than I comprehend some of the water chemistry science.  It is the final result that I am concerned with.
 
I have a fair bit of chlorine in my tap water; some days I can even smell it, though less where I am living now (farther out from the last chlorine adding station) than it was when I lived in the city.  But if I forget to add it, by the time the tank has filled the fish are beginning to show the effects by remaining closer to the surface.  I have in 15+ years never had problems other than the couple times I forgot.
 
And the only issue is the fish.  Chlorine in replacement water will not be anywhere near sufficient to kill the nitrifying bacteria.  When my new fish QT is empty of fish, I do not use dechlorinator at all, and I tend to do major water changes right after I remove the latest fish.
 
Byron.

 

[Akasha72]

you can smell is some days here too ... like a bleachy sort of smell. It tends to vary, sometimes the water smells, other times not so, very odd but that can't be good for us let alone be good for our fish. This is why I've always preferred the syphon and bucket method rather than the hose method but my poorly back is forcing me to change that.