Help With Using Seachem Prime

[Alm0stAwesome]

Hi Guys, this does seem like a dumb question "just read the destructions" right?

I'm just not sure how to dose it when I have a small tank (48L) and I do my water changes with 5L bottles. Do I just treat one bottle with the Prime and not treat the others(as in put enough in the first bottle for all of my new water)? Do I treat the whole tank? The way I've worked it out 1mL of Prime treats 40L of water, right? My smallest measuring spoon is 1.25mL lol.

I guess this will get easier when I get my 125L tank but even then I'll probably still use my 5L bottles because they are more manageable for lifting/pouring for a weakling like myself.

I'm just running out of my current water conditioner (especially since I poured most of the bottle all over the floor when doing my water change this week....doh) and plan on switching to Prime as it's meant to be the best!

 

[ZoddyZod]

it's also the most cost effective.

You can either pour the whole does stright into the tank prior to adding the new water or just in the first bottle, as you said.

If you want to make it the most cost effective, then buy a 1ml syringe (ebay!). I used to use one to add 0.6ml to every 10L bucket.

 

[phocoena]

I use a syringe to measure anything going into the tank out, it has more accuracy and is tbh easier to use than a spoon (or if something comes with a cup - ie meds - I use that)

You can get 1ml syringes off ebay (and there are other online places too) that are marked at 0.01ml graduations. You can also reuse them as long as you know what it is for. (Mine have a letter or three on the top of the plunger)

Per 5litres you'd be using something like 0.13ml.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Thanks guys, that's a huge help

Just got this off ebay: Syringe Mixed Sizes (I figure it'll be more useful to have a range of sizes instead of 20 x 1ml syringes )

Also got a 100ml bottle of Prime. I was going to get a bigger bottle (for cost efficiency) but seeing as a 100ml bottle will last me over two years at my current 16L a week water changes it will have gone off if I get a bigger bottle!

 

[OldMan47]

If you use 1 to 2 drops of Prime for every 4 litres, it will do just fine for you. I do 4 to 5 gallon water changes and use only 6 drops per bucket full, which is about 1.5 drops per 4 litres. The concentration of Prime is plenty for that small amount of water. I find it best to treat each bucket of water before adding it to my tank. If you treat in the tank itself you are directed by Seachem to use enough Prime for the whole tank volume. The issue is simple to describe. Prime, and many other dechlorinators, is consumed by organic actions. Since an established tank is full of organic loads, the active chemical is being absorbed by biological actions before it has a chance to neutralize the chlorine in your water. To offset that effect, addition of enough Prime to work with the entire tank volume is suggested for use when the new water is not treated before being added to the tank. I choose to use Prime before adding my bucket of water to a tank because I feel more confident doing things that way, not because it is really essential.