The Puffer Forum

I have always used Prime and always will, initially expensive but a bottle lasts for ever

I agree, but really, if you look at how much you will use of the cheaper stuff compared with Prime, it's not really that expensive. With all the tanks I have, it makes sense to use something like Prime, just wish I had found out about it sooner, as I wasted so much money no buying Nutrafin's AquaPlus and Cycle.

Amquel is dangerous, it has wiped out many tanks, and still can if you get the wrong concoction for your water. Prime has never crashed a tank, has only one formulation with no need for variation.

As has already been said, Prime was designed and engineered to do one job and do it very well indeed, and quite cheaply I have not used anything else since chloramines started locally and would give up fish-keeping before I would use Amquel in my tanks*. Much of that product is additives to counteract the bad effect of its active ingredient. I don't need patchwork products when there is a clean, huge margin of safety, product available which is concentrated and inexpensive and simple and safe.

*That would never really happen, as there are other specialized techniques which I have tested and found adequate. But Prime is simpler and easier and cheaper, so I use it.

I do admit that I have no need of the Prime side effects - I don't have high nitrates in any tanks and have not in decades - I have to add nitrogen to several of my planted tanks, and my current tank issues are largely a result of my current visual problems having robbed me of my eye for tanks needing supplement and not getting it as and when needed - they are certainly not high-nitrate issues. Even the temporarily severely visually handicapped can do water partials in well-sent systems. High nitrate issues are hallmarks of poorly set or handled setups. I have at least outgrown those. Most folks, even those of us who learn slowly, do catch on to basic tank function and management if they stay in the hobby long enough. You do learn enough not to shoot yourself in the foot very often.

Why would I consistently need an ammonia-removing product if I never have any testable ammonia in my tanks? Seems to me, it would take away the ammonia needed to keep the bacteria alive to sustain my fish.

Nope, the binding is time limited, about two days, and the locked ammonium ion is still fully available to the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. No nitrification impact. I cheked that at standard dose and at non-trivial ODs with field grade tests where you can read an order of magnitude below hobby kits easily. No issues at all.

Without any chance of chloramines, you really do not need Prime. Years back, when I last did comparisons, "Genesis" was the least expensive and simplest of the thiosulfate-only products (it still has other "conditioners", but very little). It is at one drop per gallon, but drops are bigger than the Prime drops (eye-drop spout and drop size verus the Seachem one ml pipette for Prime). You would have to check around for other thiosulfate-only products and run some checks to be sure. It is so frustrating to do that - they all lie through their teeth on the bottles. Back then, the Doc Wellfish test kits were still available,but they are long gone. Now you have to use swimming pool tests and most are dip strips! No thanks. I have chloramines regularly but not constantly, so it is far easier for me just to always use Prime and not fiddle with testing.

You would also have to check with the local utility to be sure they are not joining the 21st century any time soon.

I used the cheap product, Dechlor, for 25 years with no issues.