roypark05 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 I'm asking this largely out of curiosity. I had a lot of trouble establishing my 3 aquariums since moving to Edmonton on account of the water being treated with pesky long-lasting chloramines as opposed to old predictable chlorine. I use distilled water right now for water changes as opposed to tap water. The problem there is I am using more chemicals to maintain hardness and pH. So for those of you who still use tap water, please reply to this thread telling me/us what you do to prepare it (namely remove chloramines). Do you boil it? Use chemicals? If you don't do anything to prepare the tap water and just use it straight out of the tap, please reply as well telling me that's what you do just so I have an idea of how many people do that. Thanks for all replies in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happeboy Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 SeaChem Prime simple safe and concentrated what more could you want. And I don't muck with hardness and pH it always just turned out bad for me and the fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Seachem Prime. It removes the chloramines and neutralizes the ammonia. Great stuff. I dont' add anything else to the water. Just tap + prime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roypark05 Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Well the good thing about tap water here in Edmonton is that it comes with a good level of hardness and alkalinity and is a pH of about 7.8 all of which tend to be good for aquariums. Using distilled water means I have to bump up the pH and add hardness and alkalinity as distilled water has none. I wonder if you spend less on your SeaChem Prime than I do on the aforementioned buffers. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Buying prime and using tap would be way cheaper then buying distilled water and buffers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geleen Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Prime is great and relatively cheap. For discus the water has to be preheated and airated in a storage container for 24 hours to prevent the CO2 in tap water from taking the slime coat off. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon71 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Tap water..........add PRIME...............that's it, that's all. One cap full does 50gal. Way cheaper than distilled and buffers. Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Let it sit for 24 hours at room tempurature and I also will use 25% straight from the tap. I'm a rebel but it works well for me!! Tap water..........add PRIME...............that's it, that's all. One cap full does 50gal. Way cheaper than distilled and buffers. Leon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roypark05 Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Yes, except I'm not buying distilled, I have a friend who gives it to me for free. So we're comparing buffers vs prime. Seems as though so many of you swear by it, I may give this product a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popik Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 I just replenished my stock of Prime...a 500ml bottle ran me just over $20 and will last over 6 months. 5mls treats 50g and i usualy add a little extra just for giggles. Even if it isnt cheaper its alot easier than bringing in distilled water and then hardening it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 I change up to 65 gallons in 1 WC - I add enough Prime to treat the tank (just over 2 caps - or 1 w. the jug) then use a hose to refill the tank. EASY AS CAN BE Fish are happy, plants grow... what more could you want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bottomdweller_fan Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 SeaChem Prime. It breaks the chlorine-ammonia link in chloramine and then changes the ammonia into a form that is not harmful to fish. The ammonia is available to feed the bacteria and the chlorine and chloramine are no longer toxic. This is directly from Seachem's website (http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Prime.html): Prime™ also contains a binder which renders ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate non-toxic. It is very important to understand how those two functions work together. All dechlorinators operate through a chemical process known as reduction. In this process, toxic dissolved chlorine gas (Cl2) is converted into non-toxic chloride ions (Cl-). The reduction process also breaks the bonds between chlorine and nitrogen atoms in the chloramine molecule (NCl3), freeing the chlorine atoms and replacing them with hydrogen (H) to create ammonia (NH3). Typically, dechlorinators stop there, leaving an aquarium full of toxic ammonia! Seachem takes the necessary next step by including an ammonia binder to detoxify the ammonia produced in the reduction process. Be very careful when purchasing water conditioners. If your municipality includes chloramines in the water supplies, a standard sodium thiosulfate dechlorinator is not enough. I find it is very cost effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbemis Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 I agree with all the rest tap water + Seachem Prime = simple WC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roypark05 Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Glad I posed this question. Thanks for the responses. Funny how everyone here uses the same product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albertan22 Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 I'll be different, I'm from Spruce Grove but the water comes from Edmonton. I've always used Aquaplus from Nutrafin and never had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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