095340002 Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 just wondering how often people do water changes and what chemicals they use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishnerd Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I use prime to remove chlorine and chloramine etc. My tanks and sump systems are quite large so I only do water changes once a month. Prime is a great product, one bottle lats practically for ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfisher Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I always try to do my water changes every week but sometimes life gets in the way,so I would say every 10 days.I also use Prime its safe and effective just make sure you dose for the volume of your tank not the amount your changing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidbro Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 I do changes every 2 weeks on established tanks, and I used to use Aquaplus dechlorinator but this forum was constantly giving Prime rave reviews. I haven't looked back after switching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crystal Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Prime is my favorite. I started off with other brands, but after encountering one that actually contained amonia ("to boost the bacteria in your tank"), I tried prime and never went back. It nails everything from chlorine to chloramines to heavy metals. I am afraid I am a bit lax in my water changes. My 20g, 15g and 14g get 75% water changes about every 2 weeks. My heavily planted 90g gets a 75% about once every 2 months (it only has twelve 3" fish though). I up my water changes if I have fry in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gman44 Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 i maybe do a 3/4 water change once or twice a month, with no chemicals or testing the water. than agian i only keep fancy goldfish, which are easy to care for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayba Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 Hmm. Maybe I'm anal about water quality. I do two 30% water changes a week. My smaller tanks get even more. I use Seachem Safe. It is a powder and does double the water volume of Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cainechow Posted October 22, 2012 Report Share Posted October 22, 2012 how does Safe compare with Prime for price. It must be cheaper since it is in solid form? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Znaika Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Contrary to the pricing tab, Prime is actually less expensive than most of other brands. A 250 ml bottle of Prime is about $17, same size bottle of Nutrafin is twice cheaper, but only 1 ml of Prime is required to treat 10 gallons of tap water. 5 ml of Hagen's Nutrafin is required to do the same. Bottom line is - Nutrafin is 2.5 times more expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace22 Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 Both safe and prime are manufactured by seachem. Product Description Safe™ is the complete and concentrated dry conditioner for both fresh and salt water. Safe™ removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. Safe™ converts ammonia into a safe, non-toxic form that is readily removed by the tank’s biofilter. Safe™ may be used during tank cycling to alleviate ammonia/nitrite toxicity. Safe™ detoxifies nitrite and nitrate, allowing the biofilter to more efficiently remove them. Safe™ is non-acidic and will not impact pH. Safe™ will not overactivate skimmers. Use at start-up and whenever adding or replacing water. Sizes: 10 g, 50 g, 250 g, 1 kg, 4 kg Why It's Different Safe™ is the dry version of Prime® and shares all of it’s advantages; however, Safe™ is even more concentrated than Prime®. I haven't used Safe but I swear by prime. If I lived in Edmonton I would be all over the group buy of Safe! I do a 75% water change monthly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cullymoto Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 I do 75% weekly. which is no where near what im supposed to to for discus, specially considering that they are in a planted tank with a gravel bottem. Whatever, the fish are growing like weeds and happy as all heck! I use aqua plus safe as it has aloe vera + slime coat stuff. I have actually watched a wounded discus heal in minutes with this stuff in the water. not as "general purpose" as safe or prime (seachem) but i dont believe in taking the food away from the beneficial bacteria in the tank, so why would I add something that removes the amonia / nitrite / nitrate? would starve my plants too... With the aqua plus safe I use "perfect ph 6.5, KH booster, and discus trace mineral additive. (i use 100% R-O water so without these three my ph goes crazy) It is worth adding that I age, heat, and airate my water change water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprucegruve Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 (edited) Sorry this comment kind of belongs in the planted tank section of the forum,but here as we'll. In my world the fish come first,the plants second,if the plants do well BONUS! Technically speaking doing large water changes is taking food away from your plants,anyway you look at it unless your adding fertilizers when you do the W/C.Especially if your doing large water changes multiple times a week like you should with discus,wild tetras,and messy plecos. I wouldn't be worried about the prime taking anything away from your plants,even with a once a week 50-70% waterchange not many plants will thrive because not much would build up in the water column weekly. If worried about plants when it comes to dechlorinater,buy Some Seachem prime or safe and take your savings and get some highly concentrated dry fertilizers from a garden centre. That way you can do as many water changes you want,and still have healthy plants because the dry fertilizers and seachem products are so cheep Edit-sp Edited November 8, 2012 by Sprucegruve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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