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OK guys. I give up. I got the API nitrate test kit today (the bottles, not the strips) and ran the test on tap water treated with Stress Coat+. It was....zero. I was patting myself on the back for having "proved" my theory scientifically. (That Stress Coat+ DID reduce nitrates.) That's the good...

That was kind of my reaction as well. I think it's based on a university study that showed aloe harmful to a fish's gills. But I felt it was kind of like one of those "Well...I saw it on the Internet so it must be true" deals. (The same thing is going on with their BettaFix product, which also...

That's one option. Thanks.

Well...I contacted API about the aloe issue and the nitrate redux using Stress Coat+. They assured me (no surprise) that their product is safe and had no idea why I got nitrate redux with Stress Coat+. (They DID, however, steer me towards a different, more expensive product, Aqua Essential Water...

Brief/final update 2/4/22: I tested the water treated with the Stress Coat+ after 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours, and it's still 0ppm for nitrates. So this does not appear to be just a "binding" process for a day or two -- it appears to have totally eliminated the nitrates in my tap water...

Nature is cruel, no doubt about it. But it's honest. And as Byron pointed out, there's a difference between surviving and living. On that note, I think it's pretty fair to say that providing a 5 gallon tank for a fancy tailed betta and a 10 gallon tank for a "King" betta are an improvement over...

I was going to say the exact same thing -- that I am not a chemist. :) So I have no idea what's really going on here. And as I stated from the beginning I was NOT looking for a product to reduce nitrates; I was only looking for something to help my rambunctious giant half moon betta who got so...

For what it's worth... I did the "proof" test. I tested tap water, at 78 degrees, with my Red Sea Nitrate test. And the result was what I've been getting for 2 months now -- a distinct coloration that falls somewhere between 5 and 7.5ppm. I then took a new/clean 5 gallon bucket and put in 5...

I agree 100% with your last statement. Plus, I'm pretty sure that if anyone came up with conclusive studies that showed a product caused serious damage a class action lawsuit could be filed and the result, aside from a monetary payout, could be the pulling of the product. OTOH...if enough...

Hey...I was beyond skeptical -- I was in shock when I got the Red Sea nitrate results. I retested multiple times, figuring I HAD to have made a mistake. I mean...it just wasn't possible. But after multiple tests, the tests are accurate and they don't lie. The nitrates were reduced. Period...

I agree in principle, but my water isn't all that clean. Therein lies the rub. It's not toxic, and there's no ammonia in it, but out of the tap it's 5-7.5ppm nitrate, and while that's basically inconsequential, it's not 0.

It all depends upon whether or not one views Stress Coat as helpful or harmful. As I stated to AbbeysDad I've seen very divergent views on the aloe in Stress Coat. Some people rave about it and recommend it highly for bettas, while others condemn it soundly. If it turns out that the aloe is...

I've seen varying opinions on that one.

Update 2/1/22: Just out of curiosity I decided to test the two 5 gallon buckets I keep filled with water and a heater for water changes. They have several drops of Prime and also 5ml of Stress Coat (and no, I've never seen any ammonia whatsoever using the combination of Prime and Stress coat)...

And here are closeups of Nessie that show his spots. It looks to me as if he's trying to color up; it's just taking a really long time. I figured he was all white due to stress of living in that stupid little Petco tub, and that once he was in his own 10 gallon tank he'd be much less stressed...

Thanks so much. It was tough but getting the fish really helped.

Thanks. I tried to simulate their natural habitats with lots of plants. They're all silk and not real but still...lots of places for them to hide. And in the 5 gallon tank the home made man cave adds an additional safe place to hide. (Originally I had regular gravel substrate in the 5 gallon...

OK. Here are the two tanks. The first one is the 5 gallon with a rose petal betta. The second one (that had to be taken at a weird angle to cut down on reflections) is the 10 gallon with the Petco "King" half moon betta. The "King" betta (Nessie) was all white when I got him 6 weeks ago and I...

It really was a classic. Nice large piece of driftwood in the center that leeched lovely tannins and gave it a real Amazonian look and feel. But I was in an apartment and had to move and couldn't take the tank with me so I sold it, with the fish, to someone who could keep it going. (I took the...

Thanks so much. In a strange, roundabout way, getting the fish really helped me move past the grief. They require(d) a lot more attention than I had counted on but that ended up being a good thing because in caring for them the loss of my buddy didn't hurt as much. (And I also "adopted" (or...

Thanks for your compassionate post. We had Brutus for 12 years and so many things happened during that time but he was a constant. Then he was gone. And I didn't realize how much he was a part of my life until afterwards. (And when he'd misbehave I used to tease him that I was going to trade him...

Thanks so much. Glad to be here.

Thanks. This seems like a very good forum. And yes, it's cool, but somewhat confounding since, as others have pointed out, there doesn't appear to be anything in the Stress Coat that could possibly reduce nitrates, but the testing kit doesn't lie. So it's really puzzling.

I haven't had an aquarium for over 20 years but decided to get ONE betta tank (originally a 3 gallon tank) to help me get over the loss of my 15 year old pit bull who had to be put to sleep in November. As often happens...within 2 weeks I had 3 tanks -- a 5 gallon to replace the 3 gallon (which...

I have to respond to this post (I joined the forum just to respond). I have 2 betta tanks, a 5 gallon and a 10 gallon (for a giant betta), with 1 fish in each tank. Silk plants. Water temp 78.8 degrees. 2 Aquarium Co-op nano sponge filters in each tank. The tanks are both cycled and have 0...