Best water conditioner

[Fishfunn]

Primes says for heavy chloramines, 4 drops per gallon or 20 drop per 5 gallons which is the same as API Tap Water Conditioner.

 

[Helina]

The answer depends on whether your water provider uses chlorine or chloramine.
For chlorine, the best is API Tap Water Conditioner. This contains just two chemicals, one to remove chlorine and one to bind metals.

For chloramine, it is better to use a conditioner which also temporarily detoxifies the ammonia made by splitting chloramine.

The conditioners to avoid are those which contain something to "promote the slime coat" or similar wording. These additives can coat the fish's gills over time.

If the Tetra water conditioner is AquaSafe, I would use the bottle then don't get any more.
From Tetra's website "Instantly removes dangerous chlorine, chloramine, copper, zinc and lead from tap water"
Removes chlorine; breaks chloramine into chlorine & ammonia then removes the chlorine; binds metals. Does not mention detoxifying the ammonia from chloramine so I wouldn't use it when there's chloramine in tap water.
"Contains a natural plant extract to protect fish gills and mucous membranes"
This could well be aloe vera, one of the things that coats fish gills.

Hey!

I'm troubled now. I intended to buy Seachem Prime from my local dealer because it was so concentrated and the brand rises trust (though that has been shaking a little lately due to some comments), but the dealer said that according to his details Prime also does this: (translated from Finnish) "Supports the natural regeneration and growth of fish mucous membrane". This reads also on the shops web page about Seachem Prime. I didn't find this detail in the official Seachem site though. The aquarium shop dealer also mentioned that it does that by actually having an ingredient which irritates/scrubs the fishes muchs, therefore making it to regenerate.

I got spooked off from buying Prime because of that and took Tetra AquaSafe instead, which he had recommended due to having that coating effect on fish. And now I read from you that that's not necessarily good either? Is there maybe any science behind any of these claims or is that just a use of logic? The quarium shop keeper also calimed that Tetra AquaSafe would be the fastest to react out of all of the many options he had available in the shop. JBL, Sera, Easy-Life, Prodac, Waterlife, Seachem, Tetra, HS Aqua.

I've used Tetra AquaSafe for 2 weeks now. I used JBL Biotopol before that during these 4 years of fishkeeping, which had aloe vera and fish have been healthy. Wonder how the AquaSafe will affect the fish or is that just a negligible tiny coating effect.

And I am said to have chloramine in the tap water btw. The aquarium dealer has had the business for 25 years or so.

Cheers and thanks for your input!

 

[GaryE]

I look for a dechlorinator with as few extras as possible. I am fortunate in that I have good water treated only with chlorine. So my life is simplified at water change time.
I am using API now. If I see Prime on sale, I'll use it. In my market, API is currently a better option.

The industry knows that things like aloe vera sell. It's an unregulated business, and there could be nonsensical homeopathic type dosages in the products. I have no idea how aloe vera could coat an already slime covered fish. It doesn't make sense. Yesterday, in the grocery store, I noticed aloe vera drinks for humans in the 'natural' food sections, so I guess I could have a soft and radiant intestine. We fall for these things.

I'm wary of hobbyist reviews because we tend to repeat what we've heard, in an endless, impossible to trace chain. Seachem advertises well and provides genuine support to the North American hobby. That doesn't mean their products are superior.

They are good. So are API's. Many of the lesser brands are also excellent. Why? With many, they have the same ingredients. I'm certain you have brands in Finland that we don't in Canada, and they may be fantastic. No one here will cite them, because they don't know them.

There are disease treatments in North America whose active ingredients are so diluted I can't see them doing anything but having a nice smell and helping us feel better when our fish are sick. They're there to make us feel active, and to make money. Your market is different from ours, so look for a good price. It works for me.

Do you have chloramines in your water?

 

[Essjay]

Seachem's website does not mention anything about slime coats but the image of a bottle of Prime does say "provides slime coat".

The chemical most commonly used in water conditioners is aloe vera, but as Seachem doesn't give the ingredients we cannot know which chemical they actually use. Most of these chemicals are unnecessary as fish are quite capable of producing slime coats unaided, and many of the chemicals coat the fish's gills on prolonged use.

Can you buy API products in Finland? Their Aqua Essential water conditioner 'detoxifies' the ammonia part of chloramine but according to their safety data sheet does not contain anything to 'promote the slime coat'. If your water contains chlorine rather than chloramine, then API Tap Water Conditioner is a better option.

Is it possible for you to contact your water provider directly to ask if they use chlorine or chloramine? I'm afraid I would not trust a shop to give the correct information.

 

[Helina]

The industry knows that things like aloe vera sell. ...We fall for these things.

Many of the lesser brands are also excellent. Why? With many, they have the same ingredients. I'm certain you have brands in Finland that we don't in Canada, and they may be fantastic.

Do you have chloramines in your water?

Can you buy API products in Finland?

Is it possible for you to contact your water provider directly to ask if they use chlorine or chloramine? I'm afraid I would not trust a shop to give the correct information.

Hello and thank you for your answers and info! This topic has troubled me.

I'm told that my tap water has rather chloramine than chlorine. I can try to contact the water provider next Monday to verify this and to also ask for some data about the other substances in the water. That might be useful to know when tweaking for optimal fertilization too.

I haven't seen API products around no. I guess my next project is to search through all the brands provided here and try find the best using the common sense and considering your points. Thank you!

If You or anyone else has something to add, "I'm all ears".

 

[GaryE]

How your water is treated really matters. Here, I could use anything with Sodium Thiosulfate as the active ingredient. Chloramines change things radically.

 

[Helina]

For anyone interested in my local search result:
I did a search to a couple local popular aquarium special stores and seems that here every water treatment brand (no API available) (10 brands in total) has a coating effect or alternatively Seachem Prime stimulating effect (which safety I don't trust now either). One of the brands actually warned about overdosing making it harder for fish to catch breath because of the coating effect on gills! So, only worst options available here in this regard.

The only products also addressing ammonia were Seachem Prime and Easy-Life AquaMaker. I'm left to ponder whether the released ammonia amount from my tap water chloramine, with for example Tetra AquaSafe, is something to be concerned about. I'll ask that store which recommended it to me to test the treated tap water for ammonia. They do free water tests for customers, but ammonia isn't the regular one tested for mature tanks. I think that would solve the issue for me. Nice to finish with a positive note for a change.

 

[Naughts]

This study was previously quoted by Byron.

https://www.researchgate.net/profil...-for-reduction-of-handling-related-injury.pdf

 

[Helina]

This study was previously quoted by Byron.

Thank you! It stated the next for example:

Harnish et al. 2010 'A review of polymer-based water conditioners for reduction of handling-related injury':
"The evidence of the toxic effects of A. vera on fish solidifies the need to empirically test
water conditioners"

"One hundred percent of tilapia exposed to 50 ppm A. vera died within the duration of the experiment"

"It is unadvisable to use water additives that contain Aloe vera extract or CMC in closed holding systems due to the potential for these additional organic wastes to reduce water quality and oxygen levels. However, these organic materials likely do not have a negative effect on water quality or oxygen levels in open, flow-through holding or transport systems."
transport systems.

! Wonder how much is that 50 ppm A. vera.
I found another article form Goodle Scholar, which reveals something but not much:

Vanderzwalmen et al. 2020 'Effect of a water conditioner on ornamental fish behaviour during commercial transport':
"Overall, adding Stress Coat® to the transport water of ornamental fishes appears to improve behavioural indicators of welfare, in particular reducing the occurrence of erratic swimming and biting behaviours."

It leaves us with the question of how is this "calmer" behaviour achieved?
As it seems to me it doesn't rule out the possibility that the behaviours may seem calmer due to for example difficulties to breath or other negative effects, as that wasn't studied, only how the behaviour appeared as a result from it. But it definitely seemed to have some sort of effect on fishes! Be it due to a positive change or a negative one. Interesting and concerning, both.
Though I'll also note that this article also stated that adding aloe vera to fish foods had some health benefits, but that's a different matter.