Is Tetra Aquasafe really safe to use?

[Utar]

I am making changes in the way I do water changes.

For years I would use water straight from the tab. (Note: I have very good tap water, 7.6 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, GH & KH same at 7 or 125.3 depending on how it is read on the chart tested with API Master Freshwater Test Kit, etc) I have been using Tetra AquaSafe because it is found in my local Walmart. To use Prime I would have to drive into Houston (An hour away.) or order it.

I would add Tetra Aquasafe into the tank as I was refilling it with water, everything went ok over the past five years. But during this last water change, I lost four of six of my Red-Eyed Tetras. The Tetras immediately started showing signs of stress after adding the new water and conditioning it with AquaSafe, they flopped around right at the surface, sunk back down and flopped on the bottom then made their way back up to the surface, flopped around a couple of time sinking back down. I knew they were dying. So I netted them out and put them in with Betta Max's 20 gallons long since I had not done a water change on that tank yet. All but one died. None of the other fish in the tank were affected.

I have read a few reviews about Tetra Aquasafe on amazon, and in these reviews, people swear it killed their fish. Of note: I was using a large bottle and was at the very last of this bottle when this all happened.

I was in Houston a few days ago, I stopped off at Fish Gallery and picked up the largest bottle of Prime they had. So yesterday I shopped at my local Lowes store and picked up a plastic 44-gallon Brute trash can and a new water hose that will only be used for the Brute trash can. I also bought a new submersible water pump to use. Today I rinsed out the Brute can and the new water hose, filled it full of water adding Prime. I will let this set with a heater installed for at least 24 hours.

I will no longer use water straight from the tap or use Tetra AquaSafe.

But I do have one question concerning the Brute trash can. If I use the lid to close it off, is that ok? Will chlorine, etc still dissipate? Is one cap full of Prime all I need to use in the 44-gallon Brute can? It says on the bottle one full cap for 50 gallons, but I am not sure.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I am making changes in the way I do water changes.

For years I would use water straight from the tab. (Note: I have very good tap water, 7.6 ph, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates, GH & KH same at 7 or 125.3 depending on how it is read on the chart tested with API Master Freshwater Test Kit, etc) I have been using Tetra AquaSafe because it is found in my local Walmart. To use Prime I would have to drive into Houston (An hour away.) or order it.

I would add Tetra Aquasafe into the tank as I was refilling it with water, everything went ok over the past five years. But during this last water change, I lost four of six of my Red-Eyed Tetras. The Tetras immediately started showing signs of stress after adding the new water and conditioning it with AquaSafe, they flopped around right at the surface, sunk back down and flopped on the bottom then made their way back up to the surface, flopped around a couple of time sinking back down. I knew they were dying. So I netted them out and put them in with Betta Max's 20 gallons long since I had not done a water change on that tank yet. All but one died. None of the other fish in the tank were affected.

I have read a few reviews about Tetra Aquasafe on amazon, and in these reviews, people swear it killed their fish. Of note: I was using a large bottle and was at the very last of this bottle when this all happened.

I was in Houston a few days ago, I stopped off at Fish Gallery and picked up the largest bottle of Prime they had. So yesterday I shopped at my local Lowes store and picked up a plastic 44-gallon Brute trash can and a new water hose that will only be used for the Brute trash can. I also bought a new submersible water pump to use. Today I rinsed out the Brute can and the new water hose, filled it full of water adding Prime. I will let this set with a heater installed for at least 24 hours.

I will no longer use water straight from the tap or use Tetra AquaSafe.

But I do have one question concerning the Brute trash can. If I use the lid to close it off, is that ok? Will chlorine, etc still dissipate?

Your tap water is more than likely treated with chloramine, not chlorine. Chloramine does not "gas off", so a lid should not make a difference.

There's no need for the trash can anyway, just add the Prime to your tank as you begin filling during a WC.

Are you always matching the tap temp to the tank temp when performing WC's?

 

[Utar]

Your tap water is more than likely treated with chloramine, not chlorine. Chloramine does not "gas off", so a lid should not make a difference.

There's no need for the trash can anyway, just add the Prime to your tank as you begin filling during a WC.

Are you always matching the tap temp to the tank temp when performing WC's?

Yes, I take care and match the temp within a couple of degrees. This is why I am adding a heater to the Brute can.

 

[Uberhoust]

I would think you need some ventilation, if you left it longer then perhaps not. I was using the method you describe for a long time except I used 6 five gallon pails that I would hide in a closet. As I got more tanks this became a major task to fill and age them.

One thing in your post that caught my attention is that you had used the Aquasafe without issue but this one time you had a large issue. I don't know about the water where you live but in my parts the amount of chlorine added to our water is dependent on the input water quality entering the water treatment system. We get water from a reservoir and when we get a large rainfall, and or the summer temperatures warm the water the amount of chlorine is increased considerably. It may be possible that the chlorine levels in your water have been increased and even a short exposure has an affect on the fish, ie the time the water is introduced into the tank till the time the chlorine reacts with the water treatment.

It is my understanding that if they add chloramine to the water you will have to age it significantly longer. One of the selling points for using Chloramine in water treatment is that it lasts longer and can prevent biofilms from developing in the water lines. You will likely still have to add some treatment if they use Chloramines.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I would think you need some ventilation, if you left it longer then perhaps not. I was using the method you describe for a long time except I used 6 five gallon pails that I would hide in a closet. As I got more tanks this became a major task to fill and age them.

One thing in your post that caught my attention is that you had used the Aquasafe without issue but this one time you had a large issue. I don't know about the water where you live but in my parts the amount of chlorine added to our water is dependent on the input water quality entering the water treatment system. We get water from a reservoir and when we get a large rainfall, and or the summer temperatures warm the water the amount of chlorine is increased considerably. It may be possible that the chlorine levels in your water have been increased and even a short exposure has an affect on the fish, ie the time the water is introduced into the tank till the time the chlorine reacts with the water treatment.

It is my understanding that if they add chloramine to the water you will have to age it significantly longer. One of the selling points for using Chloramine in water treatment is that it lasts longer and can prevent biofilms from developing in the water lines. You will likely still have to add some treatment if they use Chloramines.

Aging water does not remove or detoxify chloramine.

 

[SeaAngel]

I have always used tap water straight from the tap but add Prime immediately before. I even do this with my fry and all is fine. Yes, 1 capful of Prime is perfect for 50 gallons.

 

[SeaAngel]

Aging water does not remove or detoxify chloramine.

Very true!

 

[Byron]

To answer the question in the thread title--yes and no. No conditioner should ever be overdosed as they can/will harm fish to some extent. Here I am wondering if the concentrate in the bottle was the reason. Always, shake the bottle before using any conditioner, regardless of the brand.

As for Aquasafe itself, I would not use or recommend this conditioner. This is an issue: "Powerful slime colloids reduce stress in fish by protecting gills, delicate membranes, and helping heal wounds." Controlled studies have so far not proven claims like this for any manufacturer, and the less substances added to the aquarium water the better.

I won't use Prime either, for reasons I won't go into now. When selecting a conditioner, you want one that does what is needed for your situation (i.e., what is in the source water that needs action). If you only have chlorine and chloramine, a more basic conditioner such as API's Tap Water Conditioner is best. I have been using this for a decade or longer now as I only have chlorine. It also detoxifies heavy metals, which is fine; I am not aware of any evidence that this property of a conditioner is at all harmful.

Unless you have a need to adjust water parameters before the fresh water goes into the tank, or deal with some other specific issue in the water, there is no need to prepare the water externally. Now, some very knowledgeable members here will advise this anyway, and that is fine, out of an abundance of caution, and I will not argue. My local water has never varied in parameters in decades but some areas may not be so fortunate, and increased chlorination may be an issue for some.

As to quantity, do not use more conditioner than what is required to deal with whatever is in the fresh water; dosing double the Prime or any conditioner for the tank volume is wasteful, but more importantly not safe, regardless of what Seachem or other manufacturers may claim.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I have always used tap water straight from the tap but add Prime immediately before. I even do this with my fry and all is fine. Yes, 1 capful of Prime is perfect for 50 gallons.

I use a medicinal syringe to measure/dose Prime, they are usually marked in increments of ml, and Prime dosing is 1 ml/10G...makes it easy to measure, and more precise than the cap method, IMO

 

[Utar]

The water source used is from the Trinity River within two miles of my house. The water plant is right on the river. It is always possible that the water plant did something different to the water coming to my house. Something that caused the problems the last time I did a water change. I really have no idea. I am just trying the new method out to see if it works ok. Who knows for reasons I have yet to discover, I might like this method better, for one thing, it will make it easier with a heater to match the water temp. Before coming straight from the tap using the trial and error of turning the hot and cold water valves until I finally got the temp I wanted, was a pain.

 

[Utar]

I use a medicinal syringe to measure/dose Prime, they are usually marked in increments of ml, and Prime dosing is 1 ml/10G...makes it easy to measure, and more precise than the cap method, IMO

Good idea I have a syringe I can use.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I used to use it, before switching to Seachem Prime. It is safe in a sense, but it’s not good for your fish. (As @Byron mentioned)

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I also use a small syringe for measuring my Prime. I mix mine in 1g milk jugs, because I have such small tanks. You need 0.1ml of Prime for 1g of water.