Need advice about chloramines in my tap, Hypancistrus L260's!

[Mellowaquatics]

Hi all,
So I recently picked up a group of 6 L260 plecos, but have some concerns about my tap water.
-I know I have chloramines in my tap so I was wondering if anybody had experience with water changes and chloramines regarding hypancistrus.
-I know prime "detoxifies/removes" chloramines, but doesn't this just leave the ammonia left behind?
-I was wondering if I could get away with adding my tap straight to the tank as long as I have added prime, I know the ammonia gets broken down within 24 hours. This method of adding conditioned tap water works for my other tanks, but obviously I want to research as I understand hypancistrus are very sensitive to ammonia, nitrite, nitrate.
Below I have attached a photo of the L260's, any advice is appreciated!

 

[Rocky998]

Prime ALSO detoxifies ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I use something called API aqua essentials which does the same thing as prime... It detoxified the ammonia and took out the chlorine and prime does the same

 

[Byron]

Your Hypancidtrus are also sensitive to being drowned in chemicals, so I would not use Prime. API Tap Water Conditioner handles chlorine and chloramine just as well without the "unknown" chemical substance in Prime (Seachem can't or won't comment on this). And @Rocky998 you may have a similar issue with the API AquaEssentials. It does the detoxifying of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate the same as Prime but I've no idea if they use the same chemicals or different. Bottom line is, if you do not have ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the tap water, there is no reason to be using either product. These substances get inside fish and that should always be avoided unless essential.

To the chloramines, yes, these products break the chlorine/ammonia bond, leaving the ammonia. However, it is minimal and with the API Tap Water Conditioner the ammonia is able to be taken up by plants and bacteria. This is where live plants are so helpful...they rapidly assimilate ammonia.

 

[Rocky998]

Your Hypancidtrus are also sensitive to being drowned in chemicals, so I would not use Prime. API Tap Water Conditioner handles chlorine and chloramine just as well without the "unknown" chemical substance in Prime (Seachem can't or won't comment on this). And @Rocky998 you may have a similar issue with the API AquaEssentials. It does the detoxifying of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate the same as Prime but I've no idea if they use the same chemicals or different. Bottom line is, if you do not have ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the tap water, there is no reason to be using either product. These substances get inside fish and that should always be avoided unless essential.

To the chloramines, yes, these products break the chlorine/ammonia bond, leaving the ammonia. However, it is minimal and with the API Tap Water Conditioner the ammonia is able to be taken up by plants and bacteria. This is where live plants are so helpful...they rapidly assimilate ammonia.

API does actually disclose the information somewhere... I know seachem doesnt though so I dont use it. But others do with no issues from it.
The thing with just expecting plants to take up the ammonia is that you would have to have A TON of plants and they would have to grow fast. My tap has 0.50-1ppm of ammonia in it. The plants cant detoxify the ammonia instantly which means if you had to do a large water change, fish are getting ammonia burns and possibly nitrite poisoning. Sometimes chemicals like prime or aqua essentials are needed. (I prefer API)

 

[Mellowaquatics]

Thanks for the replies, do either of you have experience keeping hypancistrus? @Byron @Rocky998

 

[Rocky998]

I do not. Sorry

Thanks for the replies, do either of you have experience keeping hypancistrus? @Byron @Rocky998

 

[Mellowaquatics]

No worries, I do appreciate the advice @Rocky998

 

[Colin_T]

If the pH of the water is below 7.0, any ammonia becomes ammonium and it is less toxic to fish.

 

[Sgooosh]

i use api tap too. it has worked for me the whole time i have kept fish

 

[Lynnzer]

If the pH of the water is below 7.0, any ammonia becomes ammonium and it is less toxic to fish.

That's a good bit of knowledge. Only problem is that most tapwater is above 7 so can't see how to use the info.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the replies, do either of you have experience keeping hypancistrus? @Byron @Rocky998

Yes. I had a Hypancistrus furunculus for several years; unfortunately I lost him during an outbreak of an unknown internal protozoan introduced with new fish. I saved most of the upper level fish with an antibiotic in their food, but it was difficult to get the loricariid to eat and he didn't make it.

In the 1990's I had a Hypancistrus zebra (Zebra Pleco). He was a real joy, he chose a chunk of wood for his home, and whenever I sounded the "dinner gong" (I tap lightly on the tank frame before I feed a tank of fish) within a few seconds he would scoot out of his tunnel in the wood and wait patiently in front for the food. I fed him live tubifex worms, frozen shrimp and squid as treats, and the sinking food for the cories that he would scamper along among them eating. Sadly I lost him when something toxic began to leech out of the wood. In hindsight, I believe the suspect chunk of wood was cedar; I bought it from a fish store and it had been in the tank for two years. I lost several cories too, before a professional biologist suggested the wood might be the issue, and it was.

 

[FranciscoB]

Although Seachem does not disclose their 'secret' agent, the likelihood is extremely high that it is the same as used by API and most others - Sodium thiosulphate. It would just be too expensive to use almost anything else. But of course they want to keep it secret.

 

[Slaphppy7]

I must admit, I find it humorous to read statements like this: "the "unknown" chemical substance in Prime (Seachem can't or won't comment on this)"

Many companies withhold proprietary information; it is nothing new, secretive, or misleading.

Does one really believe Ford shares technological information/advances with Chevrolet? How about Lockheed and Boeing? Microsoft and Apple?

Just because a company withholds proprietary information is not a reason to avoid their products....if it works, it works...no need to reveal secrets of the trade.

 

[Essjay]

Thiosulphate is in many water conditioners - it's what removes chlorine. But Prime also contains some thing to detoxify ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and that's what people want to know about.


Edit to add - API's equivalent Aqua Essential contains tetra sodium EDTA, sodium formaldehyde bisuphite (aka sodium hydroxymethane sulfonate), sodium metabisulphite and proprietary inorganic salts (proprietary means they won't say what it is)

 

[Byron]

I must admit, I find it humorous to read statements like this: "the "unknown" chemical substance in Prime (Seachem can't or won't comment on this)"

Many companies withhold proprietary information; it is nothing new, secretive, or misleading.

Does one really believe Ford shares technological information/advances with Chevrolet? How about Lockheed and Boeing? Microsoft and Apple?

Just because a company withholds proprietary information is not a reason to avoid their products....if it works, it works...no need to reveal secrets of the trade.

I may be misreading, but I am concerned over this. We should not be adding unnecessary chemical concoctions to a tank with fish. Prime and AquaEssentials are not necessary unless (and then maybe) there is an issue of ammonia or nitrite or nitrate in the tap water.

Some years ago I learned the real danger these chemicals can pose to fish. Some will argue that they are "safe" provided one does not overdose them. That is not justification for subjecting the fish to unnecessary substances. Fish drink by taking in water via osmosis through their cells; this water enters the bloodstream, and moves to internal organs. The kidneys function to remove toxins. Any substance added to the water that will diffuse across the cell membranes will then get into the bloodstream. This can cause additional work for the kidneys, it weakens the fish over time, and may be fatal depending upon the substance.

The issue is not what the manufacturer does or doesn't make known; it is the use of unnecessary products whatever may be in them. But personally, I am not satisfied by Seachem withholding information, when they have told me in response to my question, that they have no idea how Prime detoxifies nitrate, but they discovered that it does.