Old Betta Slowly Dying

[NickAu]

LOL, a well cared for Betta lives 5 to 7 years on average.

 

[Alliesten]

I have high chlorine/chloramine in my tap water, and double dosing Prime has been the key to keeping healthy tanks for me.

When Chloramine breaks down, it separates into ammonia and chlorine. This will cause an ammonia spike in the water. So that’s why it important to know what your water system uses for their chlorinator.

 

[SeaAngel]

I have high chlorine/chloramine in my tap water, and double dosing Prime has been the key to keeping healthy tanks for me.

When Chloramine breaks down, it separates into ammonia and chlorine. This will cause an ammonia spike in the water. So that’s why it important to know what your water system uses for their chlorinator.

Mine just started using it a week ago and I can tell the difference.

 

[Alliesten]

Mine just started using it a week ago and I can tell the difference.

Yep. I can always tell when they do a flush of the system too. I can smell the chlorine.

I struggled for months, when I first started. Couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t maintain my cycle. Turns out it was that I had higher than normal chloramines. Double dosing saved my tanks. For sure.

 

[SeaAngel]

My older fish is already peeking up a bit. Watch for my other post!

 

[Alliesten]

Prime is over rated over priced rubbish.

Did you know 2 drops of prime per gallon of water will only deal with ammonia of up to 1.0?, for higher readings1,0 or above you need more than 2 drops per gallon.

Prime only binds ammonia for 24 to 48 hours then releases it back into the water if not removed, wheres a product like Tetra or API binds it permanently.

Anyway Im done here,

Actually API Ammo Lock doesn’t bind permanently. It only works for 24-48 hours also. It also doesn’t detoxify nitrites or nitrates like Prime does. Not sure what Tetra product you are referring to.. wasn’t aware there was one that binded ammonia.

Prime works great for instances of ammonia in tap water, as long as it is below 1ppm. I also use it to help do a safe fish in cycle. I wouldn’t call it rubbish. It can be used as an effective tool. It doesn’t replace water changes at all. It just helps keep your fish safe from injury, in certain cases. Nothing wrong with that. In fact I make sure that when someone asks for a fishy first aid kit, that is on the list. It’s a good emergency in tank treatment.

 

[Discus-Tang]

Stress Coat is actually the rubbish. Stress Coat is actually completely useless if you have chloramine in your tap. Quoting myself:

Stress Coat is one of the most popular dechlorinators on the market, however, there is a lot of confusion surrounding it. I’m writing this up so I can help my fellow fish keepers when choosing dechlorinators for their tank(s).

First of all, Stress Coat is a proprietary formula, which makes it impossible to know what the active ingredient is for sure. Most third-party sources say that it is sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3).

Sodium thiosulfate is ineffective at reducing chloramine unless used in dosages considered dangerous for fish. So, assuming that Sodium thiosulfate is indeed the active ingredient of Stress Coat, then we know that stress coat is a poor choice for aquarists who have chloramine in their tap source.

https://www.google.com/2007/04/aquarium-water-conditioners.html#stress_coat (The link isn't working) - this website says:

Purigen or other filter resins.

I did try to get in contact with MARS Fishcare to confirm that they used sodium thiosulfate in their products. This was before I knew that Stress Coat’s ingredients were confidential. Here is the response I received:

https://www.apifishcare.com/pdf/Stress_Coat_Cortisol_study_8.1.08-1.pdf



Thank you,

Taylor K.

Consumer Relations Technician

MARS fishcare


T+ 1.800.847.0659

We'd love to get your input!- Click here to complete our satisfaction survey.
Click to expand...
The link shows a study that tests the effectiveness of Stress Coat as a cortisol (slime coat) replacement.

https://www.apifishcare.com/pdf/Stress_Coat_Cortisol_study_8.1.08-1.pdf

However, an independent study by The University of Georgia found this:

It should be noted that testing has shown that Stress Coat is only effective in direct application whereby the "blob" of slime/aloe lands directly on the fish.
This seems very unlikely, as most aquarists simply pre-treat their water, which lets the Aloe Vera disperse in the water, thus, deeming it relatively useless for fish. So, to ensure that Stress Coat is being used as intended, one must:

-Be sure that there is little/no chloramine in their water source

-Physically tip the Stress Coat onto their fish

-Not use resins (including Purigen) in their filter

All of these seem improbable, so I highly encourage aquarists to use an alternative product.

 

[Discus-Tang]

Here's the link, that didn't quite come out right:
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/stress-coat-risks.373332/

 

[David1978]

Seriously pour it right on the fish?

 

[Discus-Tang]

Seriously pour it right on the fish?

Yep