Prime or Stress Coat

[Sam042955]

To my knowledge, there is no FDA for pet products so as long as these products sell and make money, they're staying on the shelf. Like so much marketing hype and caring hobbyists that think they're doing the best they can....Well there you go!
The 'problem' is that many of these products are in low concentrations so as not to kill livestock outright, but cause a slow discomfort and long term damage.
Not to nit pick, but I simply believe that additives are just not necessary and often cause more harm than good. But it's up to every serious hobbyist to evaluate and make informed decisions on what's best for the critters s/he is the caretaker of.

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 hobbyists simply stopped buying a certain product then it would more or less disappear by attrition.

 

[Sam042955]

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 gallons of tap water heated to 78 degrees. I added 5ml (twice the "recommended" amount but acceptable) of API Stress Coat+. The result was clear liquid/0ppm nitrates. (In fact, it was even better than when I used the combination of Prime and Stress Coat Plus, which was closer to 0-2ppm.) The photos show the "tale of the tape".

Does it "prove" anything? No. That would require multiple tests by multiple people. (And it also doesn't address the safety of Stress Coat+. That's a horse of another color.) This is purely anecdotal proof. But the tests don't lie. To answer the question: "Does Stress Coat+ lower nitrate levels"? In my case, with my water and my testing equipment, yes, it does. Take it for what it's worth. (The first 2 photos are the untreated tap water, and the last 2 photos are the tap water treated with the Stress Coat+.)

NOTE: I never just add Stress Coat+ to the tank. I only add it to water that's heated to 78.8 degrees and is going to then sit for at least 24 hours to use for water changes.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I'm on the edge of my seat...but still thinking that there must be some chemical reaction that yields a false positive in the test, hiding the true nitrates. Now I'm not a chemist and have no idea what might be in API's Stress Coat or the Red Sea test, but I'm sure if there was some magic elixir that removed nitrates from aquarium water it would be like a shot heard round the world. And we'd all be using it! Although I might say "seeing is believing", this one deserves a much closer look lest we believe we can simply and easily turn lead into gold.

 

[Sam042955]

I'm on the edge of my seat...but still thinking that there must be some chemical reaction that yields a false positive in the test, hiding the true nitrates. Now I'm not a chemist and have no idea what might be in API's Stress Coat or the Red Sea test, but I'm sure if there was some magic elixir that removed nitrates from aquarium water it would be like a shot heard round the world. And we'd all be using it! Although I might say "seeing is believing", this one deserves a much closer look lest we believe we can simply and easily turn lead into gold.

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 excited at feeding time he jumped out of the tank. After researching the after effects of a fish jumping out of a tank I learned that their protective slime coat gets damaged and saw recommendations to use Stress Coat+ (apparently there are several different kinds of Stress Coat and the only one that's recommended was Stress Coat+). So I ran up to Petco and bought a bottle.

I then used it when doing water changes for my rose petal betta in the 5 gallon tank as well since he had a lot of torn fins. It was only after that that I "discovered" the lowered nitrates, and by deduction boiled it down to the addition of the Stress Coat+.

It's undeniable. I didn't "rig" anything. I don't have any vested interest in API. And why they don't tout this product as a nitrate reducer is beyond me. The only caveat I can think of is that, like other products that "bind" ammonia and/or nitrites, for example, there may be a 24-48 hour limit on this nitrate reduction process.

And of course there's the matter of whether or not the aloe (in the concentration used in Stress Coat+) is harmful to the fish. As far as I'm concerned, after having read everything I can get my hands on, the jury is still out. (It runs the gamut from "HELPFUL", to "NOT REALLY HELPFUL" to "POSSIBLY HARMFUL TO WATER CHEMISTRY" to "HARMFUL TO THE FISH'S GILLS". Go figure.)

Given the fact that, while it's annoying, the 5-7.5ppm nitrate level of my tap water isn't the end of the world and I would consider just going back to Seachem's Prime. Or API's Tap Water Conditioner, without the aloe. (I'm sure my half moon guy, Nessie, is out of the woods after his Houdini attempt, and Raggedy Andy, my rose petal guy, seems to be doing fine now.)

So it's an ongoing learning process. Everyone has his/her own opinions about what's best for this and for that when it comes to the hobby, and a lot of it, most notably from the manufacturers themselves, is not what it appears to be. So it's trial and error, which is risky business when dealing with living creatures for which all we want is to provide the best environment.

And if we're honest and we really boil it down to brass tacks -- we're playing God when it comes to the hobby. We're taking living creatures that live in nature in much larger homes and we cram them into glorified toilets. (Sure...we try to make them the most accommodating toilets possible, but they're still glorified toilets. And that doesn't even get into the tortuous breeding practices, especially for bettas.)

So I'm generally not too impressed with "purists" who claim this way or that way is the best/only way, because EITHER way we're manipulating variables for living beings who didn't ask to be stuck in a toilet -- whether it's a 500 gallon custom toilet or a brandy snifter. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AbbeysDad]

It's undeniable. I didn't "rig" anything. I don't have any vested interest in API. And why they don't tout this product as a nitrate reducer is beyond me. The only caveat I can think of is that, like other products that "bind" ammonia and/or nitrites, for example, there may be a 24-48 hour limit on this nitrate reduction process.

I never suggested that you 'rigged' anything, merely that you may have overlooked a chemical reaction that suppressed the color change in the test results leading to a false conclusion.
Conditioners that do so merely convert ammonia to ammonium and DETOXIFY nitrites and nitrates which allows bio-filtration time to process the formr. There is no product that I'm aware of that does actual nitrate reduction. As a matter of fact, many of the (bio-media) products that claim to foster anoxic and/or anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrates into nitrogen gas quite frankly are more marketing hype than anything else.

And if we're honest and we really boil it down to brass tacks -- we're playing God when it comes to the hobby. We're taking living creatures that live in nature in much larger homes and we cram them into glorified toilets. (Sure...we try to make them the most accommodating toilets possible, but they're still glorified toilets. And that doesn't even get into the tortuous breeding practices, especially for bettas.)

Actually nature is a very hostile environment with weather, predators, and such. Thousands of fish perish every year when pools creating by the rainy season dry up in the heat of summer. Many others are lost as smaller fish are tasty and delicious to larger fish! In the well managed aquarium, well treated and well fed tropical fish can live 10-15 years, far longer than so many of it's wild cousins. I'll admit that some fish can become victims of the negligent hobbyist, but I'm willing to be that the readers here are not in that number.

 

[Byron]

Something we all need to remember: The fish you've acquired was quite happy not being owned by you, minding its own business. If you’re going to take it under your wing then you’re responsible for it. Every aspect of its life is under your control, from water quality and temperature to swimming space. [Nathan Hill in PFK]

It is inhumane to deprive any animal of an element it regards as critical to its well-being, and totally naive to expect normal behavior in its absence.
[Dr. Paul Loiselle, from an article on providing the proper environment for fish]

 

[Sam042955]

I never suggested that you 'rigged' anything, merely that you may have overlooked a chemical reaction that suppressed the color change in the test results leading to a false conclusion.
Conditioners that do so merely convert ammonia to ammonium and DETOXIFY nitrites and nitrates which allows bio-filtration time to process the formr. There is no product that I'm aware of that does actual nitrate reduction. As a matter of fact, many of the (bio-media) products that claim to foster anoxic and/or anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrates into nitrogen gas quite frankly are more marketing hype than anything else.

Actually nature is a very hostile environment with weather, predators, and such. Thousands of fish perish every year when pools creating by the rainy season dry up in the heat of summer. Many others are lost as smaller fish are tasty and delicious to larger fish! In the well managed aquarium, well treated and well fed tropical fish can live 10-15 years, far longer than so many of it's wild cousins. I'll admit that some fish can become victims of the negligent hobbyist, but I'm willing to be that the readers here are not in that number.

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 a margarine-sized tub. But even there it's still more than that, and I take that very seriously. The problem is that there are very conflicting "experts" on how best to accomplish that.

Heck, a feral tom cat "adopted" me about 2 years ago and I've been feeding him daily ever since. But just because he's an outdoor feral cat who cannot be touched or "cuddled", he's now "my" cat and I take full responsibility for feeding him daily and/or making provisions for someone else to feed him if I'm not here. Just sayin...

 

[Sam042955]

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.

Some final thoughts:

1. For someone with normal (0 nitrates) H2O I'd say the best way to "treat" the water is with a minimalist product like Tap Water Conditioner.
2. For someone with heavy nitrates in their tap water I'd say this product might be worth a look. (For someone with mild nitrates, like in my situation, it's a judgment call, depending on one's take on aloe and it's helpful/harmful nature.)
3. I think I'll contact API and ask them the 2 pertinent questions: A. Does their research indicate that Stress Coat+ is safe for fish? And B. Does Stress Coat+ reduce nitrates? If they respond I'll post their response here.

 

[Sam042955]

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 Conditioner.) The only thing left is to try a different tester. Time will tell. Peace.

 

[enricosonic]

API’s master test kit

 

[Sam042955]

API’s master test kit

That's one option. Thanks.

 

[enricosonic]

I’m sorry - are we all under the belief that API is using aloe vera and they’re idiots and we all know more than them?

Seriously I’m just asking.

 

[Sam042955]

I’m sorry - are we all under the belief that API is using aloe vera and they’re idiots and we all know more than them?

Seriously I’m just asking.

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 is purported to be harmful to a fish's gills.) So I figured I'd check with API directly.

The problem is exacerbated on API's part by making claims for their products that aren't necessarily substantiated. That opens the door to questioning a company's general credibility. My personal belief is that the less one adds the better, all other things being equal. (And in my case it was the question of the nitrate level. I found a distinct drop (from 5-7.5ppm to 0-2ppm) using Stress Coat+. That's why I ended up here from a Google search.) One thing led to another and the topic of whether or not the aloe vera in the product was harmful. And the topic of the reliability of the Red Sea test was an issue. I just ordered an API nitrate test kit and maybe that will shed some light on the matter.

 

[Sam042955]

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 part.

Then, just to be "scientific", I tested straight tap water. And it was...zero. (Whereas with the Red Sea test kit the result was 5-7.5ppm.)

So the only thing I can conclude is that somehow the Red Sea test for nitrate (bottles, not strips) was wrong. What an effin hassle! All this time I was responding to what appears to be a false reading. Fortunately it wasn't off the charts high, but it was enough to have me doing more water changes and trying products with an eye towards reducing nitrates. But going by the API test I can dispense with Stress Coat+ (now that both of my guys are doing fine) and just minimize with API Tap Water Conditioner.

Thanks for all of your input and for letting me work this out to a satisfied (if not confused) conclusion. (Confusing because I can't see how a test could be so wrong. Oh well...live and learn.) Peace.