Move to safe stay with prime

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Jeff5347

Exodon
MFK Member
May 13, 2017
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Ok so I need to reorder something. My prime is gone and I'll be doing a WC mid week and thought even with a 75 I dose for the whole tank....as well as my son's 10g. So I figure switch to safe to go longer and save. My question is for anyone who has changed and are happy or have gone back to prime. I know safe doesn't add a stress coat but I am religious on cleaning, WC and such so unless fish are sick or I handle them alot (I don't) they are producing their own slimecoat. From what I've read to dose safe in a 75 that would take 3/4 teaspoons...
Is there any reason you guys would vere me back to prime or just jump into safe territory?
 
Seachem Safe is by far more economical in the long run. I suggest that you find out what your tap water disinfectant (chlorine/chloramine) residual is before calculating how much Safe that you need to use.
 
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FYI - at 2 ppm chloramine (approx. what leaves my tap) 1/8 teaspoon of Seachem Safe, treats 82.25 gallons of water.

1 teaspoon of Safe, treats 658 gallons of my tap water, that again has a residual of 2 ppm chloramine.
 
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FYI - at 2 ppm chloramine (approx. what leaves my tap) 1/8 teaspoon of Seachem Safe, treats 82.25 gallons of water.

1 teaspoon of Safe, treats 658 gallons of my tap water, that again has a residual of 2 ppm chloramine.


I looked on my towns website and dl'd a PDF although 2015 it is a water quality report
I see a bunch of stuff but not chlorine or chlorimine. Not sure if they test for that. Called and they said a new report will be out in September. I'll attach the screenshots. Is there anything I may not see that may be helpful?

Screenshot_20170619-115733.png

Screenshot_20170619-115737.png
 
Hello; Allow me to add a tid-bit gleaned from an earlier thread about SAFE. There was some discussion about how the measure out the fairly small amounts of SAFE needed during a weekly WC. I made a suggestion to mix up a solution of SAFE with water to have on hand for future WC. The idea was to make it a bit less tedious than having to do the mixing at each WC. To use it much like the ready mixed PRIME.

I was informed with at least one flaw in that plan. That being SAFE does not have the stabilizers which PRIME has to extend shelf life. Once SAFE is in solution it's shelf life is apparently no more than 30 days.

Don't know if you would have considered this approach, but I guess that you can mix up enough that will be used within about three weeks.
 
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If it was me, I would call and ask, then get a chlorine test kit and test yourself to ensure the info given is correct.
 
I don't mind mixing it at the time. I've read like like if you don't treat the water going in the tank treat the whole tank. That is what I usually did with prime. I spoke with the superintendent of water and he said he doesn't treat with chlorine unless there is a water main break or such. He didn't have a number of what the ppm is.
 
So your water typically contains no disinfectant at all?
 
I checked their website and in Section 2 found the following information. I highlighted the last line regarding disinfection for you.

WATER TREATMENT
Water from all five wells is treated at the source for corrosion control. This process involves the addition of Sodium Hydroxide which adjusts the pH and alkalinity of the water. Controlling the pH and alkalinity of the source water minimizes the corrosion of plumbing fixtures in the distribution system which can result in increased lead and copper concentrations in the water system. Periodically, the water is treated with sodium hypochlorite for disinfection.
 
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