Safe Vs Prime

[skjl47]

Correct me if I’m wrong but 500 gallons divided by 4 weeks would equal a 125 gallon water change weekly and the example you gave said you had 125 gallons. Did you perhaps mean to say you had a total of 250 gallons?

Hello; Since many, if not most, suggest dosing for the total volume of a tank when using water conditioners I was working with the total volume of the tanks. I was not precisely thinking of a 100% WC.
I get your question and think it is a good one. Another wrinkle in this SAFE vs. PRIME question.

Let me repeat that when I brought this up a few years ago that I was warned off from pre-mixing the SAFE for later use. So that is why Duane's recent post seemed of interest. As of now using SAFE dry seems the way to do it. I look forward to Duanes potential future post if he does in fact add more. I do not have the personal knowledge nor the personal experience to have a viable opinion.

 

[duanes]

To me, 4 weeks is easily sustainable for liter of Sodium thio, I've often accidentally poured to much when using dry for a solution, and ended after dilution, with a couple gallons that lasted at least 4 months, or more.
Sodium thio is a salt, so degradation is almost nonexistent, the problem in labs is often, that evaporation over time concentrates the solution, making for an inaccuracy of the end result, but I never found the bucket chemistry of a concentrated dose in an aquarium a problem for me.

 

[squint]

Find your water report or find out how much chloramine. Do a little math and make your dosage. There's not an easy button your going to have to do a little research.

Water quality reports aren't that helpful. Even if they do give you a number, that may not be what you get out of the tap on any given day.

 

[PYRU]

Water quality reports aren't that helpful. Even if they do give you a number, that may not be what you get out of the tap on any given day.

You missed the or find out part. Point is its going to take some research

 

[tarheel96]

Water quality reports aren't that helpful. Even if they do give you a number, that may not be what you get out of the tap on any given day.

This is true. I've always dosed for 4 ppm which is the highest range measured annually every report. Average is 2.8 ppm chloramines.

You missed the or find out part. Point is its going to take some research

Yep. That research is part of fish-keeping .. part of the hobby. This as not a Safe vs. Prime issue because you'd encounter the same problems with dosing using either.

 

[PYRU]

This is true. I've always dosed for 4 ppm which is the highest range measured annually every report. Average is 2.8 ppm chloramines.



Yep. That research is part of fish-keeping .. part of the hobby. This as not a Safe vs. Prime issue because you'd encounter the same problems with dosing using either.

I should probably put more details into my replies

 

[Texas321]

For the last couple of years I've only used prime. Best of the best IMO. Only downside is it smells like fart.

 

[white specter crayfish]

Ok, I'm using prime up right now, I'll switch to safe once I run out, for 30 gallons I would use .125 grams or 1/40 of a teaspoon, I'll just do what @skjl47 said and just divide them into rough amounts, or just use a small pinch of it once I get an idea of what amount I need

 

[RD.]

Hello; So if I follow correctly my notion of mixing SAFE in water and then using it for up to four weeks may not be totally bad.

Just to clarify how long Seachem Safe can last when mixed with water, I posted this info years ago, in response to what Dr. Greg Morin, the head chemist & CEO of Seachem sent me years ago via email. I was asking him on behalf of a friend who was using a medical doser, on his Asian aro & ray tank. Greg told me that Seachem uses a hydrosulfite as one of the ingredients, but that unlike Prime Safe contained no stabilizing agents, and to err on the side of caution my friend should use each batch up within 30 days.

I'm not a chemist, nor do I know the exact formula used in Safe, so I'm not about to argue with someone that has a PhD in chemistry, and does know the exact ingredients used in the formula. Also, it doesn't exactly take rocket science to measure it out correctly dry, or mixed with water, if one feels the need to do that. Even on a 30 day rotation.

 

[RD.]

Oh, and that's not me disagreeing with Duane, Seachem being a consumer based company no doubt Greg was using some CYA diplomacy in his response to me. But still, my friend was not keen on experimenting with several thousands of $$$ worth of fish. He mixed a fresh batch every 30 days.