Seachem Safe vs Aquascience New Pond

[Galantspeedz]

Was reading on what @RD has posted on cost effective water conditioners

Decided to try out Seachem Safe which is the most cost effective but when i went to LFS, the LFS mentioned that Seachem Safe is not very good as it only binds the ammonia for 48hours before releasing it back into the water while the AquaScience will remove the ammonia with it's patented Cloram- X

I did some basic costing based on the price i get in my country

Tank Volume based on 6 x 2.5 x 2 tank = 800l

Bio Stress Guard $24 for 4L. each change is 12 caps about 120ml so average is about 72 cents
Seachem Safe is $12 for 250g. each change will use about 2.5g so average is about 12 cents
Aquascience is $18 for 250g. Treats 1000 US gallons or 3785l. This will mean an average cost of about $3.80

Why is seachem safe so much cheaper and is what the LFS is saying is correct?

And i just put seachem safe in the water before filling up with new water?

 

[Burbotman]

Safe similar to prime can be used to bind ammonia as an emergency measure in case of a spike until you get a large water change done. The product is not for replacing the nitrogen cycle. It's practical purpose is to neutralize chlorine and chloramine.

Safe works great and is cost effective. With a properly cycled tank, binding with ammonia in a non issue

 

[RD.]

Ammonia can be an issue for those that have chloramine treated tap water, especially for those that perform large water changes, with water that has a high pH. Especially if there are no plants present in the tank, and even more so at higher temps. This is where Seachem Prime and Safe outperform sodium thiosulfate based water conditioners, where in an instant a potentially lethal level of NH3 is rendered safe to fish.

A good read on ammonia toxicity.

http://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/ammonia-toxicity.html

Decided to try out Seachem Safe which is the most cost effective but when i went to LFS, the LFS mentioned that Seachem Safe is not very good as it only binds the ammonia for 48hours before releasing it back into the water while the AquaScience will remove the ammonia with it's patented Cloram- X

Not very good? Yeah, maybe not very good for their sales of Aquascience ClorAm-X. LOL Within that 48 hour period, a mature systems bio-filtration will safely remove ALL of the free ammonia, so there is no "releasing it back", as the person at the LFS described.

And yes, just add Safe to your tank as you are filling it up. Adjust the rate of dosage to match your water disinfectant level, as I described in that sticky.

 

[Galantspeedz]

Ammonia can be an issue for those that have chloramine treated tap water, especially for those that perform large water changes, with water that has a high pH. Especially if there are no plants present in the tank, and even more so at higher temps. This is where Seachem Prime and Safe outperform sodium thiosulfate based water conditioners, where in an instant a potentially lethal level of NH3 is rendered safe to fish.

A good read on ammonia toxicity.

http://www.thekrib.com/Chemistry/ammonia-toxicity.html



Not very good? Yeah, maybe not very good for their sales of Aquascience ClorAm-X. LOL Within that 48 hour period, a mature systems bio-filtration will safely remove ALL of the free ammonia, so there is no "releasing it back", as the person at the LFS described.

And yes, just add Safe to your tank as you are filling it up. Adjust the rate of dosage to match your water disinfectant level, as I described in that sticky.

Thanks I decided to go with seachem safe the following day of my post... So far it has been good

Thanks to burbotman too... main purpose is to render chlorine and cholaramine safe.... the ammonia removal is a bonus

 

[Galantspeedz]

Just an update after using seachem safe for 2 months. Dosage is using 5ml spoon x 3-4 times.
Tank is 6ft x 2ft x 2.5ft. Volume about 800litres
I noticed I need to change water every 3 days , 50% water change.
Did 2 readings with API liquid test kit before WC for the last 2 WC.
1st reading Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrates 40ppm
2nd reading ammonia 0.25, nitrite 0, nitrates 40ppm
Noticed white spots, looks like fungus on Blood Parrot fish and fire eel .. believed is slime coat
This will drop off after each water change and be ok the next day only to happen after 3 days

Reverted back to my regular water conditioner bio stress guard.
Did 2 readings with similar water change
1st reading after 3days ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrates 20ppm still did WC
2nd reading after 4 days ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 20ppm
Both blood parrot and fire eel has problem with their slime coat during this time

Am i using seachem safe wrongly?

To add on, my LFS did warn me that seachem safe will only lock ammonia for 48 hours before there is a spike. I did not believe but it seems to coincide with my reading and fish slime coat issue on 3rd day.

 

[RD.]

As previously stated; a mature systems bio-filtration will safely remove ALL of the free ammonia, so there is no "releasing it back", as the person at the LFS described. I'm not sure why you feel that you would have an ammonia spike, ever? That's not a normal scenario in a balanced system, where the bio-bacteria are consuming any ammonia being produced by fish waste, food etc.

 

[Galantspeedz]

maybe spike is to harsh a word but i see ammonia levels present with seachem safe

but to me, the most telling is the fire eel and parrot fish shedding it's slim coat, without fail it will happen between the 3rd day and before the 4th day.... once the water change is done, this specks of white will drop off and all is good the next morning

i do not face such issues with my regular water conditioner up till 4th day... will try to see if it last till the 5th day.

Previously, with my regular water condition i was doing WC every 5 days but i thought with the increase in size of my fishes, bioload increase thus i need to do 3 days WC with seachem apparently that's not the case

oh to add on, i have no such issues in my cichlid tank with Safe, WC once a week at 60-70%. I did experienced a few deaths but seems more to be bullying than water problem

 

[RD.]

Either/or, an elevated level of free ammonia has absolutely nothing to do with the water conditioner, no matter the brand. I wish I could help you, but without being present and seeing with my own eyes exactly what is going on there's no way in knowing. If you are seeing ammonia in your tank, you probably want to up your bio-filtration, or lower the bio load of the tank.

 

[Galantspeedz]

I will use back Safe for next few water changes and see if it happens again and take a pic...

 

[RD.]

Taking a pic isn't going to help.

If you are seeing ammonia in your tank, you probably want to up your bio-filtration, or lower the bio load of the tank.