# Water Conditioner info-



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

I get asked this a lot through PMs.. and as I was responding to my most recent, I figured to throw this up here in case someone else has questions.. as it pops up now and again on what type of water conditioner to use. 

I would recommend the basic chlorine remover water conditioner as that is all you really need. Regular water changes is what is most important in keeping an aquarium healthy. By doing weekly water changes you are removing the deadly toxins that build up, so all you should have to do is make sure that the chlorine is removed from tap water.

Some brands you may want to look for:

API Stress Coat
Ammo Lock
Start Right
Seachem Prime
API Tapwater Conditioner
Amquel
Amquel Plus
Tetra Aqua Safe
Easy Balance with Nitriban
Kent - Ammonia Detox
Marineland Labs - Bio-Safe
Nutrafin Goldfish Bowl Conditioner.
Jungle Lab Ammonia Chloramine Eliminator 
Wardley 3 in 1 Water Conditioner


It also should be noted that ALL these types of chlorine/chloramine removing conditioners are Redox Reducers and thereby are helpful in maintaining a healthy aquatic environment by aiding in the removal oxidizing free radicals from the water (albeit temporary); this why it is perfectly fine to add a full tank dose even if only 25% of the water is changed.

The basic premise of an aquarium water conditioner is to remove chlorine from tap water. Some conditioners such as Prime, Start Right, Novaqua, Stress Coat, or similar is usually after water changes to remove chemicals such as Chlorine; many (not all though) also either naturally stimulate fish slime coats (by adding electrolytes) or add ingredients for slime coat “bandages”. 

Also it should be noted that most water conditioners of all types (basic, artificial slime coat replacer, and chloramine/ ammonia remover) have similar properties and ingredients and some of the outrageous claims I have read on the internet such as "Start Right is not safe for marine aquariums while Novaqua is" are without any scientific merit.

Some additives they may offer- 

*Chelating metals*
They add a chemical (usually tetrasodium EDTA) that renders any dissolved metals that may be in the water into a harmless type. This is actually a useful additive as tap water quality varies enormously across the world and some people have their tap water coming from a local well which possibly has a low level of iron, copper, or zinc in it. This may be safe for people to drink, but may be too high a level for their aquatic pets.

*Nitrate or nitrite removers*
Some companies add chemicals which also remove these two troublesome chemicals. This is a useful additive, but a correctly cycled tank, with proper, regular water changes, or a planted aquarium should never require the forced removal of these. Best kept for an emergency.

*Slime coat protection*
These are various chemicals, some natural, and others not, that claim to add a protective layer around the fish skin. Some aquarists say it may cover the fishes gills and reduce the animals ability to breathe. In any case, the animal is perfectly able to provide its own mucus to cover any possible wounds on its body. Typical chemicals are Allantoin (Comfrey plant extract) or aloe vera.

*Aloe vera*
There are no studies as to how or if aloe vera works or doesn't work with aquatic life. Some people suggest that it may hurt fish. Others say it just doesn't help. And still others say it helps promote healing of fish wounds. The debate will most likely continue until proper studies are done and published.

*Anti-bacterial agent*
Some conditioners add a bactericide. The thinking goes along the lines that you've performed a water change and therefore there may be bad bacteria churned up from the substrate. One such chemical added is often formaldehyde. When we go to so much trouble to make sure our aquariums have a healthy bacterial filter, one might wonder why some products may be designed to kill it off.

*Fluorine agent*
This is claimed to remove the chemical fluorine. This chemical is often present in tap water in the ionic form fluoride which is used to decrease tooth decay in people. No evidence has been found that fluoride is harmful to aquatic animals at the normal dosages (0.7-1,2ppm) from tap water.

*Herbal extracts*
Herbal extracts are getting more popular over the last few years, unfortunately not enough studies have been done as to exactly how or if they work on fish or other aquatic life. These ingredients are thought to be introduced because of the rise of homeopathic "medicine" and other non-scientific approaches to healing.

*Electrolytes*
Electrolytes are formed when a salt is placed into water. This will alter the osmotic pressure of the water and provides a similar effect as adding a quantity of normal everyday salt to the tank water.
Common salt is sometimes added in low amounts to a tank to reduce stress on an aquatic animal moving from one water type to another or to improve the uptake of oxygen by the gills of a fish if the animal is ill. Why you need to buy an expensive variation of common salt is not given. Also not explained is why you need to stress your non-ill fish by altering the water chemistry (osmosic pressure) of the tap water they are probably already used to. Perhaps useful if your animal is ill. But ordinary salt is far cheaper.
It must me mentioned that most common table salt has iodine added to it for human health reasons. Do not add this to your aquarium. Kosher salt, Aquarium salt or sea salt, with no additives, is the preferred treatment if one really needs to use salt in a freshwater aquarium. (When it comes to bettas please note the correct dosage and length of treatment.)

If you just want a complete removal of chlorine/chloramine, ammonia then I recommend:
API Ammo-Lock
Kent Ammonia Detox
Kordon Amquel
Marineland BIOsafe
Seachem AmGuard

If you want a complete removal of chlorine/chloramine, ammonia, heavy metals and slime coat protection then I recommend:
AquaScience Ultimate
Seachem Prime
Tetra Aquasafe

For just removal of chlorine, heavy metals and slime coat protection then I recommend:
API Stress Coat
Hagen/Nutrafin
Aquaplus
Kordon Novaqua
Waterlife Haloex

Just remember if you can, see what consists in your tap water- call the local city, or possibly look it up so you know what you need to protect from. If using a well, still get it checked, but if it does not contain chlorine, then you will most likely not have to use a conditioner. 
I can go on about different controversies about the additives and such.. but for now, this is it.

I personally have used some of these over the last 17+ years with no ill affects from any of them.


----------



## audjree (Jul 8, 2011)

This is very helpful info. Many fish owners should find this useful. Good job!


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Thanks  Just figured since not all of them do the same thing, best try to get the most common conditioners out there.. there are a ton more I can add to the list, but this is a start.


----------



## Badjer (Oct 25, 2011)

This is awesome and very helpful Myates! I personally use API Stresscoat...but lately my bottle seems to have a horrible sulfur stench to it. Everytime I open the bottle, I gag and think about rotten eggs. Has anyone else ever had this? Is it normal?


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Thank you Badger 

Sulfur smell is pretty common in most conditioners, even the highly recommended Prime has it. 
How old is your bottle? You would want to replace once a year. But some sulfur smell is normal, if it has been getting real worse you may want to replace it if you've had it for a while.


----------



## Badjer (Oct 25, 2011)

It's only about 2-3 months old. The other conditioners I've had haven't been pleasant per say, but this one is pretty rank. It's only about 1/3 full and is nearly gone so it'll be time to buy a new bottle soon anyways. Perhaps I'll see about switching conditioners.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

If it is getting worse, then I would go ahead and switch. It may just be the conditioner settling, but it's not too expensive to replace and always better safe then sorry.


----------



## Badjer (Oct 25, 2011)

Yeah I picked up a new bottle today...still API since it was on sale. I figure if this one reeks too, it's just the conditioner.


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Is Topfin an OK brand?


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Top Fin water conditioner.. it removes chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals. Also reduces the effects of ammonia. Protects fish with four slime coat enhancers.. I'd say it's perfect. (The betta version doesn't have all the slime coat protection, but still has some). 
It says for best use to mix it in water prior to adding it to the aquarium, which I'm assuming if the fish are still in the aquarium. I would go ahead and do as it recommended, just in case it has an ingredient that isn't tolerated all that well when still in concentrated form- as it would be when it first enters the water.

For some reason Top Fin didn't get on my radar when I made the list.. my apologies. Top Fin has been around forever I believe.. but I didn't see anything wrong with the ingredients, nor what it takes care of.


----------



## MaisyDawgThirteen (Dec 7, 2011)

Myates said:


> Top Fin water conditioner.. it removes chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals. Also reduces the effects of ammonia. Protects fish with four slime coat enhancers.. I'd say it's perfect. (The betta version doesn't have all the slime coat protection, but still has some).
> It says for best use to mix it in water prior to adding it to the aquarium, which I'm assuming if the fish are still in the aquarium. I would go ahead and do as it recommended, just in case it has an ingredient that isn't tolerated all that well when still in concentrated form- as it would be when it first enters the water.
> 
> For some reason Top Fin didn't get on my radar when I made the list.. my apologies. Top Fin has been around forever I believe.. but I didn't see anything wrong with the ingredients, nor what it takes care of.


Great!  I've been using the betta one, just for dosing.  I've been getting 1 gallon of tap water in my bucket, and putting the correct amount (15ml I think), mixing and adding.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

How about the Aqueon conditioners?


----------



## Hopeseeker (Feb 6, 2012)

Very helpful!! Thanks!!


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

@ Blueridge- 
The only thing I'm not too thrilled about with Aqueon is that I have yet to find out whether or not it binds dissolved metals in the water and makes them safe. The ingredients aren't showing it, and haven't found a listing on it. It's not necessary, as some conditioners don't have it... but personally I like to be completely covered in all areas. But overall, it's not a bad one to use, since the main problem areas are taken care of- chlorines, ammonia, etc.
If I had to give it a rating, I would say 3.5 stars out of 5 to give you an ideal. It's decent and does it's job, but could be better, and could get better for the money.

But otherwise it works, it's cheaper, but you tend to go through it quicker then say, Aqua Safe. And some people don't like the smell of it.. but that's personal tastes.

And thanks Hope  I know I didn't list all of the brands out there, but wanted to show the better of the more common ones, and the top of the brands for what category they are placed in.


----------



## blueridge (Jul 1, 2011)

Myates said:


> @ Blueridge-
> The only thing I'm not too thrilled about with Aqueon is that I have yet to find out whether or not it binds dissolved metals in the water and makes them safe. The ingredients aren't showing it, and haven't found a listing on it. It's not necessary, as some conditioners don't have it... but personally I like to be completely covered in all areas. But overall, it's not a bad one to use, since the main problem areas are taken care of- chlorines, ammonia, etc.
> If I had to give it a rating, I would say 3.5 stars out of 5 to give you an ideal. It's decent and does it's job, but could be better, and could get better for the money.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your opinion!


----------



## Nemo Betta (Feb 3, 2012)

*What about PH*

My PH is constantly as high as the test will go, which I believe is close to 8. I tested my tap water last night, and bingo, it is at the top of the range right out of the tap. Is there a conditioner that will handle this or do I have to add PH down when I do water changes?


----------



## Pitluvs (Jun 22, 2011)

Nemo, you're pH is fine. Mine is 8ppm as well. Stable pH is better than adjusting pH. As long as your pH stays at 8ppm, you have nothing to really worry about. Adjusting it may cause problems.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Pitluvs is absolutely correct- safer to keep it at what it normally is then try to change it.. the fluctuation can become deadly, whereas a high pH for a betta, is not.


----------



## fishcurl (Jul 14, 2011)

This is super awesome helpful, Myates! I always wondered why Seachem Prime was almost always listed as "the" conditioner.

So conditioner should be replaced once a year?

Also, is it safe to switch brands if you've been using one for a long time? I.e., going from API Stress Coat to Seachem?


----------



## IndeedPanda (Mar 3, 2012)

Just got some Tetra Aquasafe. Thanks for the advice!


----------



## CoyoteBetta22 (Feb 4, 2012)

well if you had to choose one to use for life and got for free for life which one would be the best one of all time to use in your own opioin er however u spell it


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Seachem Prime or Tetra AquaSafe- as they remove all of the things I don't want in my tanks. Not just for bettas, but they are good for other fish who have higher requirements. It costs a bit more for Prime, but worth it, and it's highly concentrated so it goes a long ways.


----------



## iceyrose (Feb 17, 2012)

Confused about water conditoners when it comes to ph issues. I tested my faucet water after checkin my tank water about a week ago bolth were in the 8.0+ range as I used the api test kit only to check ph. My little dude had clouded eyes...which I read was an effect of the ph.I check to keep it in balance around the 7.0 range...and I use spring water slightly mixed with fauseth water to get ph to 7.0 range.


----------



## iceyrose (Feb 17, 2012)

I adopted my veiltail betta about a month ago. Had a 2.5 gallon now I havea 5 gallon. Another qwestion how well do 5gallon tanks cycel with small filter system & heater? Also if u don't mind me asking what kinda kit that's under 20.00$ untill I can pick up a masters kit would u guys reccoment to check his tank cycling. Also with a two week change of filter is it best to do two smaller 25% water change dering the week or one 50%?


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

For cycling questions, this may be able to help.. if not, then I would post in the habitat section of the forums for cycling and pH questions.. 

But it sounds as if you have a hard water issue. Only thing that concerns me is you creating possible deadly fluctuations in the pH when you mix the spring with tap water- if not measured very accurately you can cause too much of a drop/raise when you add it to your tank.

What do you mean a 2 week change of the filter? Only the carbon part of the filter should be changed once a month.. sponge you will want to keep in there until it starts to fall apart- and when that happens, place in a new aq sponge next to the old one for a week or two to establish a new bacteria colony on the new sponge and then toss out the old. 

After the tank is cycled, it will depend on how many live plants (if any) you have for water changes.. if no live plants, the tank is cycled, you would be looking at 40-50% per week with substrate vacuuming each time. 
If planted, it will depend on how many plants, and of what type you have that will determine how much of a water change you will be doing.


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

I use aqueon water conditioner. I'm surprised to not see it on the list. I have a 1 gallon. it says to put 1 teaspoon per 10 gallon, so i have to use a teaspoon set which is basically a 1/4 teaspoon and fill that half to make 1/8 to do the job for 1 gallon and not over kill with conditioner. Though i think i put a little extra, is there A better, more accurate conditioner that I can use?

is Tetra Aquasafe>Aqueon?


----------



## iceyrose (Feb 17, 2012)

The filter system is for a 1-3 gallon tank its called the whisperI3 from tetra* its to be changed out every 2 weeks. I have a filter system for the5 gallon tank just didn't know if it would be over whelming ...and I still have a few filters for the 1_3 gallon it does an amazing job with floating debris....yea I try to be carefull with his water...the faucet water really sucks though. Maby getting a water softener will help......in the future.


----------



## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

johnny151 said:


> I use aqueon water conditioner. I'm surprised to not see it on the list. I have a 1 gallon. it says to put 1 teaspoon per 10 gallon, so i have to use a teaspoon set which is basically a 1/4 teaspoon and fill that half to make 1/8 to do the job for 1 gallon and not over kill with conditioner. Though i think i put a little extra, is there A better, more accurate conditioner that I can use?
> 
> is Tetra Aquasafe>Aqueon?


I should of looked at more.. woops.. maybe have to revise my list, my apologies!

I haven't used Aqueon for many many years.. but it does do a good job. 

I should redo this list.. as Prime is not in the right category- Prime doesn't detoxify heavy metals, and Aqueon does (as does others). 
ButPrime detoxifies Nitrates/ites, whereas Aqueon doesn't. Not that it's anything major, nor worth changing for.

Aqueon definitely is a good one to use. Sigh... back to the drawing board!


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

how much of the aquasafe should i use for a one gallon tank? i have been using these bettasafe pre measured tablets, but they end up more expensive than a bottle of the aquasafe. is 1/8 teaspoon like someone mentioned a good amount?


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

Myates said:


> I should of looked at more.. woops.. maybe have to revise my list, my apologies!
> 
> I haven't used Aqueon for many many years.. but it does do a good job.
> 
> ...


Sorry, I didn't mean to out you for not listing that lol. I'm just new to the fish community, and a lot of you guys on here are very knowledgeable. So when I didn't see Aqueon on your list I thought something was wrong with it lol. Thanks for your info ;-)



djembekah said:


> how much of the aquasafe should i use for a one gallon tank? i have been using these bettasafe pre measured tablets, but they end up more expensive than a bottle of the aquasafe. is 1/8 teaspoon like someone mentioned a good amount?


I can't say 1/8 teaspoon is good for your 1 gallon. I believe each bottle dosage is different. Mine is 5ml = 1 teaspoon per 10 gallon. I also had a sample of Aqueon that was 10ml but directed 5ml per gallon (Very different dosages but same brand) . So from the dosage givin on the bottle of Aqueon, I simply had to mathematically break it down by dosage. since 5ml=1 teaspoon/10 gallons. i dont think they make a 1/8 teaspoon. I got lucky and found a unused teaspoon set which has a 1/4 spoon. Half of 1/4 is 1/8. So i filled it half. so for my required dosage 1/8 teaspoon=1 gallon. 

If you tell me the dosage on the bottle I will be more than happy to breakdown the dosage requirement for your 1 gallon  I just want to make sure what you have before I recommend doing 1/8 teaspoon. The dosage could be potentially higher than 1/8, plus i like math lol


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

I'm not 100% sure on my mathematical approach. I based it on division. If anyone has a different number then that please tell me. I double checked and got the same answer of 1/8 teaspoon. You guys are far more knowledgeable than me when ti comes to this stuff lol


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

it says 2 teaspoons for ten gallons
math


----------



## iceyrose (Feb 17, 2012)

The dosing amount I configuered off of the betta safe the bottle says 5ml for 10gallons * 7drops per gallon or 2drops per liter....aqua safe says"10ml\ 2 teaspoon for ten gallons so that would be 14 drops per gallon. I am forced to use spring water with a small amount of fauset water due to the outragiouse ph of the fauset water.


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

djembekah said:


> it says 2 teaspoons for ten gallons
> math


Ok here I go lol. i tried this 3 different ways got the same answer. I'm going to explain the simplest form.

Since 10ml = 2 teaspoons per 10 gallon. You divide 10ml/10 you get a direct answer of 1ml per gallon. 

You convert 1ml into decimal, which i advice using calculator because manually its LONG lol. you conclude with a number eventually with .20 with a bunch of numbers. you do not round the number. Once you have your decimal in place you convert that into fraction or you can just for easier purposes again use a calculator. Now heres the tricky part.

You get a indecisive answer of 1/24 teaspoon for your 1 gallon. So i had to break this down. 

1/10 of every teaspoon is half of 1/4 which is 1/8. so since the answer is 1/24... you add 1/8 to 1/8... because again 1/10 of every teaspoon is 1/8. then you simplify the answer to that gives you a definitive answer of 1/4 teaspoon. =)

So according to this formula your recommended amount for your 1 gallon is 1/4 teaspoon. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how many drops that is as my Aqueon bottle doesn't have a drop top but pours out. 

I hope this helps. Math is tricky and so are these formulas lol. But i figured it was 1/4 because your dosage requirement is 2x the amount of mine. I use 1/8 dosage so i kinda just figured it out by doubling it.


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

I'm sorry for doubleposting, but for some reason I can't edit my posts.

To furthermore explain the equation, You could simply just have added 1/10 1/10 and simplify that answer to 1/5... when you convert 1/5 to decimal ml you get .98 with a bunch of numbers. rounded off makes 1ML. we know that its 1ml per gallon so thats Very close dosage. 1/4 converted to decimal ML is 1.2... so either way your ok. Either a little more or less. Its ideal

1/24 being above 1/10 was actually helpful.


----------



## djembekah (Feb 13, 2012)

x3 thank you much!


----------



## johnny151 (Mar 1, 2012)

djembekah said:


> x3 thank you much!


No prob. glad to help :-D


----------

