# Tetra Easy Balance



## KawaiiRainbowMuffin (Aug 5, 2013)

Hello everyone!
I just recently got the Tetra Easy Balance product to help keep my betta and my friends betta's water chemistry stable. On the back it says use 10 ml for every 10 gal. My tank is only a 1.5 gal and my friends tank is a 1 gal. (we are poor college students, I plan on getting a bigger tank in december) So we only need to use 1 ml of the Easy Balance. (for me 1.5 ml) 

My question is how many drops would I add in my betta's tank? My friend looked it up and they said 1 or 2 drops. But I feel like that is a bit off. I already added 2 drops yesterday. How many drops of Tetra Easy Balance would me and my friend add to our 1.5 Gal and 1 Gal tanks?? Thankies!! <3


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## JelloBetta (Aug 29, 2013)

I use only three. It should guarantee you a healthy fish, there is no reason to not add 3 drops.


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## KawaiiRainbowMuffin (Aug 5, 2013)

Alright I was just making sure


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## JelloBetta (Aug 29, 2013)

Never hurts to check


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

I wouldn't use any drops myself but that me

Rick


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

From the Tetra website:"EasyBalance® offers a number of benefits, including reduction of phosphate, stabilization of pH and KH, and replenishment of essential trace elements and minerals. One teaspoon treats 5 gallons.
Regular use of EasyBalance® reduces the need for water changes for up to 6 months."

I don't trust a product which messes with the pH. Tapwater, regularly changed, should provide sufficient trace elements and minerals. Suggesting a product can reduce the need for water changes is irresponsible. Saying it can reduce the need for water changes for six months is criminal. 

I have never held Tetra Inc in high regard. This diminishes my opinion of them even further.

One of the best water conditioners is Seachem Prime. I recommend it highly, as do most of the keepers on here.


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## KawaiiRainbowMuffin (Aug 5, 2013)

I still plan on changing his water every other day until his fin rot subsides and I can't really afford anything else for him right now. :c


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

I ain't putting none of this in any of my tanks. By the way none of this came from Tetra I had to dig this out on my own from the Governments MSDS
Sodium Hydroxide 2.5% ( also known as caustic soda,or Lye)
Tartaric Acid 2.5% (a white crystalline diprotic aldaric acid. It occurs naturally in many plants)
Formaldehyde 2.5% (Many aquarists use formaldehyde as a treatment for the parasites _Ichthyophthirius multifiliis_ and _Cryptocaryon irritans_.) 
The other ingredients are Sucrose 3.1% and Water 89.4%

Rick


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I don't like any product that has formaldehyde in it. (You probably know, but formaldehyde is a preservative for both dead bodies and for tissue samples...I can't imagine anything good coming from it for a living creature...) As Halyx said, Prime is good, but a good basic water conditioner for a cheap price is the Jungle Start Right water dechlorinator product. You can get it at walmart and it's about 6-7$ for a big bottle, which will last for *months* in such a small tank. 

I don't believe it has anything in it other than aloe for their slime coat, and dechlorinator to make the tap water safe. It won't mess with your water hardness, pH, or ammonia/nitrites/nitrates, but in a tank that small, you don't need to mess with any of this stuff, just keep up with your water changes.  

I hope this helps!!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

> (You probably know, but formaldehyde is a preservative for both dead bodies and for tissue samples...


Not to mention a carcinogen...


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Oh, good point, I'd forgotten about that. Ugh...it's just gross, gross stuff. 
Rickey is right though, it's in a lot of meds...but, if you look around, you can usually find an alternative that *doesn't* have it in there. 

I avoid formaldehyde, copper, and the "fix" products. All of them are NOT good for fish, and are usually older products. The copper was thought to be a "miracle chemical" and people were putting big sheets into their aquariums...until they realized it was actually killing the fish over a period of time. (Rather like how cocaine was the fix-all for everything in people until they realized that it was actually massively addicting and had serious negative health consequences.) And formaldehyde has already been established as not for living tissue. As for the "fix" products, there's debate about those. Some people swear they're awesome, other people say it can hurt their labyrinth organ. I haven't used it, don't have experience with it, but I'd rather use something that I know is safe rather than something that has a sketchy track record. 

The Jungle product is safe, not top-of-the-line like Prime, but definitely safe, and it'll dechlorinate your water and help their slime coat. And it's cheap.


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

For a small unfiltered (uncycled) tank that requires frequent pwc's, there is another reason to recommend Prime: As the ammonia increases between changes, Prime helps to keep it detoxified.

Prime is a value for the dollar as it requires only 2-drops/gal.


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## KawaiiRainbowMuffin (Aug 5, 2013)

But would it be ok to add the easy balance just in case? Now I feel like it is a waste xD


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## rickey (Jul 7, 2013)

KawaiiRainbowMuffin said:


> But would it be ok to add the easy balance just in case? Now I feel like it is a waste xD


If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. I'm not going to put in any of my tanks but that's up to you. There is a lot of snake oil on the shelves in own pet shoppes. I this think this snake oil

Rick


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## KawaiiRainbowMuffin (Aug 5, 2013)

Alright I plan on getting prime for my betta now I just don't know when I will be able too. My betta now seems to have new ammonia burn marks so I'm done using thw easy balance.


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