# Question about Seachem Prime



## RaptorX8 (Sep 7, 2012)

I know a lot of people use it, I just switched to it earlier this year.

So I went to use it today, shook it up, opened it, and Holy Olfactory Senses, Batman! It sinks! I used it a few days ago and it didn't smell.

Is this normal or has something gone horribly wrong and I need to replace it?


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Eh....Prime smells. Pretty bad. xD Don't worry, theres nothing wrong with it, its pretty normal.


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## NorthernLights (Mar 2, 2012)

*prime stinks*

On the bottle somewhere it says "sulpher smell is normal".

Sulpher smells like rotten eggs.

Sometimes I notice it, sometimes I don't.


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## RaptorX8 (Sep 7, 2012)

Thanks. I've been using it so much and I've never noticed the smell before. I thought maybe something had gone wrong with the stuff. I even checked the date on it.

Maybe I'm still just used to sulfur smells and other things. I used to work in a photo lab and man can that stuff stink but you get used to it and eventually don't smell it anymore unless it gets really bad.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

If you think Prime smells bad, don't ever use Flourish XD


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

babystarz said:


> If you think Prime smells bad, don't ever use Flourish XD


Flourish isn't that bad. It smells like the earth. Kind of rotting earth, like where you would find mushrooms. I think Prime is much worse, but then, I am weird and like rotting earth smell. :lol:


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## Kevron56 (Oct 11, 2012)

Yum!


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## Aurie (Jun 22, 2012)

I started using prime then I got an outbreak of blue green algea in the tank.. I don't think it caused the outbreak since my white clouds in that tank had 29 babies in there, which was the cause but I didn't know if the nasty smell was the prime or something else


It was something else.. BGA STINKS worse than prime!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

RaptorX8 said:


> Thanks. I've been using it so much and I've never noticed the smell before. I thought maybe something had gone wrong with the stuff. I even checked the date on it.
> 
> Maybe I'm still just used to sulfur smells and other things. I used to work in a photo lab and man can that stuff stink but you get used to it and eventually don't smell it anymore unless it gets really bad.


Theres a date on it? I dont think prime expires...


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## Kevron56 (Oct 11, 2012)

Aurie said:


> I started using prime then I got an outbreak of blue green algea in the tank.. I don't think it caused the outbreak since my white clouds in that tank had 29 babies in there, which was the cause but I didn't know if the nasty smell was the prime or something else
> 
> 
> It was something else.. BGA STINKS worse than prime!


I think I have some blue green algae in my tank, I have a question re the smell.... What does it smell like? AND how close does the noggin' have to be to get a whiff of it?


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## Aurie (Jun 22, 2012)

Kevron56 said:


> I think I have some blue green algae in my tank, I have a question re the smell.... What does it smell like? AND how close does the noggin' have to be to get a whiff of it?


It smells swampy and my whole living room stank ... it is when you go "hey I have algae" and when you go to scrape it off that it just instantly releases from what it was on and floats around in a sheet.. 

Get some Ethromyacin (sp?) at petsmart or your local fish store.. $15 and follow the directions on the back. I used a whole box for my 10 gallon and now it's gone.

Prime has a rotten egg smell... quite strong due to sulfur, but BGA smells like a decaying swamp with rotten leaves and .. well it smelled like the Bog of Eternal Stench and I didn't even have a bad case of it.


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Ugh, the dreaded cyanobacteria. I've got a horrid outbreak of it in my 10 gallon and am trying to get it under control without medications. It's a pain in the rear.


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## Aurie (Jun 22, 2012)

Well try having BGA and cracking a new bottle of prime.. one VERY unhappy corner of the living room.. My dog actually went into the other room immediately LOL


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Aurie said:


> Well try having BGA and cracking a new bottle of prime.. one VERY unhappy corner of the living room.. My dog actually went into the other room immediately LOL


lol All my tanks are in my dorm room and I use Prime. It is pretty darned nasty - about enough to crack a window in the dead of winter.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LOL! I can only smell it if I put my nose up to the open bottle XD


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## sunstar93 (Sep 6, 2012)

This is not really a question of smell...but will Prime lower the ammonia levels in the water? The water where I live has 0.5 ppm coming out of the tap and I am worried that it will harm my fish down the road (I actually think the ammonia is the reason I lost my second rescue this week). Doing water changes alone is not enough as the new water has the same levels as the water I am taking out.


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Prime doesn't remove ammonia, but it does bind it into a non-toxic form (ammonium, I believe) for 24-48 hours. I have a similar problem with my tap water - the way I get around it is to use Prime and have lots of live plants. The theory is that Prime makes the ammonia harmless for long enough that the plants can pick all of it up.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## sunstar93 (Sep 6, 2012)

What if I don't have live plants? Or should I get a couple to soak up the ammonium?


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## paloverde (Nov 9, 2012)

If your tank is cycled, the bb should be able to process it to nitrate before the prime magic wears off. If you don't want to use a ammonia binder, run a fully cycled sponge or what ever filter in the bucket of replacement water. The ammonia will be processed to nitrate in a day or so.


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## sunstar93 (Sep 6, 2012)

(couldn't find the thread lol)
The 10 gallon I have has been established for...a month now? So I should have some BB growing in there by now lol. Just worried that I will spend $7 on a whole big thing of the Prime and it not end up working (I know it is also a conditioner but I already have a whole bottle of API...lol)
Thanks!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

Pittipup has the answer. 

And Paloverde has a clever application of the "bucket cycle." A little bit of effort, but it would keep the DOCs to a minimum.


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