stroppy
stroppy
sorry to jump in on this post ... but does anyone know if you can buy this Prime in the uk ?
newbie floundering/fish at risk
- Thread starter Chrysalis~
- Start date
stroppy said:
Prime is made by Seachem and according to their website there are dealers in the UK. Here is a link to the Seachem dealer locator page http://aqua.seachem.com/SDLocator/DealerLocatorStart.php
or just go to
www.seachem.com
You can buy prime in the US and it is very readily available, just make sure you buy Prime for Ponds and not aquariums. It's this one, specifically: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5163+5247+5254+5384&pcatid=5384
i wonder what the difference is between prime for ponds vs. aquariums?
jason081180 said:
I don't think there is any except for the amount in the bottle. The nice thing about Prime is it is very concentrated.You need very little to treat a good amount of water. You can also use it when getting the cycle started to take some of the toxicity out of the ammonia and nitrite. You can safely use up to 5 times the reccomended dosage for just dechlorination. Says so on the bottle.
i think i would anyway for the first set up at least. 5 times the slime coat protection and heavy metal removal as well. :lol:
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
the one for ponds is more concentrated...if you keep to 10% water changes theres no need to dechlorinate...at 10% chlorine and chloramines are so dilute they pose no threat what so ever. and smaller more frequent water changes are better for your fish as the changes to water chemistry are smaller and there by less stressfull.
Right, since ponds are larger, you get a larger concentration in the bottle--so more bang for your buck because you use less. Since aquariums are smaller, you'd be using way more if you bought the regular aquarium version.
Personally, I don't think 10% water changes are effective. If you are going to go through the process of a water change, clean the media, etc.--you might as well do a full change. Particularly in the summer, a 10% change will really just do nothing. There are times in the terrible heat of summer that I will do two water changes. That's just my humble opinion. And, of course, everyone can do as they wish with their own ponds.
Personally, I don't think 10% water changes are effective. If you are going to go through the process of a water change, clean the media, etc.--you might as well do a full change. Particularly in the summer, a 10% change will really just do nothing. There are times in the terrible heat of summer that I will do two water changes. That's just my humble opinion. And, of course, everyone can do as they wish with their own ponds.
Okay, so let me see if I got a good picture here. My pond is only about 80 gallons so it's a cross between a pond and an aquarium. I shall call it......pondarium. 
I'm monitoring ph and ammonia regularly and treating for them, small ph changes at a time. I planned on a 10 gallon change every weekend which is about 12% and will dechlorinate this water. I'll also add algecide at this time as neccessary. Every few weeks when it needs a cleaning, I'll do closer to a 50% water change.
Am I missing anything? I don't have Prime, I'm using 'SmartPond' products from Lowe's. I'll look for Prime when I run out of this stuff.
Can any of you recommend a way of lowering ph besides using the prepared store bought solutions?
I'm monitoring ph and ammonia regularly and treating for them, small ph changes at a time. I planned on a 10 gallon change every weekend which is about 12% and will dechlorinate this water. I'll also add algecide at this time as neccessary. Every few weeks when it needs a cleaning, I'll do closer to a 50% water change.
Am I missing anything? I don't have Prime, I'm using 'SmartPond' products from Lowe's. I'll look for Prime when I run out of this stuff.
Can any of you recommend a way of lowering ph besides using the prepared store bought solutions?
what is your PH now? if it under or at 8 i would just do 20% water changes and let it come back naturally.
pondarium yea thats not much bigger than my 75GL aquariums i would try using normal aquarium chemicals as its so small it might be hard to get a small amount of something so concentrated. the prime says. "Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) for each 600 - 700 gallons for removing chlorine or chloramine." now how much would you need for a 15GL water change.
pondarium
yea thats not much bigger than my 75GL aquariums i would try using normal aquarium chemicals as its so small it might be hard to get a small amount of something so concentrated. the prime says. "Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) for each 600 - 700 gallons for removing chlorine or chloramine." now how much would you need for a 15GL water change.
If your pH is at 8.0 then go with it. That is fine. Don't add anything to reduce pH like pH down products. If you think you have algae now, that will add to it. Algecides aren't really that healthy for fish either. If your pond is not established with the "good bacteria" that detoxifies the ammonia (the "cycle") a high pH is actually better for the fish. The lower the pH, the more toxic ammonia becomes to them. Besides 8.0 is with in the parameters for your fish.
jason081180 said:what is your PH now? if it under or at 8 i would just do 20% water changes and let it come back naturally.
pondarium
It would be 1ml for a 25% change. :lol: I know people that would buy Pond Prime for their aquariums for that reason. That's frugal and I love it. I would think that because of the ponds size and being outside with Koi and goldfish that more frequent water changes should be made and a higher % of water. That's the thing I like about testing the water frequently when you first set up. The results of the test's should determine your schedule and percentage. If you keep the amount of fish poop diluted you wont have as many algae blooms and wont need the algecide. The algae is telling you something. But some algae is good and makes the pond look natural, excessive algae is a sign that something is wrong.
Right now my pond ph is between 7.5 and 8.0. My tap water measures the same. The bottled wter I buy is around 6.5. I figure if I just do my changes with dechlorinated tap, the ph will remain close to 8.0. I thought I read that it was in a high ph environment that the ammonium and nits went caustic. Is that wrong? Are they more toxic in a low ph environment. I need to go back and study more. I didn't do well in school either. LOL
What if I did weekly changes of half tap, half bottle? That would produce a mean ph of a neutral 7ish. Am I trying too hard? It wouldn't be the first time.
I have noticed that I'm getting algae even though I've used the product to the maximum safe limit. Remember I live on the 19th parallel. The sun is very sunny here even if the ambient temp is moderate. I hear algae likes the sun. Still, half the hotels in town have Koi ponds and they're pristine so I know it can be done.
What if I did weekly changes of half tap, half bottle? That would produce a mean ph of a neutral 7ish. Am I trying too hard? It wouldn't be the first time.
I have noticed that I'm getting algae even though I've used the product to the maximum safe limit. Remember I live on the 19th parallel. The sun is very sunny here even if the ambient temp is moderate. I hear algae likes the sun. Still, half the hotels in town have Koi ponds and they're pristine so I know it can be done.
Okay, I think I may actually be learning something. While a ph of 8.0 isn't absolutely neutral, it's well within the range of a functioning pond system. It's the ph of this environment so leave it alone. I've been adding stuff to my pond everyday trying to 'get it right' and now my Kio is sulking in the corner.
Natural is better, close is close enough and stop messing with the fish. LOL Am I getting warm?
Natural is better, close is close enough and stop messing with the fish. LOL Am I getting warm?
sounds good to me just let the PH do what it will unless you see wild swings. something to buffer the PH will help a lot on that. i use crushed coral in my aquariums for that and will in my pond as well. yea i wouldn't bother with the bottled water. PH of 8 is fine. as far as the algae is concerned i would maybe try to get some more plants some floating Water Lettuce would use the nutrients so the algae cant grow.