# Dechlorinator myths / slime coat



## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Seachem Prime is just a declorinator which also handles chloramines. There are others too.


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## TheVisionary78 (Mar 6, 2010)

Hoppy said:


> Seachem Prime is just a declorinator which also handles chloramines. There are others too.


 
Thanks Hoppy. I am curious do you agree with my statment? I know you are a vet. Also I have heard that it can stop regeneration capabilities of Purgen and other synthetic carbon products.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

The label on the Prime bottle says it provides slime coat. Are they using something other than aloe to make this claim?


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## TheVisionary78 (Mar 6, 2010)

Right tuff. I do not want anything extra. Just dechlorinator only.


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## Dempsey (Oct 27, 2009)

Some folks use a powder.... something-x...?

Maybe,... Over_Stocked? If I remember correctly.


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## max chavez (Aug 7, 2009)

Let your water sit overnight. Throw an airstone in there if you've got one. No additives at all.


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## inthewerks (Sep 13, 2009)

Kordon NovAqua plus. It says on the back of the bottle "A single dose of NovAqua plus will help protect the health of both fishes and invertebrates by inhibiting viruses and harmful bacteria, and by providing an immune system booster and a protective body slime replacer. In addition, NovAqua plus adds electrolytes needed for proper osmotic balance, and detoxifies tapwater by emoving all chlorine, balancing alkalinity, and helping stabilize water ph. Contains no phosphates. Will not harm biological filters or nitrifying bacteria. Will not contaminate ground or waste water" This is the stuff I use. It says it replaces slime coat not add an irritant to promote natural slime coat. This might be what you want. It also says it does not interfere with fishes breathing.


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## inthewerks (Sep 13, 2009)

max chavez said:


> Let your water sit overnight. Throw an airstone in there if you've got one. No additives at all.


 Letting the water sit overnight works just fine for municipal systems that only add chlorine. But when the municipal system uses chloramine, the water needs to sit for almost 2 weeks without using additives.


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## DBL TAP (Apr 27, 2008)

Here is a review of Prime that I found.

http://tbas1.wiredtron.com/index.php?topic=149.0


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

If you want to be absolutely certain of what's going into your tank, you could mix your own dechlorinator from sodium thiosulphate. That'll neutralize chlorine; and the chlorine part of chloramine, but not the ammonia.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

inthewerks said:


> Letting the water sit overnight works just fine for municipal systems that only add chlorine. But when the municipal system uses chloramine, the water needs to sit for almost 2 weeks without using additives.


Or it can be run through an RO with a _Chloramine_ block, instead of _chlorine_ block.
Chloramine block~
http://www.thefilterguys.biz/chloramine_filters.htm

BTW, I have used Prime for years now without issue. I keep _all_ sensitive fish such as: peckoltia sp, loaches, dario dario, indostomus, threadfin rainbows, hara jerdoni catfish, gobies, and also shrimp. I think you might be overreacting just a tad...no offense.


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## MChambers (May 26, 2009)

*name*



Dempsey said:


> Some folks use a powder.... something-x...?
> 
> Maybe,... Over_Stocked? If I remember correctly.


 Chloram-X? I've not used it, but it's almost as cheap as Prime.


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## KevinC (May 24, 2004)

TheVisionary78 said:


> This stuff is bad IMO and is most likley the cause for the majority of our aquarium water quality problems as believe it or not this stuff ROTS in the water. Serious.


If you look at the dosing level for Prime you will see that very little treats a LOT of water. So the dilution of the Prime will bring those chemicals down to very low levels - any "rot" will not even be measurable in the tank. Since most of the solution is water and much of the rest is the chloramine/chlorine neutralizer, very little of the actual solution is responsible for the rest of the actions.


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## Nate McFin (Mar 19, 2009)

KevinC said:


> If you look at the dosing level for Prime you will see that very little treats a LOT of water. So the dilution of the Prime will bring those chemicals down to very low levels - any "rot" will not even be measurable in the tank. Since most of the solution is water and much of the rest is the chloramine/chlorine neutralizer, very little of the actual solution is responsible for the rest of the actions.


+1
Add in that it detoxes ammonia and Nitrite (helpful if tank mini cycles!) as well as heavy metal. This is the only product I use to dechlor.


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## bigboij (Jul 24, 2009)

i use good ol' deCHLOR it doesnt have any slime coat or such stuff in it












> Instant DeChlor is a highly concentrated formulation that provides instant removal of Chlorine with only one drop per gallon. It also reduces the toxicity of heavy metals such as copper, cadmium, mercury, silver, zinc, lead, nickel, manganese, and sodium selenate which may be harmful to aquatic life. For Chloramine add two drops per gallon.


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## Canuck (Apr 30, 2009)

I believe I read somewhere that any salt (or sulphate) will result in slime coat production in fish. I believe even simple sodium thiosulphate will do this. Many companies put the claims on the bottles as marketing to try to convince you their product is somehow better. That said I'd never use anything that claims it adds aloe or anything else that doesn't belong in water.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

If you don't want to waste money on slime coat products and want the MOST economical way to treat your water, Look into Cloram-X

http://www.reedmariculture.com/cloram-x/

By far the cheapest way to dechlor a tank. Works great, safe to overdose, and used in Fish for Food applications.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

tuffgong said:


> The label on the Prime bottle says it provides slime coat. Are they using something other than aloe to make this claim?


Thanks! That's the first time I have noticed that. I have used Prime for a few years now, with no problems that I have noticed. Is it possible that the chemicals in dechlorinators, as a side effect, "help" fish generate a slime coat?


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## Lycosa (Oct 16, 2006)

+1 on using Prime. I've used that in reef tanks and fw tanks for years without any problems whatsoever. IMO it's the best dechlorinator out there, and the next best thing to using RO/DI water.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Well it would help in that it reduces stress, by not subjecting the fish to things that harm it. Stress from various factors is what makes fish lose their slime coat...so they can make that claim. That's my take on it.


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## Canuck (Apr 30, 2009)

Hoppy said:


> Is it possible that the chemicals in dechlorinators, as a side effect, "help" fish generate a slime coat?





> ...that any salt (or sulphate) will result in slime coat production in fish. I believe even simple sodium thiosulphate will do this.


Its one of the reasons salt works on ich. Salt increases slime coat production making it harder for ich to attach to the fish.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

max chavez said:


> Let your water sit overnight. Throw an airstone in there if you've got one. No additives at all.


Sorry, for much of the country that is no longer a valid answer. 
Letting the water sit over night even with agitation only lets the chlorine dissipate. Most water treatment facilities no longer rely on only chlorine. 

Chlor-amine compounds are bound much more tightly in the water and must be neutralized chemically. 

When in doubt, check with the local treatment facility. Who ever answers the phone there can probably tell you what fish keepers should be doing for what ever treatment plan is in affect in that area.


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## Sharkfood (May 2, 2010)

I use API "Tap Water Conditioner". It doesn't say anything about sliming up your fish. It does say that it detoxifies heavy metals. I don't know how that affects the trace elements I add to the tank.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

Sharkfood said:


> I use API "Tap Water Conditioner". It doesn't say anything about sliming up your fish. It does say that it detoxifies heavy metals. I don't know how that affects the trace elements I add to the tank.


Beat me too it. I use this stuff works great and a little goes a long way. Though It seems I do get cloudy water when I use it but just for a day...


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## TheVisionary78 (Mar 6, 2010)

Thanks for all of the fast responses guys. I have never used PRIME but I think I will now. I guess my beef was with the Aloe Vera products. I thought Prime used something similar. Basically I want a product that removes Cloramine/Chlorine and thats it. I did find this product. In fact I ordered a bottle along with other products. 

http://www.yamatogreen.com/nochlor.htm


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Chloramine Buster, I buy it at Pet Smart, in the pond section. Clear Pond is the manufacturer. 

Breaks chloramine into chlorine and ammonia. 
Locks up chlorine and ammonia. 

Period. 

_NO_ slime coat enhancers (irritants/goo)
_NO_ vitamins, electrolytes or other weird stuff

1 pint treats 8000 gallons. I dose it out with an eye dropper. Even with around 800 gallons worth of tanks and a pond I do not use very much. 

It does not smell anywhere near as bad as Prime. A very old bottle will have a bit of an odor. 

There are powdered materials that will deal with Chloramine, but even these are not any better priced than Chloramine Buster.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

TheVisionary78 said:


> Thanks for all of the fast responses guys. I have never used PRIME but I think I will now. I guess my beef was with the Aloe Vera products. I thought Prime used something similar. Basically I want a product that removes Cloramine/Chlorine and thats it. I did find this product. In fact I ordered a bottle along with other products.
> 
> http://www.yamatogreen.com/nochlor.htm


90% of available dechlorinators are made from the base that I linked above. Cloram-X is great and easy to use. By far the most economical out there.


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

Diana said:


> There are powdered materials that will deal with Chloramine, but even these are not any better priced than Chloramine Buster.


I disagree... 
http://www.reed-mariculture.com/cloram-x/calculations.asp

For 25 bucks, 5 lbs of Cloram-X will treat 18,800 gallons of water. 


For 14.99 Chloramine Buster treats 8000 gallons. 

It is at least a LITTLE better of a deal. I like the powder dosing, as using the chart linked I can just grab the measuring spoons and go.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

TheVisionary78 said:


> Thanks for all of the fast responses guys. I have never used PRIME but I think I will now. I guess my beef was with the Aloe Vera products. I thought Prime used something similar. Basically I want a product that removes Cloramine/Chlorine and thats it. I did find this product. In fact I ordered a bottle along with other products.
> http://www.yamatogreen.com/nochlor.htm


Did you know you were ordering Vitamin C? ;-)

Product Name: No-Chlor
Synonyms: DeChlorinating Reagent, Vitamin C
Chemical Formula: C6H806
Formula Weight: 176.13
Chemical Family: Organic acid
Measurement Technologies Numbers: AA-25, AA-2.0, AA-SM


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

By the way, for inquiring minds, Cloram-X is
Synonyms: (1) formaldehyde sodium bisulfite;
(2) sodium formaldehydebisulfite;
(3) methylolsulfonic acid sodium salt

Chemical Formula: dry (pure): HOCH2SO3Na

http://www.reedmariculture.com/cloram-x/msds.pdf


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

But to buy it at that price (5 lbs for $25) you need to buy 4 units of 10 lbs @ $56 per 10 lb. plus shipping (so it is not even that price). 

Economy is one thing. 40 pounds of Chloram-X is enough for a lifetime of water changes for quite a few hobbyist level people. (or about 8 years supply if I did large water changes on all my tanks- see below)

Current price where I buy other things anyway, (so I am not making a special trip just for Chloramine Buster) is on special for 14.49, regular 16.49. Lets add in $1 anyway, to split the 'shipping' with the other things I buy. 
At 16.49 plus tax + $1 'shipping': comes out to .00238 cents per gallon. And I do not have to buy a lifetime supply all at once. 

If I bought the smallest amount at the site you listed this is 5 lbs, treats almost 19,000 gallons for $40.00 plus shipping (Probably at least $5.00) (Actually I see they are in San Jose. About an hour + from me. If I combined a trip to San Jose with other things like Aquarium club meetings, fish stores and other things and split the cost of gas among all the errands, I would still add a few dollars to the $40, and have to add sales tax. Lets not complicate things.)
This comes out to .00237 cents per gallon. 
If I did a 50% water change weekly on all my tanks (I used to, but do not any more) this is a 1 year supply. 
(800 gallons x 50 water changes x 50% = 20,000 gallons)


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

Cloram-X is manufactured and sold by AquaScience Research Group. Here is the page listing their distributors. Hikari and ZooMed happen to be on the list. 1Lb packages are available. Hikari sells a liquid version. 

http://aquascienceresearch.com/Distributors.htm


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## OverStocked (May 26, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Cloram-X is manufactured and sold by AquaScience Research Group. Here is the page listing their distributors. Hikari and ZooMed happen to be on the list. 1Lb packages are available. Hikari sells a liquid version.
> 
> http://aquascienceresearch.com/Distributors.htm


I am a reseller of Cloram-X, but only sell locally for to a few clubs, mainly for my convenience of shipping. I can tell you that most of the major dechlorinators(that are high potency) on the market are made from Cloram-X. 




[email protected] said:


> By the way, for inquiring minds, Cloram-X is
> Synonyms: (1) formaldehyde sodium bisulfite;
> (2) sodium formaldehydebisulfite;
> (3) methylolsulfonic acid sodium salt
> ...


For inquiring minds, Cloram-X is THE choice of the Fish for Human Consumption market. Pretty much every fish farm in the country uses it. I prefer it over liquid dosing because I know that when I personally dose liquid, I almost always overdose, and thus don't get the life that I would with powder.


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## pgaron (Oct 25, 2013)

[email protected] said:


> Did you know you were ordering Vitamin C? ;-)
> 
> Product Name: No-Chlor
> Synonyms: DeChlorinating Reagent, Vitamin C
> ...


Do you have a database of product chemical ingredients


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