DataGuru

Hi,

Can you tell me how much of each heavy metal a standard dose of Prime will bind?

Also, does Safe detox heavy metals?

Thanks,

Seachem

The way all dechlorinators remove small amounts of heavy metals is through precipitation. This was a side benefit to the chemicals that remove chlorine. It was never an intention of the product. The amount of heavy metals removed vary depending on a lot of variables (pH, temperature, concentrations of chlorine, and concentrations of heavy metals). This small amount is so variable and small that precise measurements are hard to get.

Jimbo205

So on the Seachem Daily Dosage Schedule, the day to change water (Day 7)
is different from the day to add ferts (Day 1) because;
Prime might make the ferts precipitate?

DataGuru

You're saying Prime doesn't contain anything specifically added to deal with heavy metals. Bummer.

I haven't read up on it in a while, but my understanding is that many water conditioners use something along the lines of EDTA to chelate heavy metals.

I so wish someone made a concentrated water conditioner similar to prime with sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate for detoxing chlorine/chlorine/ammonia and something for heavy metals and that's it. Just the basics.

DataGuru

Hmmm... if that's the case, why does the Prime website say:
??

Jimbo205

What?

Betty does this have something to do with well water?

DataGuru

naw. my city water is treated with chloramine so dechloring it results in lots of ammonia. Given I do large partial water changes on my goldie tanks and my pH is up in the high 7s, I really need to bind the ammonia. I also don't feel comfortable using or recommending a conditioner that doesn't bind heavy metals.

For instance a lady on a board I run has .25ppm copper in her city water. Her husbandry practices are good, but she's had several goldie deaths in the past few months. We'd assumed that Prime would be handling at least part of that copper. however that may not be the case. and the copper may be contributing to the illnesses via immunosupression and disrupting osmotic balance especially since her water isn't that hard.

I was happy to find Prime as it's concentrated and is supposed to break the chlorine/ammonia bond, dextox the chlorine, bind ~.6ppm ammonia and detox heavy metals. I really don't like the fact that it has slime coat stuff cuz fish have been doing their own slime coat production for a very long time now, so that just adds organics to the water that aren't necessary. At least it isn't slimy as some of the other water conditioners.

The only other option I've found is Novaqua and amquel. both less concentrated, thus more expensive, Novaqua is seriously slimy and amquel eats KH for breakfast.

I'm going to be really disappointed if indeed it doesn't contain anything specifically for detoxing heavy metals. I hope the seachem tech support person will double check and get back to me on that.

It means I'll need to find another water conditioner.

Jimbo205

I am sorry to hear that.
Boy, you really are very smart.
Between you and Seachem (Crystal?) I am sure you will both come up with a very good solution!

Your buddy,

Jimbo205

Seachem

All dechlorinators will remove a small amount of heavy metals through precipitation. Very few add an EDTA. EDTA's break down over time. That is the principle that chelated irons use. If there indeed that much copper in her water I would recommend using a copper removing resin, like Cuprisorb. You don't want the copper being released at a later date because you used an EDTA.