One of the most popular alternatives to Seachem Prime is API Stress Coat, which helps make tap water safe for fish by removing chlorine and chloramines while also helping reduce stress. It also contains aloe vera, which coats the scales of fish and helps protect them from disease-causing organisms. Additionally, it helps to detoxify heavy metals found in tap water, providing a safe environment for your aquarium inhabitants. Conclusion Ultimately the decision between Seachem or API will depend on individual preferences as both have great options available to meet your needs. Api Stress Coat When treating for nitrate, a 5 mL/10 gal. dose of AQUA ESSENTIAL, you should expect a large reduction of nitrate, ~ 40-60 ppm reduction in nitrate On the other hand, Seachem Prime is a water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, and nitrite from the aquarium while adding beneficial bacteria to help maintain a healthy environment for your aquatic life. Both products are easy to use and safe for all aquarium inhabitants; however they should not be used together as this could lead to an imbalance in the tank’s chemistry levels. Alternative to Seachem Prime When dosing Pond AQUA ESSENTIAL we advise following the directions, but the product formulation does allow for a margin of error in the event a pond is accidentally dosed with slightly higher amount than specified.

You can use API Stress Coat every time you change your tank water. It would be best if you used it at every water change. Design: Api aqua essential’s ergonomic design allows for easy installation under the sink, while prime requires installation in a specific location. The product contains Aloe Vera extract, which is great when Dealing With Stressed Fish In A New Tank as it helps reduce fish stress by as much as 40%. This promotes wound and tissue healing, thereby enhancing fish health. Carbonate hardness, also known as “alkalinity” and “KH,” is the level of bicarbonate and carbonate ions in water. The KH level is also a measurement of water’s ability to resist pH change. API PROPER pH 8.2 contains bicarbonate and carbonate buffers, and will directly increase carbonate hardness. API PROPER pH 6.5, 7.0, and 7.5 contain no carbonate hardness, but will cause a spike in KH as measured with KH test kits. These kits work by acidifying the water in the test tube, drop by drop, with a test reagent. When the water sample is adequately acidified, a colour change occurs in the test tube. This is called the “end point.” The number of drops of test reagent required to acidify the sample (causing a colour change) indicates the level of KH. Phosphate buffers strongly resist pH change, and will be measured just like bicarbonate and carbonate buffers. Therefore, API PROPER pH powders (6.5, 7.0, and 7.5) will cause an increase in KH measurements.API PROPER pH products are pH buffers. They set the pH of aquarium water at a particular level, and also function as a dechlorinator. This means no additional dechlorinator is needed when using these products to treat water.

Every homeowner aims to protect their family and household from harmful contaminants in drinking water. The installation of a reliable water treatment system in your home is an effective way to minimize exposure to undesirable chemicals and impurities in water. Pond AQUA ESSENTIAL is designed to treat chloramines without the need to use a double dose.  For those customers who automatically double dose there is not a problem using Pond AQUA ESSENTIAL for this, but it is not necessary.Here's another guy that got the Salifert NH3 test and had some problems even getting an ammonia reading. Prime conditioners work by chemically treating crude oils so that they have improved flow characteristics and better product yields, while API Conditioners work by breaking down larger molecules into smaller ones and thus reducing foaming tendencies. In addition to these differences between prime and API Conditioner products, there may also be variations within each type depending on manufacturer specific formulation details which can affect performance characteristics such as viscosity reduction capabilities or temperature stability ranges. Is Seachem Prime Better Than Api Stress Coat?

Carbonate hardness, also known as alkalinity, is the measure of carbonate and bicarbonate concentrations dissolved in water. These minerals are present in municipal, well, and bottled water. The level of carbonate hardness in tap and bottled water depends on the source of the water and the treatment processes it has undergone. Carbonate hardness helps stabilize pH in the aquarium. An aquarium with a low KH level will tend to be acidic. Aquariums with very low KH are subject to rapid pH shifts if not monitored carefully. Water with a high KH level usually has a high pH.

Using dosing cap on bottle, add 5 ml. per 50 gallons (189L) of aquarium water to treat tap water. Add 5 ml. per 10 gallons (37L) of aquarium water to remove ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. We advise you to wait 24 hours after dosing then do a water change. If you dose within that 24 hour period there is no danger to the animals/plants in your aquarium. A follow-up water change is always beneficial to an aquatic system. The api aqua essential and prime are both efficient water treatment systems that offer unique features to make them stand out from each other. The Aloe Vera aspect of this product is what makes it absolutely incredible at conditioning your fish tank water.