[Exquisite]

I am trying to streamline the products I use for the care and treatment of my Betta boys, mystery snails, and marimo algae balls.

I am going to list some products that I have and some products that I am considering buying. I would like your thoughts and recommendations for alternatives if you feel so inclined.

Thank you.


I own/have used:

• Seachum Prime (this one is a keeper)
• API Quick Start
• API Stressszyme
• API Stress Coat + (necessary for slime coat properties?)
• Aqueon Water Clarifier
• TopFin Ammonia Remover (no longer need now that I have Prime)
• Betta Revive
• Tetra Fungus Guard
• API FW Master Test Kit
• API Aquarium Salt, 65-Ounce (disc'd use because I have a snail. Should I reuse?)
• API PH Buffer 7.5 (disc'd use)

Considering buying:

• Tetra LifeGuard
• Triple Sulfa Powder Packets
• Seachem Purigen
• Seachem StressGuard
• API Calcium Test Kit
• API Phosphate Test Kit
• API Copper Test Kit
• API GH and KH Test Kit

Anything I missed and should add to my list?

 

[Racoon293]

Might want to add Epsom salt to your list. (100% pure, no dyes or perfumes)
That can be used for internal issues like constipation and bloating.

No need to use aq salt unless your treating for a specific condition. I'm not sure what effects it has on snails.


Most fish keepers believe in using minimal chemicals in their tanks.
Don't use the Ph buffer stuff, betta adapt to wide range of Ph, trying to change it will cause more stress to them.

A healthy fish will generate its own slime coat. Butt you can use the Stress coat to help with damaged fins or scales if needed.

In general, don't add chemicals other than decloronator if not absolutely neccesary.
Hope this helps.

 

[Rana]

Stresszyme and Safe Start supposedly do the same thing (Add BB), and you shouldn't need to add them more than once if they actually work. Make sure to wait a day between using Prime, since it'll mess with them and make them useless. Stress Coat isn't necessary, you can use it if you'd like but Prime is a better conditioner and bettas produce as much slime as they need naturally. Clarifiers are wastes of money in my opinion, clean water should be all you need- a cloudy bloom is natural & harmless when first setting up an aquarium and should clear up in a day or two.

Snails & other inverts can't have AQ salt, so you'll need to separate them if you ever do a salt treatment (Copper is harmful as well). You won't need the buffer or Purigen (Your cycle should handle all the ammonia your fish produce) in my opinion. And all those extra test kits aren't necessary either, unless you have wildly fluctuating water parameters. Your township should put out an official yearly water condition report, which includes average hardness and such.

In general, less is more. I only add water conditioner and sometimes tannins to my water unless treating for a specific illness; clean water is all you really need for healthy bettas.

 

[Exquisite]

Stresszyme and Safe Start supposedly do the same thing (Add BB), and you shouldn't need to add them more than once if they actually work.

Ok, Thanks.

Make sure to wait a day between using Prime, since it'll mess with them and make them useless.

Didn't know this. Kinda important! Thanks!

Stress Coat isn't necessary, you can use it if you'd like but Prime is a better conditioner and bettas produce as much slime as they need naturally.

Was leaning towards disc'ing this, but wasn't sure about the STRESS reducer, though that part might be helpful.

Clarifiers are wastes of money in my opinion, clean water should be all you need- a cloudy bloom is natural & harmless when first setting up an aquarium and should clear up in a day or two.

Agreed. Thanks.

Snails & other inverts can't have AQ salt, so you'll need to separate them if you ever do a salt treatment (Copper is harmful as well).

Really good to know. I wasn't 100% sure but someone randomly mentioned this and so I thought it would be better to stop using.

You won't need the buffer or Purigen (Your cycle should handle all the ammonia your fish produce) in my opinion.

Cool. Thanks.

And all those extra test kits aren't necessary either, unless you have wildly fluctuating water parameters. Your township should put out an official yearly water condition report, which includes average hardness and such.

In general, less is more. I only add water conditioner and sometimes tannins to my water unless treating for a specific illness; clean water is all you really need for healthy bettas.

I have hard water, but I do think the water is pretty stable... though we are entering a pretty bad drought which I am not sure how water quality will be impacted (other than its obvious availability). Anyways, thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Exquisite]

Might want to add Epsom salt to your list. (100% pure, no dyes or perfumes)
That can be used for internal issues like constipation and bloating.

No need to use aq salt unless your treating for a specific condition. I'm not sure what effects it has on snails.


Most fish keepers believe in using minimal chemicals in their tanks.
Don't use the Ph buffer stuff, betta adapt to wide range of Ph, trying to change it will cause more stress to them.

A healthy fish will generate its own slime coat. Butt you can use the Stress coat to help with damaged fins or scales if needed.

In general, don't add chemicals other than decloronator if not absolutely neccesary.
Hope this helps.

Epsom salt. Ok, thanks. Do you have a brand recommendation? Or just anything meeting those parameters?

Do you know of any products that are JUST for slime coat, without the water conditioning components, since I use Prime anyways and the other respondent suggested that they cancel each other out when used together?

Thanks for your input.

 

[Racoon293]

Any brand of Epsom salt will do. It can be found at any pharmacy.

I don't know of any slime coat specific products, but I'm pretty sure prime helps with slime coat generation.

 

[Rana]

I'm not 100% sure it's the same for all BB products, but a Tetra rep once explained how ammonia-locking conditioners will mess with the solution they keep their bacteria suspended in, basically rendering them useless. I assume it's the same for the rest, so I always say to wait a day before and after water changes to be safe.

I used Stress Coat as my conditioner for a while, and personally I didn't notice much of a change other than my water getting more oily. It adds in aloe I believe, which is basically just an organic slime- whether it actually does anything beneficial is up for debate, some people love it others hate it. I'm pretty ambivalent, if you already have it might as well use it.

If you're looking just to reduce stress, why not add in some tannins? India Almond Leaves (IAL) are the most recommended but driftwood, Rooibos or decaffeinated Green tea, or dried Oak leaves are also frequently used. It darken the water and makes it more acidic, which mimics bettas' natural habitats and is supposed to keep them happier and healthier.

Oh and for Epsom, you can pick it up at pretty much any pharmacy or larger grocery store. It's used as a laxative and theraputic soak for humans, so it's pretty easy to find. I got a pound of store-brand for like a dollar at a grocery store. :3

 

[Exquisite]

Thank you, both.

I'm not 100% sure it's the same for all BB products, but a Tetra rep once explained how ammonia-locking conditioners will mess with the solution they keep their bacteria suspended in, basically rendering them useless. I assume it's the same for the rest, so I always say to wait a day before and after water changes to be safe.

I used Stress Coat as my conditioner for a while, and personally I didn't notice much of a change other than my water getting more oily. It adds in aloe I believe, which is basically just an organic slime- whether it actually does anything beneficial is up for debate, some people love it others hate it. I'm pretty ambivalent, if you already have it might as well use it.

If you're looking just to reduce stress, why not add in some tannins? India Almond Leaves (IAL) are the most recommended but driftwood, Rooibos or decaffeinated Green tea, or dried Oak leaves are also frequently used. It darken the water and makes it more acidic, which mimics bettas' natural habitats and is supposed to keep them happier and healthier.

Oh and for Epsom, you can pick it up at pretty much any pharmacy or larger grocery store. It's used as a laxative and theraputic soak for humans, so it's pretty easy to find. I got a pound of store-brand for like a dollar at a grocery store. :3

Very helpful. Thank you!

Re: Stress. I am having a hard time finding IAL at a reasonable price and that will ship in a reasonable amount of time. Also, driftwood, oak leaves, etc are all challenging for me to find pesticide free in my city's. Also DW is expensive as well (and no one sells oak leaves because it sounds ridiculous). Someone else recommended Roobios and so I am going to look for it online.

Regarding Roobios, is it always sold decaf? Or do I need to be aware of that? Also, tea bags or loose leaf?

 

[Rana]

Rooibos is an herbal tea, so it's 100% caffeine free. The bigger concern is making sure it doesn't have any flavors or other ingredients.

I like tea bags since it's convenient to just plop them in, but you can go loose-leaf if you'd like. If loose-leaf I would brew it in conditioned water and just add some in until it's as dark as you'd like, since adding leaves straight to the tank is messy. If you leave either in the tank long-term it'll probably start growing mold which is harmless but looks gross, so I take the bags out after a day.

 

[Exquisite]

Rooibos is an herbal tea, so it's 100% caffeine free. The bigger concern is making sure it doesn't have any flavors or other ingredients.

I like tea bags since it's convenient to just plop them in, but you can go loose-leaf if you'd like. If loose-leaf I would brew it in conditioned water and just add some in until it's as dark as you'd like, since adding leaves straight to the tank is messy. If you leave either in the tank long-term it'll probably start growing mold which is harmless but looks gross, so I take the bags out after a day.

Fantastic. Many thanks for your suggestions.

 

[cowgirlsue1]

There are several sites on ebay that sell Indian Almond leaves. And they are quite large. I use mine 1/3 at a time.

 

[Exquisite]

There are several sites on ebay that sell Indian Almond leaves. And they are quite large. I use mine 1/3 at a time.

Thanks for the heads up. I usually avoid ebay whenever possible, so no wonder why I couldn't find much. I will check it out if roobios isn't a viable option.

 

[cowgirlsue1]

Health food store will sell unaltered roobios tea. On ebay, most IAL come from the far east. I like Amy's Ketapang Inc. But it does take a while to ship. Here's a guy in New York that gets them out as well as plants. And if you buy more than 1 thing, he adjusts the shipping. I got a bunch of plants from him too, in the middle of one of their miseralble snowstorms. Seller information
xuguxugu (1021 )
98.9% Positive feedback

 

[Exquisite]

Health food store will sell unaltered roobios tea. On ebay, most IAL come from the far east. I like Amy's Ketapang Inc. But it does take a while to ship. Here's a guy in New York that gets them out as well as plants. And if you buy more than 1 thing, he adjusts the shipping. I got a bunch of plants from him too, in the middle of one of their miseralble snowstorms. Seller information
xuguxugu (1021 )
98.9% Positive feedback

By Healthfood store, you mean like walmart, right? :lol:

J/k. I went to one in my extended area but unfortunately they were out. So, I may call around. Thanks for the info.

 

[NorthernLights]

You may want to get some kanaplex. You will most likely need to order it online, and it is better to to have it on hand because when you really need it, you may not have time to wait for it to arrive. It's one of the few things that has a real chance of saving a fish with dropsy.

 

[missavgp]

+1 on Amy's Ketapang Inc for IAL. She sells on ebay and on Aquabid. I got some from her on Aquabid and they were at my door (Ottawa, ON, Canada) in under 2 weeks.

 

[kman]

I am trying to streamline the products I use for the care and treatment of my Betta boys, mystery snails, and marimo algae balls.

I am going to list some products that I have and some products that I am considering buying. I would like your thoughts and recommendations for alternatives if you feel so inclined.

Thank you.


I own/have used:

• Seachum Prime (this one is a keeper)
• API Quick Start
• API Stressszyme
• API Stress Coat + (necessary for slime coat properties?)
• Aqueon Water Clarifier
• TopFin Ammonia Remover (no longer need now that I have Prime)
• Betta Revive
• Tetra Fungus Guard
• API FW Master Test Kit
• API Aquarium Salt, 65-Ounce (disc'd use because I have a snail. Should I reuse?)
• API PH Buffer 7.5 (disc'd use)

Considering buying:

• Tetra LifeGuard
• Triple Sulfa Powder Packets
• Seachem Purigen
• Seachem StressGuard
• API Calcium Test Kit
• API Phosphate Test Kit
• API Copper Test Kit
• API GH and KH Test Kit

Anything I missed and should add to my list?

Your top list, I'd just stick with the Prime (truly all you need) and of course the API Master test kit. Aquarium salt is good to have on hand, but hopefully never needed. (Especially with a snail!)

For the second list, I'd consider the Purigen (hint: the 100ml packet had a bag, the larger portions don't, and the smaller bag is all you need for tanks under 20 gals, and it's rechargeable so should be the last you ever need... So don't buy more than you need!) to help keep your water sparkly clean, once your tank has cycled. The other kits are very rarely needed unless you're keeping specialty species, like certain shrimp. Your betta will be fine with Prime-treated tap water in 99% of US locations. I wouldn't bother stocking meds that you won't likely need, until/unless you actually need them.

 

[Polkadot]

Yep definitely a big yes to Seachem Prime,I would also add Seachem Stability which is a great product to help with a fish in cycle,and I have found API Stress Coat + to be wonderful too.

 

[Hallyx]

I agree with everything Rana has told you except for the conflict of Prime and TSS (or other bottled bacteria). Tetra is the only source that says Prime effects the performance of their product. Seachem (Prime) says no problem. I've never had a problem nor have I heard of anyone who has.

But Tetra Safestart (or other bottled bacteria) is a one-time-use product, certainly nothing you need to have "on-hand."

Prime and API Stresscoat do the same thing, but Prime is cheaper and cleaner.

While some keepers like to keep medications on-hand, they do have a shelf-life. If you're practicing good fish-keeping and water-keeping, you may never have use for them.

I'm with K-man: keep it simple, basic.

 

[Valentino14]

What effect would AQ salt have if you used it basically as a conditioner for every water change? I heard of this recently so I was curious. I don't think I would ever try it though. Will it even do anything?