Stress Coat?

[fishrpets]

Ok here's the stupid ? of the day....but I wanna know....

Do you use stress coat? Is it something to use all the time or only when needed? Is it in addition to the water conditioner or is it the water conditioner. Just have heard it mentioned sometimes and thought I would ask.

[Raith]

questions are never stupid! ive used it, but ive never found a good result of it.

note - dont over use it. i rather not use chemicals.....

[awrieger]

I used to use it all the time as a de-chlorinator and stuff. I still have half a big bottle of it left unused because I've since switched to Prime because you only need to add a few drops of Prime, so it's easier to use than the gluggy and messy Stress Coat which you have to measure out in a measuring cup.

But apart from dechlorinating, the name Stress Coat pretty much describes its main purpose, with the aloe vera meant to help rapidly rebuild the fish's slime coating after severe stress, or handling where the slime coat is removed (ie rubbing from a net). So it's purpose is sort of unnecessary just for normal water changes and suchlike.

If the water's pH is kept above neutral though, and the water conditions good, the fish create their own natural slime coat quite well on their own anyway.

I guess Stress Coat would be the first emergency thing to add after doing a big water change to fix a pH crash which has caused the fish's slime coat to peel off, or after netting fish (which is why I always use my hands so as not to lose their slime coats). But apart from that, Prime handles everything else like dechlorinating just fine for me, and is easier to use.

[fishrpets]

Good to know. Thanks!

[BigRedandBlindWillie]

Yeah same here. I have a bottle of it, but I rarely ever use it. I have a goldie emergency kit under my fish tank that has different meds, stress coat, aquarium salt... ect.... its always nice to have on hand... ive come to realize that sometimes when you need something, and you dont have it, its too late to go to the LFS because their closed.

[smack536]

i swear by it. ITs the only water conditioner I can use successfully.

[magickzzl]

i use stress coat for de-chloranating... Im lucky i guess, mine came with a pump... one pump per gallon! makes measuring easy.

it works great, and as it says, help build up the slime coat on the fish. but beware, all things like that can take oxygen out of the water if overdosed! (almost killed one of my bettas like that! poor Rover )

[smack536]

With any other water conditioner, my guys all get red streaks in their fins, freyed fins, and my snails die. I stress coat!

dont overdoes though, as someone else said....It makes everything mighty slimey and can hurt the fish!

[LaurieP]

I have heard that the aloe in the Stress coat can build up a very thick slime coat causing problems with the fish if used for every water change. Just an fyi.

[benobassist]

I use stress coat all the time its awsome

[fishrpets]

Thanks for the info.

Another ?....Does prime have a bad smell? I was reading the bottle and it said a sulphur smell was normal. Does it make the whole tank smell like that?

[fishrpets]

I meant to say what good information yall have given me. I really didn't realize that you could actually overdose the water conditioner and harm the fish. Luckily, I have always measured it out just right!

[smack536]

yup, Prime makes the water stinky too!