Can too much Prime kill a fish?

[frankoq]

I just lost my German Red. :sick0004: he was about 2.5 inches and starting to develop his colors.

about 2 weeks ago, he started to be lethargic and others started beating him.
Got fin damage so I moved it to a hospital 10g tank. barely ate for a few days, added salt. did 50% water change every other day.
about 5 days later, he started eating, he started to look very active. body started to look better. he started to eat.
Last night, I did a 50% wc and added a cup full of Prime.

This morning, he did not eat, he was heavy breathing, and was not moving much. I tested water and all fine:
PH = 8, Nitrites = 0, Ammo = 0, Nitrates = 5.
I did another 50% wc and then left.
I just got back and found it dead.

The only thing I can think I did wrong was to put a cap full of prime.

Any thoughts?

 

[dogofwar]

A cUp of Prime or a cAp of Prime?

A cap would not have been an issue. A cup is awful lot...

Matt

 

[DougGosnell]

it was my understanding that unless it was 100s of times the dosage it is non-toxic

 

[frankoq]

It was a cap full.

 

[Localzoo]

This is from prime up to 5 caps in certain cases? Probably something else coupled with stress of producing more slime coat. (someone once described prime and other slime coat promoters are like rubbing or poking your eye to produce tears)

Use 1 capful (5 mL) for each 200 L (50 gallons*) of new water. This removes approximately 1 mg/L ammonia, 4 mg/L chloramine, or 5 mg/L chlorine. For smaller doses, please note each cap thread is approx. 1 mL. May be added to aquarium directly, but better if added to new water first. If adding directly to aquarium, base dose on aquarium volume. Sulfur odor is normal. For exceptionally high chloramine concentrations, a double dose may be used safely. To detoxify nitrite in an emergency, up to 5 times normal dose may be used. If temperature is > 30 °C (86 °F) and chlorine or ammonia levels are low, use a half dose.


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[frankoq]

The only other thing I did differently this time was to fill the tank with a hose and then apply the Prime. Previously, I was filling up a bucket, applying prime to the bucket and then pour the water into the tank.

 

[mchambers]

Prime reduces oxygen. A cap is enough for 50 gallons, as Will noted. In a ten gallon tank, you'd normally use a 1/5 of a cap. So you put in 5 times as much Prime as needed. Seachem says that should be okay:

"It is completely safe to do a double dose of Prime in order to detoxify higher levels of ammonia. In fact, in emergency situations, up to 5 times the recommended amount of Prime is safe."

http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/showthread.php?t=4156

 

[Ading522]

The only other thing I did differently this time was to fill the tank with a hose and then apply the Prime. Previously, I was filling up a bucket, applying prime to the bucket and then pour the water into the tank.

I do not think that makes any difference as I used to do the same before..add water to bucket and then prime..mix then add to tank.. But now I just add the water to the tank, and put prime while the water is filling up.. I try to make the water splash in so that the oxygen is maximized. Maybe the temp was too great a difference? Some fish are really sensitive to temp change, and a 50% water change is big..adding that the water temp would have been totally different, it could be the reason.

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[frankoq]

Thanks for all the comments.
It might have been a severe temp change. I keep the 90g and the 10g at 80 F.
Tap water might have been less than that but not drastically cold.
Oh well. I'm still sad about this guy more so because I saw him almost dead, then very lively and then dead.
On a bright side, Aquamania here I come and I need fish.

 

[Andrewtfw]

The only other thing I did differently this time was to fill the tank with a hose and then apply the Prime. Previously, I was filling up a bucket, applying prime to the bucket and then pour the water into the tank.

Did you mean to say that you filled the tank and then added prime, or you added prime while the tank was filling?

 

[Becca]

Also, if there was any water that had been sitting in your hose, it could've absorbed toxins from the hose, had weird bacteria in it, etc.

 

[frankoq]

Did you mean to say that you filled the tank and then added prime, or you added prime while the tank was filling?

For the hospital tank, I usually fill up a bucket and add prime to it.
stir it and then put the water in the tank.

For this incident, I put the water in the tank with a hose and then added prime to the tank.

 

[frankoq]

Also, if there was any water that had been sitting in your hose, it could've absorbed toxins from the hose, had weird bacteria in it, etc.

Mmm... that's a good point.
I have a dedicated hose for the fish tank.
i keep it indoors. in this occasion, I did a water change on the 90g first and then did the hospital tank. So all the sitting water went into the 90g.
from now on, I will make sure to drain the hose from sitting water before I fill up the tank.

 

[Localzoo]

Really good point, I flush my hose b4 not bc of that, but to make sure temp is right but good call.


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