Does seachem prime remove chloramines

leo12345 · Mar 11, 2023

My water company is using chloramines instead of chlorine for a few weeks so can I add prime to my rodi water to remove any chloramines before I put it in my tank?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 12, 2023

Let's back up a few steps.

Any cheapo chlorine test kit will detect both chlorine and chloramine. Anyone with a concern that chlorine or chloramine is not being removed by their activated carbon in any filtration system used on tap water should test it first, rather than specing large amounts on potentially unnecessary "special" carbon block. Many/most people, even those with chloramine int ehw ater supply do nto need special carbon blocks to remove it.

I know many will say otherwise, especially companies selling them, but I and many others measured it for a chloramine article I wrote (below). Might there be scenarios where a special block is needed? Sure. But IMO, buyign them without checking to see if they are needed is like buying premium gas without any knowledge about whether your car runs just fine on lower octane gas: it never hurts, but may often be a waste of money.

Chloramine and the Reef Aquarium - Reefkeeping.com

Seachem prime will break down chlorine and chloramine, but in the latter case, it almost certainly leaves the ammonia behind. That may be fine, depending on how you use the water. For top off it is fine.

A DI will remove the ammonia, as long as it is not becoming depleted. If you have chloramine, there may be a LOT of ammonia on the DI, and when the DI first depletes, there may be a lot more ammonia in the efflunet as that bound ammonia is displaced by ions such as sodium, then were ever contained in the incoming water. So be careful of that.

thatmanMIKEson · Mar 12, 2023

Wasn't the

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Which is clearly wrong in its generality.

Not the nicest way possible, but thanks for eventually clearing that up, never did claim to know the ins and outs or specifics, but definitely one of the reasons I over filter for my lack of knowledge, I also explained a few extra dollars for peace of mind was worth it to me, and I did mention it was an opinion of mine and a Google search, not a published article. I try to help if I can with what I think I know but I am no scholar or reef chemist like yourself. It's great you come in with the necessary information when summoned.

Thanks for everything you contribute randy!

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 12, 2023

thatmanMIKEson said:
Wasn't the
Not the nicest way possible, but thanks for eventually clearing that up, never did claim to know the ins and outs or specifics, but definitely one of the reasons I over filter for my lack of knowledge, I also explained a few extra dollars for peace of mind was worth it to me, and I did mention it was an opinion of mine and a Google search, not a published article. I try to help if I can with what I think I know but I am no scholar or reef chemist like yourself. It's great you come in with the necessary information when summoned.

Thanks for everything you contribute randy!

Sorry for seeming harsh. Since it was not your opinion but a cut and paste internet quote, I wasn't being as sensitive as I might. And thanks for the kind words.