Water Conditioner Advice

This does seem to be a problem. I have yet to find a dechlorinator which removes chlorine, binds metals, 'detoxifies' the ammonia from chloramine, and does not contain a 'slime coat promoter'. The ones that don't contain something for the slime coat don't detoxify ammonia.
What we need is something that just detoxifies ammonia. Something that is only temporary, but by the time the effect wears off the filter bacteria have eaten all the chloramine ammonia, so not zeolite which permanently removes ammonia. But most brands of ammonia detoxifier also seem to remove chlorine so using one together with something like API Tap Water Conditioner (removes chlorine, binds metals only) would end up overdosing the chlorine remover.


If anyone knows of a product that just detoxifies ammonia and does nothing else, please let us know!


Those products which detoxify ammonia convert it to another form, but the effect wears off in 24 to 36 hours. This is fine where the only source of ammonia is chloramine in tap water because the bacteria in the tank will have 'eaten' this detoxified ammonia before it has chance to revert back to ammonia.
(Products that remove ammonia are not the same thing, and are not found in dechlorinators - they remove all the ammonia, and there is none left to feed the bacteria. Then they get full and stop absorbing ammonia and there are no bacteria to 'eat' the ammonia as they've all starved. Ammonia remover must be replaced before it becomes full - for ever)

Most of them don't remove ammonia, they 'detoxify' it, which simply means they convert it all to NH4-, the ammonia ion, which is how ammonia occurs in acid water.

I've always used Haloex. It works out at approximately the same price as Prime (about 100 times cheaper than the rest, which are very very diluted).

Sue, I have no idea what Haloex contains, but it removes chlorine and (just recently) chloramine, binds heavy metals, detoxifies ammonia, and as far as I'm aware doesn't contain anything that increases mucus production (by irritating the skin, btw).

I don't get it. Why would converting ammonia to ammonium be impossible without providing the fish with extra slime? And why would they even need extra slime?

Also I don't get why fish would ever need extra slime (unless it was physically rubbed off). It's not like they lose slime in transit... Aloe vera is a plant from semi-desert regions which never naturally comes into contact with fish. I don't believe a fish ever needs the compound used from the plant, which is after all sap, and an irritant. I won't knowingly subject fish to it, and I'm pretty sure it's just a gimmick to increase sales. A very clever one at that. I was keeping fish just as successfully before Aloe vera. There was not a need for it...

Aloe vera also does undesirable things like adding organic waste to the tank.