Seachem Prime Vs Others

Why do people commonly say that Prime is more expensive than other water conditioners? I've seen comments saying not to waste money on it in just about every thread it's mentioned in.

On Amazon, Prime costs $11.56 for a 17 oz bottle and it treats a total of 5,000 gallons of water.

The most common conditioner I see in stores is by Aqueon. On Amazon, it is $9.78 (on sale for $6.20) for a 16 oz bottle and it treats a total of 946 gallons.

Even on sale, it is more cost-effective to buy Prime over the Aqueon conditioner. Am I missing something here? Why do people always say it's more expensive?


Amazon listings here:
https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Prime-Fresh-Saltwater-Conditioner/dp/B00025694O/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=seachem+prime&qid=1568565664&sr=8-2&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Aquarium-Water-Conditioner-16-Ounce/dp/B0010729SS/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=water+conditioner&qid=1568565962&sr=8-6&th=1

 

You answered your own question, lol. $11.56 is more expensive than $9.78. Now lets talk value, economy vs expense. You definitely get more value per $$$ with Prime compared to any of the other "less expensive" products.

 

I used to swear by Prime, but after having to pay more than double API tap water conditioner, I made the switch. 16 fl oz of API is $6.64 usd and treats up to ~9400 gallons whereas Prime is $11.94 for 17 fl oz and treats 5000 gallons. it’s just not worth it to me. Furthermore, Prime claims to detoxify nitrite and nitrate, but they have no evidence or explanation of this.

 

I use the Kordon brand. I have used API for a long time now but then I found Kordon and a 16 oz bottle of water conditioner is $ 3.11 on amazon. Just my experience.

 

I used to swear by Prime, but after having to pay more than double API tap water conditioner, I made the switch. 16 fl oz of API is $6.64 usd and treats up to ~9400 gallons whereas Prime is $11.94 for 17 fl oz and treats 5000 gallons. it’s just not worth it to me. Furthermore, Prime claims to detoxify nitrite and nitrate, but they have no evidence or explanation of this.

Maybe it's time I switch

 

I used to buy the 1 gallon jugs. A few times per year they go on sale for around $60. Now I am watching the prices for an 8.8 lb bucket of Safe, currently going for $90 @ KensFish.

the 1 gallon jug Prime comes out to $0.0015 to treat 1 gallon
API is $.0007 to treat 1 gallon
the 9lb Safe is $0.00009 to treat 1 gallon

 

If you read the fine print for Prime you will find that you need to use much much more to do anything other than dechlorinate. if you are using it simply to dechlor your water then use what is most economical for you.

 

Furthermore, Prime claims to detoxify nitrite and nitrate, but they have no evidence or explanation of this.

as far as Nitrate, its a non issue, since most of us do water changes to keep nitrate below 40ppm anyways. and some studies have shown that some species of fish aren't negatively affected by high nitrate over 300 or 400ppm.

post 32 on this thread, the hydrosulfide salts aka sodium dithionite has been shown to reverse the effects of nitrite aka methemoglobin aka brown blood disease.
What's The Difference Between Seachem Prime And Water Conditioner? | Cleaning and Maintenance Forum | 406714

 

I don't know why you're getting defensive over a simple dechlorinator. I mean, who's complaining about prices? Some of you guys make it sound like it's the greatest invention in the aquarium hobby. With all this shilling, pretty soon Seachem will start charging 3-4x versus its competitors. Look at Starbucks and how much customers are willing to pay for a simple cup of coffee that tastes like turpentine, but they somehow convince themselves it's better than the rest, because everyone else says it is. But let's be real. It's just coffee, and a dechlorinator is just a dechlorinator.