The real issues of any fish pond are too elusive for your liking. It’s hard to address them when you have to. You will certainly not prefer to know about them in the hindsight. The costs could be some seriously sick fishes or even worse, dead ones. One such issue is worsening of fishes’ slime aka coat. You need to watch closely to know if the coat on your fish is getting worse or not. Some more issues to look out for are chlorinated water and excess ammonia. Chlorine makes your fishes sick in a really quick time. Ammonia is a silent killer to have in your tank or pond. Anything above 0 parts per million (PPM) of ammonia is considered harmful to the fishes. To add up to the troubles, you get deposition of metals quite easily into an open pond. API presents a one stop fix to all these issues in the form of API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner.

In this review, we will discuss in depth and detail on science behind Stress coat, features, pros, cons and other finer details of API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner. Check this product on amazon here: https://amzn.to/3r2ufZB

Table of Contents

What it’s supposed to do?

API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner does quite a few things to keep your pond healthy. Firstly, it removes chlorine, chloramines and ammonia to make tap water safe. If you live in specific localities, they often chlorinate the water. During a water change, this could be a serious problem. Secondly, it reduces fish stress during water change or while introducing them to the pond. Thirdly, as the name suggests, it replenishes slime coat in fishes. It counts more as adding a protective slime coat that fends off the annoying microbes. Finally, it uses the healing power of Aloe Vera to go about business.

How API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner does it?

API makes quite some tall claims with this product. It claims to reduce fish stress by up to 40%. From our experience, it’s no marketing gimmick. Our fishes started actively exploring the pool after a little dosage. At the very least, they show results temporarily. In fact, the stress coat solution is just a de-chlorinator with essence of Aloe Vera. There is not much information given about the list of other ingredients either.

If you use the right dosage, the product works like a charm. Nevertheless, you are going to end up using monster dosage, even for a decently sized fish pond. Ultimately, what matters is it works so effectively as de-chlorinator, coat replenishment and as an Aloe Vera based healing product. It helps as spring startup as well as regular care. Moreover, it’s eco-friendly and thus safe to the surrounding pets and plants.

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Aloe Vera theory

The catch with Aloe Vera usage is it’s not really promoted in the space of fish keeping. Barring an expired patent (US4500510A), there is nothing much in this space. The proposed theory suggests that when added to aquarium water, Aloe Vera can heal damaged fish tissues. Without a shadow of doubt, the natural mucoprotien or slime coat is the first line of defense for the fish against possible infections. Besides fending off against organisms, slime coat helps retain body fluids and electrolytes. Whenever the slime coat worsens, the fish surely loses on internal electrolytes by bleeding it into surrounding water. Hence, healing such tissues can be of great benefit, if the theory is true. FDA does not approve of the labeling and NIH does not approve of the drug dealer. The simple fact that Aloe Vera replenishes slime coat is still an area of debate. One cannot think of putting Aloe Vera leaves into the pond. The simple reason is it’s surely harmful when the fishes eat the leaves.

A handy product…

Practically, API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner is as handy as it gets. It stands just under a foot in height. The handle makes it real easy to carry around. With the lid always attached to it, measurements can’t get any easier. You can precisely administer dosage for tanks or ponds of all sizes. Storing the can is so much convenient. The plastic does well to protect against extreme heat or cold. You can place it literally close to the pond for further usage.

Ideal usage

API Pond Stress Coat Water conditioner is best used during water changing. Adding API Pond Stress Coat eases partial water changing in summers. Tap water has to be treated for possible chlorine content. The key purpose of Stress Coat is making tap water safe for fishes, especially during spring to autumn. In addition, you can use the water conditioner when introducing new fishes to the pond. If your fish has a bad slime coat, considering using this API product. Follow the right dosage to avoid unwanted clouding in water.

Dosage calculations for pond

The standard dosage is 5 milliliters per 10 gallons of water. Double the dosage when dealing with repaired tissues or worsened slime coat. Similarly double the dosage if your fish looks sick in the pond. Add 1 tablespoon per 60 gallons of pond water, half a cup per 480 gallons and 1 cup per 960 gallons respectively. Double the dosage if chlorine levels are elevated drastically. Same goes for introducing new fishes to the pond or using Stress Coat for healing purposes.

Pros

Heals damaged fish skin tissues
Eco friendly product, safe for surrounding wildlife
Reduces fish stress to a great extent
Effective as de-chlorinator in ponds

Cons

Requires too much dosage for pond
Debatable benefits of Aloe Vera

Conclusion

The monster dosage you are going to be using makes API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner a costly affair. At $50, it’s definitely on the pricier side already. However, considering the benefits it brings to your pond, it saves you lot in maintenance. When it comes to top end fish products, less is more. However, the claims of Aloe Vera don’t have much of a scientific backing. Regardless, it can be out of common knowledge amongst the fishkeeping community. In addition, you need to pay close attention to dosage. Over dosing creates a cloud of whiteness in your pond. Nonetheless, managing the smaller things is hassle-free with this water conditioner. Overall, it’s a terrific product that comes really handy in day to day pond maintenance.

Bottomline: Ensuring top health of fish and pond, this API product is worth the price tag.

I hope you liked this review.Please do let me know your thoughts in comments! Also do Check out my review on Kusuri Wormer Plus Review