and the fixer is actually a little bit harmful to the environment than the rest of the chemicals used in BW photography (but personally I'd be more worried about the proper disposal of the plastic containers these things come in.) And by reduring the life of your fixer, you're going to use more fixer.
That's all a stopbath really is - a mild acid that stops the developer, and washes some of it off before the film/prints go into the fixer (thereby extending the life of the fixer by minimizing carry-over of developer) Technically, you don't really need a stop bath but then you'd be reducing the life of your fixer. A 1 to 10 solution of white vinegar in water is all you need to act as a stop bath. Not that commercial stop bath solutions are particularly dangerous (they're not) but vinegar is certainly a lot cheaper and less scary. If you're interested in minimizing environmental issues, you may want to consider using plain white vinegar in your stop instead of commercial stop bath. LEftover hypo in your prints and negs can indeed damage them. THe paper in prints and the thicker emulsion make washing out the hypo more difficult than film.) Hypoclear can be sent down the drain without any worries. Hypoclearing agent: it isn't required but it certainly a good idea to use - far, far more important than photoflo - especially for prints (film emulsions are much thinner and the plastic substrate is less likely to absorb hypo. (Distilled water is not the same thing as "spring" water btw) And, you can put some distilled water in a spray bottle and spray it on your negs when you hang them up to dry, in case you're worried about dust etc. HOWEVER instead of photoflo, a final dip of your film in some distilled water is better. When used on film, it reduces the liklihood of water spots.
It makes water more "runny" and less likely to stick to things. You can use a tiny, tiny dab of dishwater detergent which has the same effect. Photoflow is nothing more than a wetting agent or surfactant. I would think that fewer chemicals would be better, so long as there are not major problems with not using them. Also, there is the whole issue of disposal.hypo clear to me seems to be just another chemical to learn to dispose of properly. I am just getting back into this and would like to work with supplies I already have and buy only a few basic chemicals. Do they have persistent issues with water spots? I'm sure it's not good anymore, but do I need a wetting agent? I have read that some people do not use them. Secondly, I have some photo flo wetting agent that has been opened and has probably been sitting for about four years now. Is this true? What are the benefits of using hypo clear and can I live without it? Is it necessary for me to go out and buy this or is just using D-76, water stop, and prepared fixer acceptable? I read on one of these forums that using hypo clear will allow the negatives to last longer. I took photo classes in HS and college, and in my college class we used hypo clear. I graduated in May and finally have a little time to dabble in my photography hobby.
I'm getting back into my darkroom photography supplies after a rather lengthy time away.