# Purigen re-generation process guide



## Marty.h (3 Nov 2019)

I wrote this for another forum thought I would share it here 

Not sure if there is one on here so I'll write one up for anyone wanting to use Purigen.

What is purigen some may ask this is a copy and paste from Seachem 

Seachem Purigen is a premium synthetic adsorbent that is unlike any other filtration product. It is not a mixture of ion exchangers or adsorbents, but a unique macro porous synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all others by over 500%. Purigen controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates by removing nitrogenous organic waste that would otherwise release these harmful compounds.


I use purigen myself to keep 100% water clarity it removes tannins ect so the water remains crystal clear if you like tannins this product is not for you.


I run 200g in my filter that's 2 x 100g sachets they can be purchased for around £10.00 each and the good thing is they are reusable I have 4 in total so this makes the swap over procedure easier as while I'm using 2 the other 2 are going through the re-gen process.

For the re-genration process you need 2 products 






Some will be looking thinking bleach  yes you need bleach to re-generate it however it MUST NOT CONTAIN ANY SURFACTANTS in other words not thick bleach I have found the cheap Asda thin bleach to be perfect if thick bleach with surfactants is used it will clog the purigen and make it not work or unable to re-gen it also the worst is YOU RISK WIPING YOUR TANK OUT

Once your purigen is exhausted it will go from its white colour to a brown or even black it depends on your load how long it lasts before it needs a re-gen

These are the two removed from mine 






They possibly would of gone longer but I choose to re-gen when they get like that.


Next you need a container one you can seal well and to fill it enough to cover the sachets you want a 50% bleach and 50% water solution and plonk them in and leave for 2 hours every now and then give the container a shake and agitate the purigen you will end up with something looking like this 





After 2 hours I drain the bleach off and then re-fill with a new 50/50 mix and plonk purigen back in 





I now leave the purigen in this mix for 48 hours and everytime I go past give it a little shake to agitate the purigen this helps to make sure it all gets exposed to the bleach.

After 48 hours remove from the bleach and fill container with tap water and give them a really good shake drain that off and next is fill with plain water only again and add 3 capfulls of seachem prime you can use other water conditioners BUT IT MUST NOT CONTAIN SLIME COATS ECT as this will clog the purigen.

Leave the purigen in this for 24 hours giving it a shake now and then to agitate it after 24 hours drain and re-fill again with plain water and 3 caps of prime drop purigen in and leave in this mix again for a further 24 hours this will 100% then remove any chlorine and make it 100% safe to return it back into your filter.

This is how mine have just come out 





As you can see ready to do there job again it is normal to sometimes not get them 100% back to white but as you can see they as near as.

DONT RUSH THE PROCESS AND DONT BE TEMPTED TO RUSH GETTING THEM BACK INTO THE FILTER GIVE THE TIME NEEDED FOR THE PRIME / DECHLORINATOR TO DO ITS JOB AND MAKE THEM SAFE 

If you decide to do it like I do having 2 sets then once the set that is going through re-gen is complete keep them stored in an air tight container in water you do not want them to dry out they will then be there ready to be swapped over when needed.


I have used this process in both marine and freshwater with absolutely no issues or crashes but this guide is supplied as is giving my own experience using this product for a lot of years now and I cannot be held responsible should you have any issues if you follow the guide above there is no reason why you should have any issues.


Hope this helps 


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## HafMan (6 Nov 2019)

Great write up! 
im going to be adding this to my filter in the next few weeks.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (6 Nov 2019)

It's a great product and definitely worth having a couple of sachets spare so you can re-gen them at leisure.
One thing though, I have used thick bleach, but watered down. I don't think I've ruined the effectiveness, as the ones I've re-gened seem to be working still.
I assume the cheap thin bleach is the same thing as the thick bleach, but more dilute?


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## Carpman (10 Nov 2019)

i have had mine in soak  a few time now and it has still not gone anywhere near white, does this mean its no longer regenerating This is only the second regen ?


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## Andrew Butler (10 Nov 2019)

The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> It's a great product and definitely worth having a couple of sachets spare so you can re-gen them at leisure.
> One thing though, I have used thick bleach, but watered down. I don't think I've ruined the effectiveness, as the ones I've re-gened seem to be working still.
> I assume the cheap thin bleach is the same thing as the thick bleach, but more dilute?


Firstly have a look to see if it's any additives - 'Perfume' or something like tends to be the most common one which I've been told isn't a good thing.
Someone who is more chemically aware will advise I'm sure but bleach is essentially NaCLOor Sodium Hypochlorite and the cheap value bleach tends to be the only way of getting it this way easily although still read the ingredients as some add the Perfume element to this.


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## bionicfinger (10 Nov 2019)

I'm thinking about using Purigen for my new tank (still at hardscaping phase!) and was a bit concerned about how to do the regen. This is a really helpful guide, so thank you.


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## Carpman (10 Nov 2019)

I'm using asda thin bleach no mention of any other ingredients


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## Marty.h (16 Dec 2019)

The Accidental Aquascaper said:


> It's a great product and definitely worth having a couple of sachets spare so you can re-gen them at leisure.
> One thing though, I have used thick bleach, but watered down. I don't think I've ruined the effectiveness, as the ones I've re-gened seem to be working still.
> I assume the cheap thin bleach is the same thing as the thick bleach, but more dilute?


Check the ingredients if it contains surfactants dont use it I havent seen a thick bleach yet that dont contain it !!!

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## Carpman (16 Dec 2019)

Lets put this out there for anyone that is regenerating purigen that has never done it before!

Purigen does not go back to its original colour (white)
It did not go white or even white-ish after bleaching (no matter how many times I bleached it).

It will change colour after you have soaked it in Prime.
It will smell after the above (3), once mine dried out I put it in a zip lock bag.
Follow guidelines soak in bleach, soak in prime, soak in neutral regulator
Colour only changed (for me) after prime soaking...


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## Wookii (16 Dec 2019)

Carpman said:


> Lets put this out there for anyone that is regenerating purigen that has never done it before!
> 
> Purigen does not go back to its original colour (white)
> It did not go white or even white-ish after bleaching (no matter how many times I bleached it).
> ...



Just to add to that, apparently you should not let the Purigen dry out as it can cause the beads to crack.


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## Thumper (16 Dec 2019)

Wookii said:


> Just to add to that, apparently you should not let the Purigen dry out as it can cause the beads to crack.


And furthermore they'll shrink and fall through the bag.


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## Carpman (16 Dec 2019)

Wookii said:


> Just to add to that, apparently you should not let the Purigen dry out as it can cause the beads to crack.





Thumper said:


> And furthermore they'll shrink and fall through the bag.



I had never heard or read that before!


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## Thumper (16 Dec 2019)

Carpman said:


> I had never heard or read that before!


Well, when they crack they break and are able to pass through.


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## Wookii (16 Dec 2019)

Carpman said:


> I had never heard or read that before!



https://www.seachem.com/purigen.php (FAQ- Question 7)

https://www.seachem.com/support/forums/forum/general-discussion/2949-purigen

https://www.seachem.com/support/forums/forum/general-discussion/1440-purigen-recharge-process (post #11)

https://www.seachem.com/support/forums/forum/general-discussion/207-purigen-question/page2 (post #16)


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## Carpman (16 Dec 2019)

Will check out my bag right now. Lucky for me it mas the premade one so not megabucks if it's knackered


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## Carpman (16 Dec 2019)

Seem ok no dust coming out of the bag so is now submerged in a watertight box of water


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## Marty.h (30 Dec 2020)

Thought I would update the bags been going over a year now and are now in for a good Christmas soak in bleach they still come out well and like new i have 6 in total so no need to rush the process changing the bleach often I have found to really help bring them back 




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## jaypeecee (30 Dec 2020)

Hi @Carpman 

One of your photos of the bleach bottle label states "Thin bleach contains _amongst other ingredients_..." (my italics). The implication is that there may be ingredients other than sodium hypochlorite.

I added the above as @Marty.h has also just posted.

JPC


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## Marty.h (30 Dec 2020)

jaypeecee said:


> Hi @Carpman
> 
> One of your photos of the bleach bottle label states "Thin bleach contains _amongst other ingredients_..." (my italics). The implication is that there may be ingredients other than sodium hypochlorite.
> 
> ...



I have used the cheap Asda thin bleach for several years now with no issues at all even when i had my marine tank and they are VERY sensitive and the purigen working fine and re-generating to like new each time.

Its about 36p a bottle im sure other places will do similar like Tesco ect but ive always used Asda

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## Mr.Shenanagins (31 Dec 2020)

I’ve posted on a separate thread I made prob a month or so ago, but I saw another forum (TPT?) member had regenerated his Purigen using a magnetic plate mixer. This provides constant agitation and will speed up the regeneration process.


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## Dr Mike Oxgreen (31 Dec 2020)

Something to consider is that the regeneration instructions were written with the US market in mind, where household bleach is much stronger. I therefore use supermarket thin bleach undiluted.

Also, keep in mind that bleach loses its effectiveness over a few months, so it’s worth buying fresh every now and again.


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## Marty.h (1 Jan 2021)

Mr.Shenanagins said:


> I’ve posted on a separate thread I made prob a month or so ago, but I saw another forum (TPT?) member had regenerated his Purigen using a magnetic plate mixer. This provides constant agitation and will speed up the regeneration process.


Wonder if an untra sonic cleaner would work 

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## Mr.Shenanagins (1 Jan 2021)

Marty.h said:


> Wonder if an untra sonic cleaner would work
> 
> Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk


Only one way to find out! But I’d imagine so, amazon has a couple cheap ones similar to the prices of a stirrer


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