# Regenerating Purigen?



## Sacha (15 Aug 2014)

On their website (http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html) we're told to use "_*regular 8.25% hypochlorite household bleach ". *_I am using Tesco value thin bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite 1.5g per 100g): 






Will this be ok? Shall I soak it for 24 hours? Their instructions say to use a 50/50 bleach/ water mix. Since my bleach is significantly diluted compared to what they recommend, I'm just using neat bleach. Is that ok?


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## GlassWalker (15 Aug 2014)

Try it. Worst case is there isn't enough bleach and you have to refresh it.


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## Sacha (15 Aug 2014)

Thanks for the quick reply. 

The "amongst other ingredients" bit worried me a little too...


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## GlassWalker (15 Aug 2014)

I missed that detail. As long as it doesn't smell of anything other than bleach I'd guess it is ok, unless you want to hunt another brand of bleach to be sure? I've used Sainsburys without problem.


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## Julian (15 Aug 2014)

I've used this bleach before and it's been fine. I did let it sit in a bowl of water for a few days though, changing water every day or so.


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## Dan-CR4 (15 Aug 2014)

I use the asda one, and its been fine, probably same supplier. after regenirating the purigen using the bleach. i then soak it in some seachem prime and water for 24 hours before putting back in the filter.


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## Sacha (16 Aug 2014)

Thanks for the replies guys. I think the bleach should be fine. I'll soak it in prime for a good 3 days anyway just to be sure. 

Just been thinking. Bleach contains chlorine right. Not ammonia. Ammonia hurts fish. Chlorine does not hurt fish. It hurts filter bacteria. 

So, am I completely wrong in thinking that in the event of a small amount of bleach entering the tank, the fish would be unaffected? 

I've probably horrifically overlooked something here.


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## Martin in Holland (16 Aug 2014)

Chlorine will effect the fish's slime coating...soak your purigen after it's been regenerated in water with some prime (or any other brand) for another 24 hours (as Dan suggested) and it should be fine to use again.


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## GlassWalker (16 Aug 2014)

Yup, chlorine will give most living things a bad time. When regenerating purigen, I usually do some rinses under tap first to try and get the worst out. Then I do the soak in water with plenty of Prime. I think the instructions suggest a chlorine test kit, but rather than buy one of those I give it a sniff test. Do remember to agitate it so it can worth through the whole bag.


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## Spnl (16 Aug 2014)

Sacha
Chlorine is incredibly toxic to fish, fatal at well below 1ppm.

I use the tesco bleach, until it is back to original colour, then rinse in running water then in prime. Seems to work fine. Important to use Prime, other dechlorinators do ruin it.

Anyone know how many times purigen can be regenerated? I have some that is over a year old, treat it about every 2-3 wks and still seems to work.


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## ian_m (16 Aug 2014)

What does www.detergentinfo.com say about the product ?


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## Sacha (17 Aug 2014)

Spnl said:


> Sacha
> Chlorine is incredibly toxic to fish, fatal at well below 1ppm.



Interesting. I was told that you can treat Columnaris by doing a small (10%) water change with untreated tap water (provided the tap water contains no chloramines). The chlorine will attack the Columnaris and some of the beneficial filter bacteria, but the fish will be unharmed.


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## Spnl (17 Aug 2014)

Columnaris is caused by a gram negative bacterial infection. I have never heard that 10% "raw" tap water would have any effect on Flavobacterium, or anything else.
The disinfectant Chloramine T is reported to have some efficacy. I wonder if this has been misinterpreted somehow.

The level of chlorine in UK tap water is quite low, generally intended to be <1ppm when it comes out of the tap (compared to upto 4ppm in the US I believe), so folks in the UK will often get away without dechlorinating, esp if the water is left to stand for a while before putting it in the tank.
But what you referred to above involves very strong bleach and is much more likely to be toxic.

Dechlorinating water is so easy that I think it is not worth the risk of not doing it. Certainly anything that has been treated with bleach should be thoroughly dechlorinated.


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## Julian (17 Aug 2014)

Sacha said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. I think the bleach should be fine. I'll soak it in prime for a good 3 days anyway just to be sure.
> Just been thinking. Bleach contains chlorine right. Not ammonia. Ammonia hurts fish. Chlorine does not hurt fish. It hurts filter bacteria.
> So, am I completely wrong in thinking that in the event of a small amount of bleach entering the tank, the fish would be unaffected?
> I've probably horrifically overlooked something here.



Don't ever try this out. When I was a youngster, I once poured bleach into my brothers fish tank. The fish went crazy, they jumped out of the tank, and the ones that survived died a few weeks later.


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## Sacha (26 Aug 2014)

I let the Purigen sit in a bowl of Prime and water for 72 hours and rinsed it thoroughly but it still smells slightly of chlorine. 

So now I need to spend another £12 on a new bottle of Prime? I had to use half a bottle for this. 

Maybe it's because the Prime is about 3 years old?


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## ian_m (26 Aug 2014)

I've just used the Tesco thin bleach, soaked the purigen for a day (use old Chinese takeaway container), changed bleach soaked for another day, wasn't 100% white after second soak. Rinsed and soaked in water with Prime added for another day and put back in the tank. Water back to crystal clear.

I wouldn't of thought Prime would go off. Any left over bleach, provided tiny amount, will be quickly dissipated and react almost instantly with organic matter in your tank.


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## Sacha (26 Aug 2014)

So a small amount of residual chlorine is ok in the tank? 

Like I said, the bags still smell a bit of bleach.


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## ian_m (26 Aug 2014)

quote="Sacha, post: 364647, member: 11362"] small amount of residual chlorine is ok in the tank? [/quote]Not chlorine, as used to sterilize water, but sodium hypochlorite. Are you sure the chlorine smell is not from your water supply (or the small of prime) ?

Any leftover hypochlorite will instantly react with organic matter in your tank and be neutralised. Organic matter, includes fish of course, but trace amounts shouldn't be an issue.

Okey dokey. Quick bit of data sheet reading, sodium hypochlorite is extremely toxic to freshwater fish at about 0.8 - 2 ppm. However it is very hard to get those levels in an aquatic environment as being so reactive will instantly react with organic matter in the water and render it safe.

Sometime added to water supply in upto 0.5ppm to sterilise the water.


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## GlassWalker (26 Aug 2014)

When I regenerated mine, it smelt slightly afterwards no matter how much I rinsed it in tap and/or soaked in prime. I don't think it is chlorine, but maybe something else. Used it anyway without problems.


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (26 Aug 2014)

Sacha said:


> I let the Purigen sit in a bowl of Prime and water for 72 hours and rinsed it thoroughly but it still smells slightly of chlorine.
> 
> So now I need to spend another £12 on a new bottle of Prime? I had to use half a bottle for this.
> 
> Maybe it's because the Prime is about 3 years old?



I'm sure your only meant to use a teaspoon or so of prime sash?


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## Sacha (26 Aug 2014)

One tablespoon of Prime per cup of water.

I used three cups of water iirc, and that was three tablespoons of Prime. A full tablespoon is about 18 ml, so I used around 54 mls. That's half of a 100 ml bottle! 

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html


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## pepedopolous (26 Aug 2014)

Sacha, if you look on the Seachem forums, they say that the smell is normal http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/showthread.php?t=6979  I've been regenerating the same 2 bags of Purigen for over a year and they do smell even though I soak them and rinse them out much more than prescribed. Putting them back in the filter has had no bad effects as far as I can see.


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## Sacha (27 Aug 2014)

Thanks, but apparently the "fishy" smell is what's normal. Mine doesn't have a fishy smell, it's a weak bleach smell :s


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## Nathaniel Whiteside (27 Aug 2014)

Sacha said:


> One tablespoon of Prime per cup of water.
> 
> I used three cups of water iirc, and that was three tablespoons of Prime. A full tablespoon is about 18 ml, so I used around 54 mls. That's half of a 100 ml bottle!
> 
> http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html



Sorry. Yeah I see.
I was looking at my 500ml bottle and thinking wtf


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## Iain Sutherland (27 Aug 2014)

Geez, half a bottle of prime!cheaper to buy more purigen!  I never regenerate as it doesn't work as well. I keep 500ml in the tank and it lasts for 6 months then bin it.


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## pepedopolous (27 Aug 2014)

Sacha, Seachem describe the odour as 'amine'.

If you are really concerned about it, why not try just hanging the bag in your aquarium when you have some time to observe the livestock?

Other than that, all you can do is keep washing it or just buy some new.

P


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## EnderUK (27 Aug 2014)

purigen! purigen! everywhere! should of got the bag!

my little poem to hijack this thread. Going to get the bag after I tried the 250micron TMC bags and the purigen fell out. Luckly I was testing it in a bucket and managed to save most of it. My question is if I have a 8"x8" filter do I need 2 bags or is one more than enough.


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## pepedopolous (27 Aug 2014)

I think it's the size of the aquarium that matters. I have a single 100g bag in a 60l and a 125l. It works with both.


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## EnderUK (27 Aug 2014)

I was thinking more covering the whole flow area in the filter. but if that's the case I might just stick it in some tights and throw it into the filter.


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