Purigen

[RudeDogg1]

Is it safe to use purigen in a planted tank? Or will it remove the ferts ect

 

[Tom]

I know lots of people started using it a while back, but I haven't heard it being used for quite a long time.

 

[mdhardy01]

I was thinking of getting some as well.
Would be interested to see what people think after a good testing time.
Like the idea of really crystal clear water.
Mine gets a bit hazy towards the end of the week
Think this is to do with ferts build up not sure though
Matt

 

[JohnC]

i used it for a couple of years, i would not say it removes ferts. it is inert granules. they just catch small bits of dirt. unlike active carbon which actually absorbs ferts and toxins.

 

[RudeDogg1]

It absorbs ammonia and nitrite in my books that's toxins lol

 

[Stu Worrall]

works fine in my tanks

 

[RudeDogg1]

works fine in my tanks

Gd gd, how long does it last befor u need to recharge it?

 

[Stu Worrall]

usually I regen it after about 4-5 months but it does go brown before that. depends on lots of vairable I guess on how your tank is setup, turnover, amount of fish poo etc

 

[viktorlantos]

works fine in my tanks

Gd gd, how long does it last befor u need to recharge it?

Depend on your tank size vs the ammount you used and the dirt your tank produce. I usually recharge it after 3 months.

 

[RudeDogg1]

Cheers I want to add it it the bigger filter I'm still waiting for off ukco2guy cuz it has an extra basket than the one I'm running at the mo so I can put a bag full in there

 

[John Starkey]

I also used Purigen in my 150cm setup for 18mths,no ill effects on anything as far as i could see,the water is crystal clear too,

john.

 

[flygja]

Crystal clear water alright. I had to regenerate it after about a month though. It's basically an extremely efficient mechanical filter right?

 

[chris1004]

Crystal clear water alright. I had to regenerate it after about a month though. It's basically an extremely efficient mechanical filter right?

Wrong.

Although its not chemical filtration in the strictest sense of the word it behaves much more in this manner than as mechanical filtration. Basically it strips the water of ammonia and nitrite. The more ammonia in your water the shorter it'll last between regenerations.i.e. its very dependent on all the other factors in your system like bio load, maintenance and feeding regimes and other filtration employed.

As we know from experience that one of the main triggers for algae blooms is Ammonia the use of Purigen goes some way in aiding us to achieve algae free tanks.

It isn't however a quick fix and all the other factors still have to be addressed correctly, i.e CO2, flow, lighting and ferts. So its just another tool in our constant battle with our nemesis, Mr Algae.

Typically it can be regenerated about 8 times before it looses its effectiveness and is regenerated by first soaking in a bleach solution, then rinsing and soaking in a very strong dechlorinator solution (but you have to be very careful which one as some render Purigen useless, I use Prime also from Seachem). Finally you'll probably want to soak it again in a buffer to reduce its PH as the regeneration process will leave the PH leaching from the Purigen in the PH8.5 area.

It does have a very beneficial effect on the clarity of your tank water and makes the water noticeably clearer, for that alone its worth its weight in gold to some people. Personally I like it and have been using it on my 240L planted tank for some time now with good results.

Regards, Chris.

 

[mlgt]

May I ask how you use this? I got given 2 bottles of this when I bought a second hand tank. However the man said he has had them for a year or so.
I dont suppose that if you dont use it for some time it will not work as well as a brand new bottle? Reason I ask is that both bottles were opened.

 

[Stu Worrall]

May I ask how you use this? I got given 2 bottles of this when I bought a second hand tank. However the man said he has had them for a year or so.
I dont suppose that if you dont use it for some time it will not work as well as a brand new bottle? Reason I ask is that both bottles were opened.

should be fine after a recharge, instructions at the bottom of the page - http://www.seachem.com/support/forums/showthread.php?p=7450

 

[mlgt]

Thanks, however do you use mesh filter bags that can be bought from ebay? or branded? Does it make a difference?
Thansk for the instructions.

 

[Stu Worrall]

mine actually came in a sealed mesh bag. doubt it would make a difference other than the messh will need to be really tight as the purigen beads are tiny

 

[mlgt]

Thanks Stu. I have it in a bottle with the beads in it. I will get a fine mesh bag from ebay then and follow instructions.

 

[chris1004]

Be aware when buying your filter bag that many will not stand up to being soaked in bleach and will not have a fine enough mesh grade suitable for use with Purigen.

 

[JohnC]

i have used tights before, "double bagged".

from all i've read about this stuff i disagree with it doing anything more then advanced mechanical filtration. Its just removing fine organic waste which would in turn produces ammonia and nitrite if it was left kicking about in your tank or going past your normal filter media. The nitrogen cycle for this waste breaking down will then happen in the filter (where a lot of it happens anyway) rather then in your tank. Specifically says on the seachem page it has little effect on simple compounds.

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

Make sure you use the basic simple as feck bleach, not any scented kind. I tend to have two sets on the go at any time. One set in the filter, one set soaking in bleach for a while then soaking in dechlorinator for a while (at least 24 - 48 hours to make sure, sniff it to make sure). I often leave them soaking for a month before swapping them out again.