Switched to Purigen

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ShawnMMcKenna

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Messages
89
Location
Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
Well, I have officially switched to purigen from carbon. With my oscar contracting HITH and research I have read about carbon possibly contributing to HITH with Oscars, I figured it was time to switch. I am using 250 ML in my fluval 305. Should be plenty, since 250ML is supposed to be good for 250 gallons. Wonder how long it will last before I have to re-charge....
 
Why are you running anything beyond mechanical and biological filtration? Purigen really isn't needed in a fully cycled tank and can adversely impact the cycle and plant growth. Carbon is best used sparingly and only to remove meds or suspected toxins. All JMO.
 
i can't say much about what HN1 said cause i dont know much about planted tanks, but purigen is supposed to last about 6 months before a recharge is needed
 
I have been running Purigen for a year or so now, it is impressive. I have had to regenerate it once, but it is getting near the end of its life cycle again. I havent heard of anything about purigen in planted tanks, can anyone chime in on this? Thanks
 
I do not have a planted tank. My tank is fully cycled, it has been up and running for over a year. I run chemical filtration due to the bio-load that south american cichlids produce. Purigen appears to do everything carbon does, but better, according to my research. It doesnt strip out the trace elements, which some research suggests could help lead to HITH disease. I have never run a tank without any chemical filtration, I know some people prefer to run tanks purely on mechanical and biological, but I will stick with the chemical filtration as well. I am planning to switch my other 4 tanks over to purigen as well, especially since I can get purigen from the Gulfarium for $12 per 250ml. All in all, it is cheaper than carbon, with all of the benefits, plus some.
 
Why are you running anything beyond mechanical and biological filtration? Purigen really isn't needed in a fully cycled tank and can adversely impact the cycle and plant growth. Carbon is best used sparingly and only to remove meds or suspected toxins. All JMO.

Purigen was specifically suggested to me for chemical filtration use by several users on The Planted Tank - Articles, Forums, Pictures, Links, so I don't know where you got your information. It was suggested to me for use in place of carbon, since it has minimal impact on nutrients that plants require for good growth. In my 55, I use 500 mL and it lasts about 6-8 months before I have to recharge it, but it's all dependent on your bio-load and your cleaning/PWC regimen.

I have used it in my planted tank for a year and a half and my plants do awesome, at least when I use my ferts. I've let it go because I'm trying to sell the setup and go SW but here's what it looked like at the peak of growth:

img_1186993_0_e41fc86b97bda7decc254a51241dd2e0.jpg


I sold most of my plants and they grew back faster than I could sell them. This shot was taken about 2 months after I pretty much cleaned out the tank and just let it grow willy-nilly. I was adding 1 cap of Flourish Comp 2x/wk, Excel 1 cap every 1-2 days, K 2x/wk, Fe 1x/wk.
 
Floyd- My information came from in person discussions with a Seachem rep and the information available from them. I'm not saying to not use Purigen, but let's be clear on one thing. Any supposed benefits over carbon relative to LLD/HITH is pure speculation. In our setups (40 or so planted now), we run no carbon or purigen. If you are dosing ferts and running purigen, there's a bit of contradiction to me.

From Seachem's site- "Purigen® generally ignores simple elemental compounds, having an extreme affinity for nitrogenous organics. The primary source of nitrogenous compounds in an aquarium is waste. Fish, corals, even plants produce nitrogenous waste. Purigen® removes that waste faster and more completely than anything else on the market."

Adding nitrogenous compounds to fertilize plants while running purigen seems a bit "round and round" to me. Not to mention that theoretically at least, you can starve your biofilter by removing too much. JMO

In a fish only tank, I don't see a reason (beyond my own cheapness) to not run it. My point, if I have one, is that chemical media IS NOT a requirement for a healthy tank. Say what you will, I have proof in the form of many tanks with all variety of stocking from SA to Rift lake to Reef.
 
Oh yeah, I'm not saying there is any benefit for treating or improving HLLE/HITH etc, I was just looking at it from a planted tank perspective.

Sorry about the thread hijack, I just noticed the post about it not being a planted tank.

HN1 thanks for the info. I see your point on N waste removal, etc. Interesting to note that the Seachem rep told you that. I don't seem to have any problems, but my tank was totally overstocked, so I had no shortage of N compounds. Thread hijack over. Sorry again.

Nice prices on the Purigen. I might have to look into that when I need more. Who knows when that will be though, I got a 500mL jar a year ago that I haven't cracked.
 
I was not implying that purigen is being used to treat HITH/LLE, I was stating that research has shown that carbon can contribute to the condition by stripping trace elements from the water. Purigen is much less harsh on trace elements, therefore I am using it so it does not contribute to HITH. I am treating the fish with API gen cure in a hospital tank.
 
Speaking of Purigen...

I want to add this to my filtration -- probably in place of the carbon pack in my AquaClear 110 similar to what the OP wanted to do -- but I really want to run it in order to polish the water to sparkling clarity...

Will it do this?
 
Osage,

My water is crystal clear, though it was before adding the purigen. So far so good for me. Everything I have read about the stuff sounds great. It should polish the water in your tank.
 
Osage,

My water is crystal clear, though it was before adding the purigen. So far so good for me. Everything I have read about the stuff sounds great. It should polish the water in your tank.

Thanks for the response, Shawn.

Indeed, if your water was already clear before adding the Purigen, then there's no way to know if it was Seachem's product that brought it to sparkling clarity -- on the other hand, you're saying it should polish the water in my tank, so I'm even more tempted to give it a try...

Would you recommend placing it where the carbon would normally go (the filter will be an AquaClear 110)?
 
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