When is Purigen done?

[Barliman]

Hi all,

So, I have a bag of Purigen in one of the filters on my 20-long tank. It's been in for a couple of months and, while doing maintenance on the filter last weekend, I noticed the Purigen had darkened to a milk chocolate or coffee with cream color.

How dark does it have to get before I should replace/recharge it?

 

[Caliban07]

Hi all,



So, I have a bag of Purigen in one of the filters on my 20-long tank. It's been in for a couple of months and, while doing maintenance on the filter last weekend, I noticed the Purigen had darkened to a milk chocolate or coffee with cream color.



How dark does it have to get before I should replace/recharge it?

I think it lasts much longer. It says roughly when it should be changed but as with everything in this hobby it's going to depend on the tank. It can be recharge too a few times then it's done.


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[Fresh2o]

I placed a bag of Purigen in each of my tanks (low tech shrimp tank, high tech planted tank). After a few months, the one in the shrimp tank turn beige to slightly brown. The one in the planted tank turned brown to dark brown. The TDS is much higher in the latter tank.
I removed both bags and recharged them in bleach. This was followed by thorough rinsing and soaking several days in water + Prime. Though they got lighter, they both emitted a dead fish smell. I repeated the bleaching a few more times. The smell did not improve. I eventually placed the bags outside because of the smell and to allow them to dry out completely. Even after drying out, the odor persisted. I read up on it and it is supposedly coming from phenols that were adsorbed. I did not want to take any chances so I through them out.
Would I use Purigen again? Sure. I hope that I get better results recharging them.


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[Caliban07]

I placed a bag of Purigen in each of my tanks (low tech shrimp tank, high tech planted tank). After a few months, the one in the shrimp tank turn beige to slightly brown. The one in the planted tank turned brown to dark brown. The TDS is much higher in the latter tank.
I removed both bags and recharged them in bleach. This was followed by thorough rinsing and soaking several days in water + Prime. Though they got lighter, they both emitted a dead fish smell. I repeated the bleaching a few more times. The smell did not improve. I eventually placed the bags outside because of the smell and to allow them to dry out completely. Even after drying out, the odor persisted. I read up on it and it is supposedly coming from phenols that were adsorbed. I did not want to take any chances so I through them out.
Would I use Purigen again? Sure. I hope that I get better results recharging them.


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I've never had clearer water than when using purigen. It was hard to obtain here in the UK and was costly. Prime would have to be ordered on also for the recharge which is also costly. The recharge seems like too much hassle but then I'm lazier than most and act like its the end of the world when faced with inconvenience. That's why I stopped using it but if it was cheaper and I could get all the bits I needed for recharge at my LFS it would be in my tank 24/7.


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[Barliman]

Would I use Purigen again? Sure. I hope that I get better results recharging them.

Huh. I never heard that about the smell before. This is the pre-bagged Purigen and is used on a 20g. I think I'll just buy another when it wears out.

 

[Barliman]

I've never had clearer water than when using purigen.

Me, too. It's stunning.

 

[scarthell]

The smell is normal. And it doesn't make your tank smell, it's just a product of the absorbed material. I have 4 tanks, each with copious amounts of purigen. After a few months when it's brown, I recharge it using the bleach:water mixture on the instructions. And voila! It works like new again. After 2 years of using the stuff, I have thrown out 2 bags. That said, it does lose effectiveness over time. So the time between regeneration gets shorter with each cleaning. I keep small fish with low bio loads, so it will be different if you've a heavy bioload.

The minimal cost of bleach vs the cost of buying more purigen is a no-brainer for me.

The key is to have two bags in your filter, that way when you are recharging one, there is still a bag in the filter; then recharge the other. Repeat. Be happy with clean tanks and healthy fish.

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