Can a purigen stop working

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Kelly5978

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 18, 2013
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508
Location
Indiana
I had to take my purigen out of my 55g tank to medicate a month ago. I recharged it (bleach/water), soaked in prime water, and added back to tank 2 weeks ago. The purigen kept my nitrates really low when I first got it. Now, my nitrates are hitting 20 by the time I do a water change every week, and I noticed the purigen is not soaking up the tannins from the driftwood anymore. I put the driftwood in the tank to soften the water, so that's fine. But, I don't use carbon (only purigen), and I'm worried its no longer working. Is there any way to know if it is still working properly?
 
Purigen won't do much to help out with nitrates. I would assume it's possible that it stopped working but I would check how the flow is going through the bag before assuming the purigen no longer works. It's likely that a lot of the water is bypassing the bag.
 
Also note in the Purigen pamphlet it states that some dechlorinators with the slime coat enhancer can foul up the purigen when used as the dechlorinator and make it less effective. They recommend using Prime. I've also used API Tap Water Conditioner also with good results as it is dechlorinator only. OS.
 
You should make sure flow is not bypassing it as stated and since you had it out for a month the tannins had plenty of time to build up so give the purigen a chance to catch it all. May take a few days or so.
 
Okay. Thx. It's been back in the tank for over 2 weeks now, and it was only out for 10 days. I put it in a zip lock baggy with tank water (for 9 days, then re-charged on the 10th before putting it back). It's probably not catching all the water as mebbid suggested. I shall investigate as soon as I get home!
 
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