purigen in planted tank?

[ashleynicole]

I was going to get more ceramic rings for my cansiter filter. Its a fluval 306, but was considering purigen. I don't use activated carbon unless I need to remove medications... so I am not sure about purigen. What exactly does it absorb? It says It removes "soluble and insoluble" particles but what exactly does it remove and how does this impact the bio filter? Do beneficial bacteria grow on the purigen and help process the waste it absorbs? I need my biofilter to produce nitrates for my plants. As it is I am always low on nitrates and in the past even added a little because I had a ton of wisteria. I've cut back on the amount of wisteria that I allow in my tanks but still always run low on nitrates. So I'm not sure if this would be harmful or beneficial? Would it remove fertilizers and excel that I add?

I do use conditioned tapwater (with prime) so I am interested in the possibility that it could remove some inorganic things that I may not want in my tank *not sure exactly what it may remove but I am just interested in learning more about it. The description for purigen isn't really helpful at all...

So please enlighten me!

 

[Mebbid]

First and foremost purigen is a water clarifier. It won't remove anything that your plants need such as ferts or excel. It does claim to absorb some nitrogenous compounds before they can be converted into ammonia but I can't comment on how well it does this.

It is very good at removing tannins which is something a lot of people have issues with and it's amazing at how clear it can make your water.

It isn't necessary but I love running it in my tanks so I would say go ahead and use some

 

[ashleynicole]

I don't worry about tannins... they are usually beneficial. My wood is old enough now it doesn't leech anymore anyway. And I don't care about clear water so much as healthy water if that makes sense. So would it make my water healthier without pulling anything beneficial from my plants? Or is it purely for aesthetics?

 

[Rivercats]

Purgen will help remove dissolved organics from the water so yes it is beneficial and not just for clarifying the water.

 

[ashleynicole]

Purgen will help remove dissolved organics from the water so yes it is beneficial and not just for clarifying the water.

I guess I should say which dissolved organics can't be taken up by the plants?

 

[Rivercats]

Here's a good read that explains it in much more detail than I could on a post... AquaScaping World Magazine - Dissolved Organic Compounds Explained.

 

[ashleynicole]

Here's a good read that explains it in much more detail than I could on a post... AquaScaping World Magazine - Dissolved Organic Compounds Explained.

I was actually just reading that article and I edited my response. I guess anything in the water column is a dissolved organic compound, and the article says plants help remove some of these and water changes, cleaning, etc. So what exactly could not be used by by the plants?


If I dose nitrogen will it remove the nitrogen? If it reduces nitrates are my plants still getting what they need?

 

[Rivercats]

Plants can use ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and a ton of micro nutrients. Plus plants can only use so much of these nutrients depending on the type and amount of plants you have, how high your lighting is, whether you use CO2 or liquid carbon. Most tanks have excess dissolved organics and Purgen will help to keep these levels low along with other good tank maintenance practices.

 

[Billbug68]

A lot of us here are using purigen with our planted tanks. It does remove organic compounds, making water crystal clear and healthier for your fish. It won't remove any added fertilizers, because as I far as I understand, what we use is inorganic. Really, there's no reason not to use it, IMO. I've been using it for about a year now, and I'll never run a planted tank without the stuff again.

 

[ashleynicole]

Plants can use ammonia, nitrates, phosphates, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and a ton of micro nutrients. Plus plants can only use so much of these nutrients depending on the type and amount of plants you have, how high your lighting is, whether you use CO2 or liquid carbon. Most tanks have excess dissolved organics and Purgen will help to keep these levels low along with other good tank maintenance practices.

I never seem to have enough nitrate so I don't know if the plants are using it up in the ammonia form before it converts or if they are consuming all the nitrates produced. I dose flourish comprehensive and excel.

 

[Rivercats]

Depending on the amount and type of plants you have plus the bioload of your tank, then depending on the lighting you use and the fact you use a liquid carbon and a fert that is mostly micro nutrients with little nitrate in it you can easily not have a nitrate reading. But not all dissolved organics cause nitrates. Purgen removes various types of dissolved organics but if you have low nitrates and do a 50% WC weekly you probably don't "need" to use it. But it won't hurt if you do and will give you the added benefit of crystal clear water. Plus remember it can last up to 6 months and is rechargeable so you just have to decide if it's for you or not.

 

[ashleynicole]

Depending on the amount and type of plants you have plus the bioload of your tank, then depending on the lighting you use and the fact you use a liquid carbon and a fert that is mostly micro nutrients with little nitrate in it you can easily not have a nitrate reading. But not all dissolved organics cause nitrates. Purgen removes various types of dissolved organics but if you have low nitrates and do a 50% WC weekly you probably don't "need" to use it. But it won't hurt if you do and will give you the added benefit of crystal clear water. Plus remember it can last up to 6 months and is rechargeable so you just have to decide if it's for you or not.

My plants start suffering if I slack on the water changes. They start getting holes in the leaves but no yellow or brown spots. New growth will be scraggly and small and fragile. I have anubias, lots of green and red crypts, an ozlet sword, some dwarf saggitaria, a few sprigs of bacopa monnieri recently stemmed from smaller tanks, two small pieces of wisteria I just reintroduced. (Did just have the wisteria in my kids 10 gallon tanks previously). And a small clump of java fern. Lights are a marinland double bright LED, and a coralife T5 fixture.

These plants have not done nearly as well since I upgraded from the 29 gallon to 60 gallon tank. I'm always removing scraggly new leaves and get intermittent healthy growth with poor growth. Root tabs help. In the 29 gallon I had the LEDs and a single 15watt T8 bulb.

Fish are 1 Angel, 5 rainbows (2 boesemani and 3 turquoise), 3 false julli cories, I lost count of how many black khuli loaches... maybe 4-6. A rainbow shark, 2 bristlenose plecos, 4 or so otos, 1 rubberlip pleco, sand substrates with Malaysian trumpet snails, and recently 3 small clown loaches (yes I have somewhere for them to go when they outgrow the tank).

 

[Rivercats]

If you used a full macro and micro dosing regime your plants would do better. Also using either CO2 or liquid carbon will help increase photosynthesis and growth. Small pin holes in plant leaves are potassium deficiency which is a macro nutrient.

 

[ashleynicole]

If you used a full macro and micro dosing regime your plants would do better. Also using either CO2 or liquid carbon will help increase photosynthesis and growth. Small pin holes in plant leaves are potassium deficiency which is a macro nutrient.

I thought the comprehensive had everything? That's why its comprehensive? I dose liquid carbon, excel, because I don't want to mess with CO2. I have minimal algae.


I guess ill order some potassium

 

[Rivercats]

Flourish comprehensive is mostly micro nutrients with a small bit of macro nutrients. Macro nutrients are nitrates, phosphates, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. If you read the bottle there are very low amounts in it. Most all liquid ferts are micro nutrients.

Liquid carbon is for plant growth and photosynthesis with the added benefit of keeping algae down. Plus remember the faster plants grow the more nutrients they use and need.

 

[ashleynicole]

I think calcium may be an issue as well becuase I have so many malaysian trumpet snails. I remove them by the handful and I don't overfeed but obviously when I feed my bottom feeders the snails get food too.

So what is a good comprehensive macro fertilizer? I need something simple and easy.

 

[ashleynicole]

Holes in crypts...

 

[Rivercats]

Your crypts, swords, and bulb plants need root tabs. Most of the time you need to add new tabs about every 3 months. I add root tabs every 45 days as most of my plants are quite large.

There is no one liquid fert that will give you all the macro ferts you need. Seachem makes a line that you can buy individually. Seachem Nitrogen, Seachem Potassium, and Seachem Phosphate. IMO this can cost a lot of money to use in the long run. Dry ferts that you mix with RO or distilled water not only gives you all the proper macro and micro ferts you need but is very cost effective in the long run.

 

[GodFan]

I rarely ever do water changes and have no problems with my anubias. My jave fern doesnt grow well but I dont know why.

 

[candymancan]

Why not try getting some root tabs, or API leaf zone ? I use Seachem Flourish, API Co2 booster, and API leafzone... I don't use root tabs in my 27g and 30G because they have undergravel filters which I didn't want to take out... I would have had to destroy the entire tank prior to get them out so I left them in... The UGF dissolves the root tabs in my water making it cloudy for a few hours... They work fine in my 55g though which has no UGF..

But yea anyway I use API leafezone.. it has lots of potassium and some Iron in it.. Seems to work great the mix of ferts and co2 im using.. All my plants are bright green and healthy and no holes in them.. My color plants even seem to be doing good too. Basically I do daily doses of CO2 in the morning on my 27 and 30g 3ML on the cap per intructions.. and the flourish I use half a cap full which is for 30g twice a week.. And the leafzone I use 1 1/2 cap full once a week.

I don't like Java fern... I have some in my 55g... for one its pretty ugly now that I have better looking plants.. and 2 it doesn't seem to grow at all and it looks all sickly and stuff... its weird because my other plants like red neseae and my red tiger lotus and other "harder" to grow plants are doing way better