Filtration material

Get some Purigen in your filter Wito - it'll help keep that water very clean

 

Thanks Vee will def do that.

 

Wito-zn, sorry about the late reply...

Please give us the specs of those filters - needed to advise you correctly...

Sounds like you've got some small filters in there with fish that create a heavy bioload and your problem is made worse by the fact that you've got such a small tank for them. Using purigen alone to fix the filtration is not a good solution.

How big are the oscars? What do you feed and how often?

While I wait for your filter specs, the first bit of advise I can give you is that you need to do atleast once a week water changes of 25% - preferably twice a week. Now when you do the water change, dont just drain out the water. You need to vacuum the gravel throughly to get all detritus out.

 

Sorry now i'm hijacking the tread. Do you guys think it would be ok to add purigen to my wet/dry trickle filter which has Eheim substrate pro in it, if i can how much must i use. I have a 3ft corner tank with about 285l including decor?

 

I added about 2 tablespoons worth to my Discus tank of about 400l with the sump included. The tea brown water has changed to crystal clear in the space of a couple of days.

 

Yeah, Purigen is an amazing product!

 

I have that wet/dry trickle filter with 2 individual compartments. Do think maybe a table spoon in each compartment or 2 table spoons in each compartment?

 

On the topic of filter media, I leave the ceramic rings in place and pretty much never move them.

The filter wool I completely replace once a month, or if it's not all that dirty I just rinse it once a month. As someone said it's mechanical, and shouldn't make much difference at all.


As for Wito's question, I'm also waiting to find out exactly what the two canister filters are, but I wouldn't even bother with the other little filter if I had one canister filter never mind two.

Bleach? For a fish product?

 

Just do it in a single compartment.

Ps Make sure its housed in something like a filter sock :bigsmile:. Could be a real bitch to remove if just added like that.

I replace filter wool at least once a week. If its brown/black, throw it away. Pretty sure its a Nitrate farm when it gets that bad. I also have well stocked/over stocked tanks though

 

Ok I'll put it in one compartment only! I also have over stocked tanks so i'm hoping the purigen will assist with water quality even though i do water changes once a week and change my filter wool completely once a week and given them a refresher water change during the week.

 

So is this Purigen stuff much the same as the Ammonia remover that you get for the Fluval products?

 

You need to make sure the purigen is constantly in submerged in water...

Also use as much as is recommended for your tank volume.

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

Purigen
Product Description
Purigen® is a premium synthetic adsorbent that is unlike any other filtration product. It is not a mixture of ion exchangers or adsorbents, but a unique macro-porous synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all others by over 500%. Purigen® controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates by removing nitrogenous organic waste that would otherwise release these harmful compounds. Purigen’s™ impact on trace elements is minimal. It significantly raises redox. It polishes water to unparalleled clarity. Purigen® darkens progressively as it exhausts, and is easily renewed by treating with bleach. Purigen® is designed for both marine and freshwater use.

Sizes: 100 mL 250 mL, 500 mL, 1 L, 2 L, 4 L, 20 L
Why It's Different
Selectivity: Purigen® is the highest capacity organic filtration resin on the market. No other products can compare to its ability to clear haziness and polish water to unparalleled clarity. Unlike other products on the market which are simple ion-exchange resins, Purigen® is specifically designed to be an organic scavenging resin. When ion-exchange resins are filled to capacity by metals and other contaminants, Purigen® has barely begun to reach its potential. 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.

Capacity: Purigen’s™ possesses enhanced capacity owing to its vast surface area. All other resins on the market are purely spherical extruded beads. These beads remain smooth even under a microscope. Purigen® is both spherical and macroreticular. It has microscopic pores that increase its usable surface area to many times that of a purely spherical resin.

Regeneration: Purigen® can also be regenerated. As it adsorbs waste products, Purigen® will change color from a pale blonde to a dark brown, almost black. Once it is exhausted, it can be regenerated with a solution of bleach and water. The bleach will literally “burn off†the organics that have been removed from the tank. Watch out for products that claim to be regenerable with a brine solution. That is the regeneration procedure for ion-exchange purposes. A brine solution will not remove organics. While such resins have a limited capacity for organic adsorption, a brine regeneration process only replaces removed ionic compounds. It does not destroy large organic molecules that were removed, which is the primary function of organic adsorption resins.
Directions
Rinse before use. Use in a fine mesh filter bag. Each 1 L treats up to 4,000 L (1,000 gallons*) for up to six months. Exhaustion is indicated by a pronounced discoloration of the beads to dark brown or black.
Regeneration: Soak in a 1:1 bleach:water solution for 24 hours in a non-metalic container in a well ventilated area and away from children. Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of ChlorGuard™, Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. For freshwater use, soak for 4 hours with a solution containing 1 tablespoon of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer™, Neutral Regulator™, or Acid Buffer™). Original color and full activity should now be restored and Purigen® is ready for reuse. Caution: some slime coat products may permanently foul Purigen® and render regeneration difficult. Do not reuse if odor of chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit.

 

So what do you guys think maybe 50ml-100ml for my tank?

 

As far as I was aware you can't really 'overdose' on Purigen.

 

Alot of people have been told that it starves your biofilter i'm still skeptical about putting to much in the filter for long periods of time.

 

I'm sure if that were the case it would make mention of the fact on the Purigen packaging. No mention is made to the effect of removing the Purigen after a few days or anything like that. Only how to regenerate it. So I'm sure the concerns are not necessary. We keep our Purigen in permanently and have had no problems doing so. :bigsmile:

 

Thanks Veegal, that's brilliant news! Over the weekend i'll go through and buy some.

 

You won't be sorry When the posts were made here about having to take the Purigen out I researched everywhere I could and scrutinised the packaging just to be sure so I'm pretty sure that it's okay to leave it in! Let me know how it goes

 

Will do! Thanks a million!