Filtration material

Don't bother with bags for the Purigen I just used a new cheap stocking cut it to size and it works like a bomb.

 

Absolutely have to agree here And one stocking will do quite a few tanks - just make sure you don't compact the Purigen too much.

 

Buying a stocking for R10 and buying a bag for R18 doesn't make much difference to me, and the fact that the bags are bleach-resistant and reusable, makes them the better choice

 

Ah but with a R10 stocking you can do at least 4-6 tanks....therefore saving is up to R134

 

Aah, the MTS is strong with this one!

So I have another question to pose to you all on this thread...
If Purigen absorbs Ammonia and Nitrites and Nitrates, won't it starve the bacteria in the sponge of the filter? And if so, how close can you put it to the sponge, and in which order should the water flow through your filtration system?

 

Purigen doesn't absorb Ammonia,nitrite & nitrates what it does is abosorb excess fine organic matter in the water reducing the amount of ammonia, nitrite & nitrates the the bacteria produce when they breakdown the fine organic waste. There is no proof that purigen starves the bacteria.

I put my purigen at the end of the water flow after all the mechanical filtration has taken place so my bacteria can at least eat before the purigen gets to work.

 

I think this has been discussed in another thread, but to summarize:
From Seachem:
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. This product is sold by volume. Cited weight is minimal weight."

In other words, Purigen removes nitrogenous organic waste, which i the exact stuff the bacteria are meant to break down as their food supply. So it WILL starve your bacteria if you have a lot of it and leave it in permanently. I don't know how fast it acts and there is not much documentation, but from what I've seen it can clear the water up in a day.

The idea is to leave it in your filter for a few days and then remove it. I think that permanent usage will severely deplete your bacterial colony, if not totally destroy it, as the food source dries up.

Regards
Lauré

 

Take a look at the link below taken off the Seachem forum site...

http://www.seachem.net/support/forums/showthread.php?t=2783

 

Thanks Laure!

Veegal leaves the purigen in her fliters and i leave mine in and it's done no harm at all.

 

I know PLENTY of people who leave their Purigen in their filters with no adverse effects at all.

 

Hmm, that's what I thought might happen. But I'm willing to take the risk, because I use two filters in each of my tanks, that way I have a backup in the case of one of them dying for whatever reason. So I'll try out the Purigen in one filter and see what sort of results I get

 

This is irrelevant. Purigen affects the water column, so the bacterial colony in both filters will be compromised, if indeed it does act faster than your bacteria. And I add this last part because there is no proof as to how quickly it depletes the water column of disolved organic waste.

How does it work?

"The pores in both materials provide bigger surface and nothing else.

The effectiveness of both does not depend on mechanical trapping of particles.

Physico-chemical forces (tiny electric charges) trap the particles. This can be roughly explained by using two magnets - the "+" charged side of one of the magnets attracts the "-" charged side of the other. But two "+" sides push each other away.
Iron for example is charged "+" (Fe2+ or even Fe3+) and if the Purigen beads are charged "+" iron will not be attracted.

The resin (Purigen) is engineered and made in such a way that the physico-chemical forces attract and "keep" only particles with certain electric charges. Resins can be "recharged" because of that - by mixing the resin with some chemical that pulls stronger the same particles that the resin absorbs. "

Furthermore, "Purigen's structure is such that it's greatest affinity is for nitrogen containing organic material. It also has a very small affinity for inorganic nitrogen (like nitrate) but this is dwarfed by the former."

Quote from Seachem: "It is not mechanical filtration. As far as chemical filtration is concerned it is not meant that chemicals pull out material but that there is more than a physical removal of material. Purigen is part of the chemical filtration genera. It does not work as an ion exchange resin would typically work. The portion describing the macro-porous nature tell you there is significant internal surface area for more adsorption. It helps control ammonia/nitrite/nitrate by adsorbing nitrogenous waste. The bleach regeneration works b/c it oxidizes the organics adsorbed allowing for regeneration or essentially the bleach reacts with the organics so they let go of Purigen."

@veegal - interesting thread there, but no evidence, right? Don't get me wrong, I am not against it, as I use it myself. I just think the intention is to use it when needed, much like you would with carbon, or any chemical filtration, for that matter.

Also from Seachem Tech Support, on the topic of regeneration:

"On regeneration, you use bleach to oxidize the organics from the resin. If you use a conditioner with an amine based polymer then that polymer will bind to the resin. Then when you soak the resin in bleach the bleach will potentially combine with the amine in the polymer to form chloramine which has the possibility to then be released into the tank when the Purigen is put back into service. If you use a non-amine based conditioner such as Prime this will not be of issue. Best suggestion, use a non-amine based conditioner such as Prime. Now, the problem of using an amine based polymer conditioner with Purigen only comes into play when considering regeneration. Otherwise, it is not of issue to its function other than clogging the pores that could otherwise pull oganics from the system. If you use an amine based polymer conditioner in the aquarium and want to regenerate Purigen at a later date then let the Purigen run for a while in the system to allow to polymer to degrade from the resin (perhaps a week or two but this will vary depending on the polymer). Using a product like Prime will also negate any chloramine formed during regeneration. One could just use Prime in the first place to avoid any question or doubt."

I think this was in reposnse to whether one could use any dechlorinator after the bleach treatment. I also still want to know if any of you guys dump the Purigen in a buffer solution afterwards, as recommended by Seachem. Why would you do this?

Regards
Lauré

 

R150-00 at pet masters in Boxburg for 100ml :bigsmile:

 

I also still want to know if any of you guys dump the Purigen in a buffer solution afterwards, as recommended by Seachem. Why would you do this?

Regards
Lauré[/quote]



Good question!

 

I'm also interested in the regeneration. Of the people that have done it, do you do it with Prime specifically, or have you tried something like Sera Aquatan? I ask because I've got a big bottle of Aquatan that I use to treat my water...

 

http://www.aquariumsupplies.co.za/purigen-100ml-seachem-p-2862.html

 

i asked the guy at AK today, he said you can also soak it in Seachem's SAFE.

I haven't regen'd yet. need to buy orig. Jik, and i currently have a bottle of daro aquachlor, dunno if i can use that?

 

The best filtration material by far with regards to availability and cost goes to Floss and the like.

 

i dont have bio-rings, so i packed my cascade full of a blue-nylon type floss, and the actual cascade sponge thing, ant run a small aquaclear with twoo aquaclear sponges and purigen