quack Posted December 27, 2006 Report Share Posted December 27, 2006 just wondering how many people use this stuff and how well they think it works? i have a few of them but hardly use them because i havent got around to regenerate them, but when i do and add them to my tanks they go CRYSTAL clear! also wondering what products people use to regenerate them? i was using prime but cost heaps to use that http://www.seachem.com/products/product ... rigen.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I would think it is a very good product for the pet shops as it looks like you also need three other products and a Cl2 test kit. It would be a real money spinner. I am sure my tanks will get by without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I use it. Mainly because we are in drought. So I do my water changes fortnightly rather than weekly. I think the product is great, it really poishes the water. You really do notice the difference. Brad first saw purigen used on a guys system, I think the story goes they looked longways{end to end}on an 8 foot tank & could read the writing on a poster on the wall. I soak mine in the most basic bleach I can find so that is cheap. I was lucky enough to get a heap of "SAFE" cheap, so I don't have many problems with that side of things either. I give the purigen a good smell test first, if I have any doubts, I just re soak in again with new water & more "SAFE" for another day. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 If it is stripping nitrate how will the tank cycle properly and how will your plants get the nitrate they require? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoban Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 From what I understand it doesn't take enough out to disturb the cycle though in your question you mentioned nitrates which is the end of the cycle so it wouldn't matter anyway as that is what water changes are meant to lower. I have chatted with a few people on dif forums and those that use it are quite happy with it's results and no ill efects to fish or cycle. Side note I haven't gone as far to try it myself yet but am planning to on my next Cannister clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoban Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewtopi ... ht=purigen Good thread with chat from the guys at seachem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguinleo Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I got some of the Purigen stuff from Jansens in Silverdale 2 days ago. It is a super product. Really works. I bought the 250ml one. It supposed to be around $60 but I got it for $20! They say that the purigen beads are very small, (which they are...) so you need a special filter bag for it. This true? It is called "The bag" and it is from Seacheam like Purigen. But this "bag" costs around $30... And so in total to use it your looking at around $90! To recharge Purigen I use Discus Buffer like it states on the Purigen pack. I bought the Discus Buffer by mistake and was about to sell it but luckily I didn't. Overall, I think Purigen is very costly to use but if you are looking for perfection, it is a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I bought the little ones already in a bag. I only use them on 2 of my smaller 4ft tanks.{the heavily stocked} Over time I have had a couple of bags split. So I emptied these outinto one bigger filter bag & thats in the 4x2x2, canister. That is my main concern with purigen & that i sthe quality of the bags they come in. I don't have to worry about plants, African man myself. Brad has purigen in the discus display tank in his lfs & the plants are going great guns. Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoban Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Might wanna check the current prices as a 250ml at my LFS is only 20CDN. Not sure what exchange rate is though so that may be the difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quack Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 well thats good to read Zoban thanks. im about to setup a new planted tank and was wondering if it would be ok for the plants. before this i have only been using it on cichild tanks so theres been no plants. usualy when i add it to a tank i think to myself "the tanks clear already anyway" then i put it in and WOW. yeah i have just got some cheap dechlorinater too with the same concentration as prime, so im regenerating mine as we speak carnt wait :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 How often does it need regenerating? If I put some in my filters they could be there for months before I clean the filter ........ :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quack Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 i think that it claims 6months on the box, but ime only 1 month it depends on stocking levels, how much food goes into the tanks and the water conditions when its first put in. in some of my tanks i have an extra HOB filters with a bit of filter wool and the purigen just to make it a bit easyer to check it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herefishiefishie Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 Also things like leaching wood will affect its life span too. In one tank I have the purigen bag in an old breeder trap net, suspending in front of an internal filter. :roll: Frenchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 I would think it is a very good product for the pet shops as it looks like you also need three other products and a Cl2 test kit. It would be a real money spinner. I am sure my tanks will get by without it. Well, I can say for sure it's not a rip-off. I purchased 500g of Purigen 10 years ago on a trip to Australia. It wasn't available then in New Zealand. A year later I imported another 250g as I was so impressed by it. If it is currently $60 + $30 for "The Bag", it is still a bargain. The alternative is Activated Carbon. Purigen, total cost = $90 (can be regenerated). Activated Carbon, cost $10 (for an equivalent amount - cannot be regenerated) Cost to regenerate Purigen. Budget Bleach = $2.00, half a bottle required = $1.00. Sodium Thiosulphate, 20g (25kg = $75.00 so $74/25000*20) = $0.06 Replacing Activated Carbon every month = $120 / year Regenerating Purigen every month = $12.72 / year So with the initial purchase price of $90 + $12.76 it's still cheaper to use Purigen. After that you save over $100 a year. I find Purigen works better than Activated Carbon as well. The water gets very polished very quickly. If it is stripping nitrate how will the tank cycle properly and how will your plants get the nitrate they require? Nitrate is the end-product of the biological cycle so Purigen does not harm it. Plants need very little Nitrate and prefer Ammonium as it's a much simpler nitrogen compound. Algae like Nitrate however so it's best if it's kept to a fairly low lever (5-10ppm). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 this stuff sounds pretty good but i have a couple of questions $60 buys what size bag? and how much water can it treat? and to regenerate, you need bleach and discus buffer or Sodium Thiosulphate (what is Sodium Thiosulphate?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quack Posted December 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 you dont need a bufffer, well thats what i was told and havnt use one at all with no probolems. i think the small bag (100ml) costed me $34 and it was in a bag. it claims on the box that its for 400l and for 6 months. but on my 200l tanks it only lasts me maybe 1 month. my water probley wasnt the greatest when i added it, and probley over feed too :roll: and usely has driftwood in there, but i still think at the price of the product it is still very good i remember adding it to my tanks and then going out for a couple of hours and coming back to crystal tanks! i see on the seachem site there is another product called HyperSorb has any one had any experiecne with this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted December 28, 2006 Report Share Posted December 28, 2006 oh no its going to cost me a arm and leg to my 1000L tank i will put it on my shopping list for when i go back to hong kong in a couple of weeks time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 just wondering how much can "The Bag" hold? can one "The Bag" hold 500ml of this stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DubbieBoy Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 You don't really need 'The BAG' at all; nylons (pantyhose) hold in purigen nicely. Just cut the end off one leg, add purigen and tie a knot in it, works a treat (bit hard on the nylons tho' ) Best to ask 'er first and use an old pair. ask me how I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evil_elmo Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 sweet thanks DubbieBoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 30, 2006 Report Share Posted December 30, 2006 Yeah, nylons work fine but beware of them falling apart when the Purigen is regenerated. Chlorine very quickly destroys the nylons and you may find you need to replace them every few regens. Also, as Purigen ages the size of the sphere slowly gets smaller. You may find some of the Purigen will eventually fit through the nylons. "The Bag" is made from something similar to nylon and it eventually gives up as well but you should get about 2 years out of one before it becomes too brittle and eventually bursts. "The Bag" is also much finer than nylons. I always give "The Bag' a good stress-test after each regen before putting it back into the filter. I'd rather it break open on the kitchen bench than inside the filter... I've used up at least 5 of "The Bag" over the last 10 years but I'm still using the original Purigen. It doesn't work as well as it used to but it still works well enough so I don't need to replace it yet. I once emailed Seachem to ask how long it lasts. The reply was "You'll know when it's no good anymore". Well, I've been waiting a long time and still don't know as it's still going strong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curviceps Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 Hi Warren I got hold of some Sodium Thiosulphate (inspired by your earlier post about using this during the purigen regeneration process). I am using 200ml of purigen. Based on your experience, roughly how much Sodium Thiosulphate (eg how many teaspoons) of Sodium Thiosulphate should I use (I don't have a scale that measures small amounts in grams). Cheers Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 24, 2007 Report Share Posted January 24, 2007 I'd try about 1/4 of a teaspoon in enough water to cover the Purigen for 4-6 hours then rinse thoroughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguinleo Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Like Warren said, you can use nylon, but some people had a real hard time with it. Nylon almost always falls apart while being regenerated. You will lose all of the purigen inside as well. Personally, I would just get "The Bag" as it is much more stronger. Like it states, durable non stitched seams, resealable locking closure, 180 micron mesh, and resistant to bleach, caustics and acids, which are all used in the regenerating process. Very costly I know for a small plastic bag..but I would rather reduce the chances of the nylon splitting in the filter or some other terrible situation. And besides it lasts for years, and it may even be cheaper in the long run than getting many panty hoses! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimNZ Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 To clean, the inst said to soak the Purigen in bleach for a day. Did you leave it for that long? If so, do you have another pack of Purigen inside the filter while this 1st pack being clean? Just wonder if we need to get extra. Also, where can I find sodium thiosulphate in NZ? TIA, Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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