LYNDYLOO Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Im looking at using Seachem Purigen in my Discus Tank, I'm not having much luck fixing this hazy Tank of mine :roll: Purigen has been recommended to me by a couple of people on here, so now I have a few questions I would like answers to if at all possible. Has anyone used Seachem Purigen before and recharged it?? It seems that when Purigen has used up it's ability to absorb, it turns dark brown to black, it can be recharged by soaking it in a solution of Bleach, then it needs to be recharged with a Neutral Regulator or Discus Buffer. I'm looking at getting some of this from Hollywood Fish Farm as nobody down this way sells it, it seems HFF sell Purigen but not what you need to recharge it with once it's past its use ability. Has anyone used Purigen?? Advice on this product would be really appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 ask someone who has marines or similar and RO units. they should be able to help too. i also want to know the answers so am watching closely :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Cant work out why HFF would sell this stuff, but not what you need to recharge it :-? My cousin has a Marine Tank so might ask him, he is also mates with one of the girls from one of the Petshops down in Welly, so she maybe able to get it in for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I'll find out and let you know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Thanks Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted June 21, 2009 Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 I used it. It was great. It is recommended to recharge in Ammonia for 24 hours, and not bleach. As I understand it: Ammonia is ammonium and hydroxide. Bleach is ammonia and chlorine. (clearly not a chemistry major) If you use regular bleach the chlorine needs to be soaked out in dechlor. for a further 8 hours+. But otherwise a fantastic product for doing what it is sold to do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2009 Now I'm confused :-? This is the Write up from Seachem for Recharging Purigen: 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 They are saying to use Bleach, then use (Discus Buffer™, Neutral Regulator™, or Acid Buffer™). Vinsonmassif: Did you use Ammonia only to recharge your Purigen?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 No, I didn't state that very well did I lol. I did the 50:50 ammonia:water. I didn't use the pH buffer and didn't notice any lessening effect. You can get pH buffer cheaper from a pool supply store than the LFS. Payless plastics used to stock it down the road from us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Used to use all that sort of stuff when we had a Spa Pool, sold our Spa Pool with the house a couple of years back , so I know the stuff you are talking about Managed to get a cheap unused Jar of Purigen from fishybiz on here, so I'm looking forward to using it to sort out this Hazy Discus tank of mine :roll: I'm still abit lost, you say you used Ammonia and not Bleach, on the Seachem Site they say use Bleach, so apart from the difference in names, whats the difference between Ammonia and Bleach?? :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 :oops: Sorry just re-read your previous Post Would hate to use the wrond thing on this Purigen to recharge it and end up losing all my Discus :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Bleach typically is used as a common cleaner with chlorine in it, but to make it a better cleaner they put fragrance/surfactants/additives in it. These are what is bad for your fish. So if you shake the bleach and the bubbles stay on top of the water it is not recommended to use it The only plain bleach I could find was Budget brand. No extra additives to be found. I mostly used plain ammonia (no chlorine) so no need to soak the purigen for a further 8 hrs in declorinator like Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 OK, next question :lol: Where do I get hold of just straight Ammonia?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Thanks for that Info HFF I know where to get Bleach, it's Ammonia I'm trying to find, they are 2 different things, aren't they?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 most bleaches are ammonia based, unless otherwise stated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 You will need to make sure you get the right stuff. You may have to buy ammonia from the chemist as I think that from the supermarket may contain other additives. Also if buying bleach (chlorine soln.) from a swimming pool place you will need to make sure it is only chlorine and not mixed with cyanuric acid which is often added to protect from deterioration caused by sunlight. Straight bleach is usually about a 1-2% solution of HTH (high test hypochlorite) which releases 80% chlorine by weight. You could be sure by making your own solution from straight HTH. TREAT WITH RESPECT BECAUSE IT IS A STRONG OXIDISING AGENT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 cloudy ammonia from supermarket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Amonium hydroxide is not cloudy so there must be something added to make it cloudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Crikkey's, this is all looking abit confusing now :oops: If I end up using the wrong chemical, obviously I will be putting my Discus at risk :-? I'm not sure I really want to do that Think I would rather stick with the Hazy Tank :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Discusguru Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Don't know why they're call cloudy but it look clear to me in the bottle. Whether you can use it or not i'm not certain on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I've been thinking :roll: What if I used the Purigen, then once it's past it's usage, throw it out and replace it with a new lot rather than mucking around with Chemicals that I'm not sure of. Has to be a better solution than recharging it with the wrong thing, then risking the Lives of all my Discus It had been mentioned to me that Purigen is quite pricey, if I replaced it twice a year surely it wouldn't work out to be that expensive, I'm sure I read on the Seachem Site that it should last around 6 months before needing to be recharged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Ive also been thinking :lol: if you do decide to throw it out - chuck it at me, lol. ill figure out a way to recharge it. but if you are going to chuck it out then maybe its better to use carbon and change it every 4 weeks? dunno what purigen costs, but ammo carb (activated carbon with ammonia removing thing) may work out cheaper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Got Carbon in my Filter at the moment Phoenix, hasn't seemed to have done anything Also added extra Eheim Pro Substrate Media, which is Sintered Quartz, as you would already know Nothing seems to have made any major difference to the Haziness of my tank :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 22, 2009 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 hmm.. may i be brave enough to ask you to not do a 70% water change? :lol: the haziness can be caused in a planted non bare bottom tank in particular if there is too much water being changed. but if its really getting on your nerves (i now it would get on my nerves lol) try using some "b clear" if the water is cloudy/hazy (white). if its particles in the water, you can make a pre filter for the cannister. mind you that is an additive so lots of ppl on here will be against it - I've only ever used it a couple of times personally to settle a new tank. seems to work well. +1 for the eheim pro media - i too shelled out the $100odd about 4 years ago, and its still going strong, so its pretty cheap really. its great stuff and I fit a huge amount of it in the fluvals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 I already have the inbuilt Filter on my Aquaone AR980 Tank filled with Filter Wool, then I have the spray bar running on top of the Filter Wool, thought maybe this would have made abit more of a difference than it has :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LYNDYLOO Posted June 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 Awesome info HFF I'm know feeling abit more relaxed about using Purigen and recharging it A BIG Thank You for taking the time to asks Seachem about this Hope this thread has been useful to anyone else who is considering using Purigen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.