Best chemical filter media

To me, Purigen works like magic.
I've been using it 24/7 on a rotating basis in both of the AC 110 filters on my 75 gal planted discus tank, for several years now.
It not only produces crystal clear water on an ongoing basis, it removes or neutralizes many unwanted or potentially harmful elements, and assists in producing the high quality water conditions needed by discus, as well as clearing up any undesirable discolorations or odors.
Read the details on the Seachem packaging to get specifics.
And because of it's re-chargeability, a 250 ml container lasts me for many months, up to a year, so it's a very inexpensive product over it's useful term.
I wouldn't be without it.
 
I've also been looking into this very topic. Added 12 new fish to my 46 and a week later the water got kind of cloudy. Parameters are good, i do water changes, etc. so i figured let me try Purigen. I put it in tonight. I'll report back if i notice a change. From what i hear it can improve overnight. We'll see!


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fineexampl said:
I've also been looking into this very topic. Added 12 new fish to my 46 and a week later the water got kind of cloudy. Parameters are good, i do water changes, etc. so i figured let me try Purigen. I put it in tonight. I'll report back if i notice a change. From what i hear it can improve overnight. We'll see!


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Click to expand...

Great. I'm very interested to know how that turns out for you.

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Did a 50%WC yesterday so I expected the NH3 to be lower today. Not so. I hope I am getting some flow through the purigen bag.

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Seachem Purigen is a synthetic resin that adsorbs dissolved organics. Trapping dissolved organics not only makes the water clearer, but since it's trapped, doesn't further decompose to produce ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Purigen can be regenerated several times in a 50/50 mix of chlorine bleach and water. It must be dechlorinated (e.g. Prime) after regeneration before reuse. If not reused right away, it must be kept wet (fresh water in a sealed bag).

Activated carbon adsorbs all sorts of impurities from water.
API Bio-Chem Zorb may exceed activated carbon in pollutant removal.

Fluval Lab Series Nitrate Remover (FNR) and API Nitra-Zorb are synthetic resins that adsorb NITRATES. Removing nitrates can offer a higher level of water purity.
Both FNR and Nitra-Zorb can be regenerated several times in non iodized salt water. If not used right away after regeneration, it is stored in the brine solution.

With the exception of Bio-Chem Zorb I have used all of the above products with success.
Some say that chemical filtration is not necessary if you do routine weekly water changes of up to 50%. I can't totally disagree. However, I have very high nitrates in my well water, so I have successfully reduced the volume of my WWC to 10g for my 60g tank. The 10g for the WWC is a 50/50 mix of treated DI (made using an API Tap Water Filter) and FNR filtered well water. Using the above products, I believe the aquarium water purity is better than FW in nature.

Footnote: I have experimented with a DIY de-nitrate filter and am just now exploring a deep sand bed approach for even better bio-filtration.
 
@Abbysdad
Thank for a concise summary of what is available and how they function. Very helpful.

I may look into a de-nitrator once things have settled down to a regular pattern in my new tank.

From feedback/reading clearly PWC on a regular basis is a requirement for good tank management, but in my opinion if on can compliment that with chemical filtration to improve the overall quality of the water, or possibly reduce the frequency of PWC, then that's what I'll do too.

Purigen possibly has a very real practical benefit to small quarantine tanks, where batches of newly purchased fish can overload a small biological filter capacity. I haven't had any feedback in this regard, but it seems to make logical sense for tanks that have rapid change to stocking levels (such as QT's). Anyway that's my hypothesis. :)

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FWIW - I use no carbon or other similar products in my tanks. I do however, use pants as much as possible. For Cichlids that require a higher pH I used dead coral from LFS and when not available I use crushed egg shells.

Regular water changes of 30% or greater ever week keeps my water both clean and stable even when adding new livestock. 12 fish is a very high number to add at one time and the cloudiness is a mini-cycle of your tank trying to keep up with the increased bio-load. Water changes will help to clear that up.

Understanding the what and why of your post, I would actually suggest that the less additives used, the better your tank will be. Being reliant on additives of any fashion really doesn't help you to understand the make-up of your water and how or why it reacts to certain conditions. While there are times that you will likely need additional help from these products, managing without them is much healthier.
 
excuzzzeme said:
FWIW - I use no carbon or other similar products in my tanks. I do however, use pants as much as possible. For Cichlids that require a higher pH I used dead coral from LFS and when not available I use crushed egg shells.

Regular water changes of 30% or greater ever week keeps my water both clean and stable even when adding new livestock. 12 fish is a very high number to add at one time and the cloudiness is a mini-cycle of your tank trying to keep up with the increased bio-load. Water changes will help to clear that up.

Understanding the what and why of your post, I would actually suggest that the less additives used, the better your tank will be. Being reliant on additives of any fashion really doesn't help you to understand the make-up of your water and how or why it reacts to certain conditions. While there are times that you will likely need additional help from these products, managing without them is much healthier.
Click to expand...

Without a doubt, a well planted tank reduces the requirement for bio-filtration. However, I think we tend to miss the boat when it comes to water filtration/purification. Most tanks do little more than mechanical filtration which more often than not merely accelerates the breakdown of solid waste into undesired dissolved organics! We tend to rely on large routine (weekly) water changes of up to 50% because of the inferior filtration. Consider that most large aquariums do not perform large weekly water changes because they have very good filtration systems.
Large water changes are one way...but not the only way. If we better purify the water, more modest water changes become realistic.

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I think that pragmatic use of chemical filtration media demonstrates a higher, not lower, level of understanding of the chemistry involved. Of course I don't mean indiscriminately adding media based upon label claims in the quest for lazy tank management, and I hope my post wasn't interpreted as such. There is no doubt my strategy will include a regimen of regular PWC, testing of water, and what I believe to be good forms of filtration, probably including chemical means.

Certainly, this post and the helpful feedback I've received, has improved my understanding of products and water chemistry. If I think back to my first tank about 40 yrs ago, I just did whatever the local pet store suggested, assuming they were experts. The beauty of forums is that we aggregate information from the collective experience of thousands of members and I sincerely appreciate every post. Now, thanks to the help from here, I believe I can make accurate, informed decisions.

OK. I think I'm rambling now. So thanks, and please keep the comments rolling in.

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