Who uses Purigen in their planted tanks?

I have used purigen in the past and was really impressed. I was able to recharge it three times before it need replacement. It lasted over a year in my tank. I would still be using it, but I haven't ordered any more for the tank.
 
Purigen

I have used purigen in the past and was really impressed. I was able to recharge it three times before it need replacement. It lasted over a year in my tank. I would still be using it, but I haven't ordered any more for the tank.
It should recharge more than three times. I think Seachem says six or seven. If it doesn't recharge on the first try, I would try using a second bleach solution.
 
I don't use purigen or carbon on any of my tanks. IMO, neither is necessary for a healthy aquarium.

Mark
 
I have used purigen in the past and was really impressed. I was able to recharge it three times before it need replacement. It lasted over a year in my tank. I would still be using it, but I haven't ordered any more for the tank.

Only three times? I've recharged mine MANY times... 10+ and it still works. Granted, it doesn't work as good as when new but it still works. Seachem's site does have some warnings about certain water conditioning products causing Purigen to fail so read all the FAQ's on their site.

I have Purigen running in all three of my filters... and both tanks planted but I do not dose any other ferts except for those provided by the fish and my moderately hard water.

http://www.seachem.com/support/FAQs/Purigen.html says it removes "organics" but leaves calcium/magnesium (hard water atoms) alone. You could send a quick email to Seachem http://www.seachem.com/Contact/Contact.html and they usually reply pretty quickly and might give you additional information about what Purigen will and won't remove as far as the ferts you are dosing.
 
I had heard that AC removes the minerials in the ferts...specifically copper and Iron. I might look into this purigen.

Copper is the one thing that needs to go. Can't be having that in an invert tank.

By soured...everytime we hit drought conditions, the water quality deteriorates. I'm thinking as the level goes down, more impurities are being picked up. Otherwise...I wouldn't even worry about it.
 
I think the well water is more the issue here.

You should pre treat this prior to adding it to the shrimp tank.
If the shrimp are high value, eg SSS grade CRS........then use a carbon prefilter for the tap water. Then use Seachem prime and allow the water to sit a day or so in the bucket. Then do the water change with that or use a pump to pump a larger amount of water etc when you do a water change.
I have 4 x 10 gal CRS tanks, so I use buckets since they are fast and easy.

I do not worry about fertilizers, never have.
Do not lose any CRS's either, have high grades(well, mostly SS, maybe an S or so here and there), they breed well and so do other shrimp species.

Purigen is a good option for AC replacement, mostly due to economics over time.

Ac makes good biomedia.........but.........Ac can also be recharged as well, needs cooked for 2 hours at say 500+ F. This burns off all the organics that the AC absorbed.

Now it is ready to go again, but a stinky pile of AC in the oven for 2 hours at full heat might rile some in your household, while a bucket of bleach outside is a bit more peaceful for the home;)

I'd not worry much over copper or traces, add them as normal.
Ac also has never shown any negative effects in a planted tank I'm aware of. Lots of myths and speculation, and zero practical evidence near as I can tell. I've tried it and messed with it for decades, on many many tanks...........Amano uses it heavily............I cannot see anything that suggest it does any of these speculations and no one ever offers support for the claims in a practical set up either.

Regards,
Tom Barr
 
You should pre treat this prior to adding it to the shrimp tank.
If the shrimp are high value, eg SSS grade CRS........then use a carbon prefilter for the tap water. Then use Seachem prime and allow the water to sit a day or so in the bucket. Then do the water change with that or use a pump to pump a larger amount of water etc when you do a water change.

With the exception of the carbon prefilter, that is my normal routine. I'm definately looking at the carbone prefilter now. Maybe a DIY contraption that I can somehow hook to the bathtub as that's where I fill the jugs at.
 
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