I am looking to re-tool my tanks this winter, and I know many of you use Purigen on your systems. I read up on it a bit, and I am confused as to why it is so popular to use in planted tanks.
From what the Purigen website says, it is an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate remover. If that's the case, then why do we cycle tanks and dose nitrate for our plants? I don't want to spend money on fertilizer and take the time to dose it, just to have something take it away from my plants.
I'm sure that there are more benefits as so many hobbiests use this product. I am just hoping to get some "clarification".
I use it as a replacement for activated carbon. (My filters have a space for carbon inserts, but I don't want to use carbon because it supposedly removes ferts.) It lasts longer than carbon as well.
As for why...just as a water polisher, really. It makes the water very clear, which looks nice. Especially for photos.
I'd say it is similar to running fine filter floss. It just removes more particles from the water. I liked purigen for awhile, but have now gone with a more nature approach to my tank and don't worry about clarity as much. I even leave some algae built up in some places. If you want crystal clear water for photos, definitely try purigen.
As the others have said, for me, the nitrogenous waste removal is a side benefit. The clarity it give your water is amazing. On low-iron tanks its like looking through air
From what the Purigen website says, it is an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate remover. If that's the case, then why do we cycle tanks and dose nitrate for our plants? I don't want to spend money on fertilizer and take the time to dose it, just to have something take it away from my plants.
Purigen doesn't directly remove ammonia, nitrite it removes wastes that will eventually release these products. When these products are released especially ammonia during the natural organic process they can cause algae and other issues in some setups. This is much different then dosing the organic salts like KNO3, etc.
It is a replacement for activated carbon that lasts longer, is reuseable, and doesnt remove ferts from the water. I have driftwood that leaches a ton of tannins and purigen helps keep the water from turning too dark.
Yes, that's basically it. It removes undesirable elements that can develop into decomposing toxic matter, but has little if any effect on desirable plant nutrients for example.
I'd say that Purigen is in general not as good as sufficiently aggressive water changing... certainly it can't compete with something very aggressive like 50% w/c every day. That said, really aggressive water changing also requires you to add fertilizers more frequently..
The advantage of Purigen is you can get away with a less aggressive water change schedule, same as any other chemical media. It's advantage over carbon is that it doesn't adsorb metals like carbon does.
Both media, in addition to keeping nitrates down indirectly, also adsorb a variety of compounds that cloud or tint the water (like tannins) and some compounds that smell bad (carbon is more versatile here). Again, sufficiently aggressive water changing can keep your water clear and fresh too..
Yes, I use purigen on a regular basis in my main tank.
I do not use carbon in any of my planted tanks, except under specific unusual conditions that require its use. Specifically I use carbon to strip medications, when the medication calls for it. I would also use it (along with water changes) if the water was contaminated with some kind of disinfectant that the carbon might help remove, a measure I thus far have not resorted to.
I personally view carbon as mildly detrimental to planted tanks in any kind of long term use, as it adsorbs metals, including some of the micronutrients plants need.
In a planted tank with substrate, no amount of water changes will remove a good deal of the unwanted material that gets trapped within the plant root systems and the substrate, and that can develop toxicity. Purigen adsorbs much of that material.
Actually, everything in the tank water will dissolve. The organic material from the fish and plants that falls to the bottom of the tank dissolves within a day or so, and by removing a lot of tank water and doing this every few days, there's no time for wastes to build up to anywhere near toxic levels before you remove them by changing out the water. I think a lot of manufactures of products like this, rely on the fact that most tank keepers tend to slack off on their water changes and those people want something that will allow them a little flexibility when it comes to tank management.
I think a lot of manufactures of products like this, rely on the fact that most tank keepers tend to slack off on their water changes and those people want something that will allow them a little flexibility when it comes to tank management.
I think manufacturers rely on the fact that soooooo many people will not stand a tank that looks "natural". I.e. to most people a tank must unfortunately be crystal clear.
Not all wastes (organic or inorganic) will dissolve, nor will they all dissolve quickly, and even if, as, and when they dissolve they don't 'disappear'. They're still there in solute form, and all of this matter can be harbored for a time in many places where water changes will not remove them.
Some wastes whether soluble matter or insoluble particulates, will end up in the filtration media, trapped within a foam pad for example, and soon begin decomposition which can develop fairly quickly into undesirable bacterial toxicity. These wastes are not removed by water changes, but can in fact be effectively adsorbed by Purigen, which can take up both soluble & insoluble impurities. That's one of the benefits of Purigen, an important one.
LOL It's the same situation here, except I have been able to convince my wife to come with me when looking for fish stuff You won't be disappointed with Purigen. Ever since I started using it over a year ago, I have had nothing but super clear water, and zero negative issues. And for the price, it's a no-brainer!
Solute matter doesn't get harbored anywhere. It is dissolved in all water equally. The percentage of which gets removed by a water change, is exactly equal to the percentage of water removed. A concentrated portion of this solute matter doesn't "harbor" in some spot away from the area where water is removed!
Purigen adsorbs stuff that is dissolved in the the water.. It is straight-up adsorbing these things, not doing an ion-exchange, so there's nothing it "puts back" into the water. In removing dissolved solids from the water, it fundamentally has to reduce TDS as there's now less solids in the same water.
Since purigen is pretty selective to nitrogen-bearing organics, the stuff it is adsorbing should be a rather trivial amount of your TDS, thus its impact on TDS is minor. My TDS still climbs slowly between water changes, even with purigen in.
This statement is factually correct but ignores part of what Discuspaul said.
Some wastes whether soluble matter or insoluble particulates, will end up in the filtration media, trapped within a foam pad for example, and soon begin decomposition which can develop fairly quickly into undesirable bacterial toxicity. These wastes are not removed by water changes
The Purigen is removing it 24 hours a day resulting in a lot less to get trapped. You'll have to step up your 50% water change considerably more often than once a week to keep up with it (period).
Yes, there is certainly something being lost in the translation here - misinterpretation seems rampant.
And yes, it is dissolved in all water equally - no one is arguing that.
Solute matter is indeed 'harbored', this being used simply as a word meaning 'which remains' in dissolved form, i.e. being within the water that is left remaining within the tank's substrate, and within the media in the filter compartment, and throughout the free water left remaining in the tank.
One is not doing a 100% wc, so a water change doesn't remove that water portion which remains contained throughout the substrate, nor the water that remains in the filter compartment. A water change of whatever percentage is only removing that portion of the tank's water that is being siphoned out - nothing more, and it goes no further than that, albeit it is agreed that if a 50% wc is being done, then 50% of the dissolved material is removed and 50% remains within the tank.
I don't see the difficulty in comprehension. No need to have an argumentative play on words.
I don't get the debate leaning here.
I used it for a while. Made the water crystal clear and didn't seem to have any affect on the plants. I have an AC20, so I had to fold the bag in half and I don't think it was as efficient as it could have been.
For those that have an AC20, what order do you have your filters in? With the bag folded in half it really affected the the flow.
Solute matter dissolves at different rates, so it can be harbored before it dissolves. Again, water changes, once a week. Purigen doing it's thing, 24/7.
Let's just summarize this whole thing. The vast majority of people that use it report good results and say that it helps clear up their water. There seems to be a real minimum of complaints about it. Out of these 2 pages, the one person that said they quit using it did so because it made their water to clear! It's relatively inexpensive and has a very long life. It takes up very little room in the system. It doesn't require much maintenance. Sounds like a "no-brainer" to me. I think I'll go change my water and check my purigen.
I was being clear and concise, to ensure no ambiguity. We've agreed on the point in interest, and the loss of translation, so lets move on.
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