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Purigen verses bacteria

9K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  ctaylor3737 
#1 ·
So, I was looking into Purigen, mostly for removing tannin's for a period of time in a small 10 gallon, but the question is not about that.

If products like Purigen remove Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates, what is left for the bacteria to feed on? In other words, if I were to use Purigen and get the typical 0/0/0 water, will the bacteria population decrease? And more importantly, if I stop using it, will I get a spike until the bacteria re-establish?

Just curious about this. I decided not to use it, but the question is still bothering me :eek:)
 
#3 ·
purigen is like magic. it can only be beneficial for your tank and makes your water crystal clear like you wouldn't believe. It's a resin designed to absorb organic matter and tannins and can be recharged using bleach. It doesn't have an impact on biofiltration. Even if it did, the impact would be miniscule and the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks if any at all. Many of us use purigen and love it, we would not do so otherwise if it affected bio filtration. Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a 100 ml bag and see why we love it.
 
#13 ·
Well, everybody seems to like it and if the consensus is that it won't eat up all of the good stuff, then I may be in! I think I'll give it a try. I don't have water quality issues, per se, but my DW is leaking tannin's so it only stays clear for about a day after a WC. I just wanted to see if I could clear it up.

I didn't have a lot of research time and I watched a few vids on it and some said it removed ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. However, now that I got to sit down and do some reading, here's what I got from the Seachem site:

"Purigen® controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates by removing nitrogenous organic waste that would otherwise release these harmful compounds."

So there you go. Thanks, everyone!
 
#16 ·
I recommend buying the 100ml packs of purigen. They come in a chlorine resistant bag. Alternatively you could buy "the bag" from seachem. There are some fine mesh bags on ebay too for pretty cheap, not sure how well they seal though. You're looking for something <200 microns.
 
#17 ·
We use cheap pantyhose wrapped 3-4 times in our smallest tanks. Get the cheap ones at CVS or Walgreens. They don't last through regeneration, but we replace them and its the best small alternative we have found thus far.
 
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