BettaBetta Posted March 19, 2010 Report Share Posted March 19, 2010 My endless hours of research have turned up a brilliant peace of mind, clutz-proof (me, myself & I) filter medium that I'll be throwing in the Fluval Edge tomorrow, as well as keeping a spare bag on hand for when the other is being rejuvenated, many months down the track. The 100ml pouch treats up to 100 gals and is the only one that already comes in it's own special super fine micron bag, the other sizes require purchase of said bag which is not cheap but, a word of warning, the product is far too fine to be put in anything such as pantyhose, you'll end up with a snow-globe! Apparently nothing polishes water like it. Purigen Product Description Purigen® is a premium synthetic adsorbent that is unlike any other filtration product. It is not a mixture of ion exchangers or adsorbents, but a unique macro-porous synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all others by over 500%. Purigen® controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates by removing nitrogenous organic waste that would otherwise release these harmful compounds. Purigen’s™ impact on trace elements is minimal. It significantly raises redox. It polishes water to unparalleled clarity. Purigen® darkens progressively as it exhausts, and is easily renewed by treating with bleach. Purigen® is designed for both marine and freshwater use. Sizes: 100 mL 250 mL, 500 mL, 1 L, 2 L, 4 L, 20 L http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Purigen.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbites Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 You're right bettabetta... Purigen is a magic product - have a small bag of it myself - the really good thing is it works and when it's exhausted it can be regenerated using bleach so you never have to buy it again (well maybe not never)... You can buy purigen in larger quantities and use doubled stockings to contain it - one layer is not fine enough but a double layer works well (saves paying the $18 extra for "the bag") There's a few online shops with it at good prices and a few places in Brisbane that have had it for really cheap prices if you look round.... There is a great range of Seachem products out there if you're after good quality stuff that works well - but watch out as most of it is really concentrated (ie don't need much to do a lot). PRIME - water conditioner - removes chlorine, chloramines, nitrates, etc - 5ml treats 200litres SAFE - the powdered version of PRIME - even more highly concentrated Cuprisorb - a resin that will absorb copper from your tank - good after dosing with snail rid MATRIX - super porous filter media - white, marble size - good for good bacteria to live in. plus a heap of other products including Stability, various carbons, nitrate absorbers, etc.... Another really useful water treatment is TOXIVEC by Sera - it is essentially a water conditioner but also binds heavy metals (such as copper, iron, etc) and stabilises hardness and stops nitrate levels rising. Sera refer to it as working with immediate effect on all these things. It is 1/10 the strength of PRIME but has the heavy metal binding ability. Re using PRIME or some of the highly concentrated chemicals - I use those disposable plastic pipettes - either 3ml or 1ml size - they make it really easy to dose your tanks accurately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaBetta Posted April 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 Ah well I'll be darned, Fishbites, you've saved the day. All the young lfs lads & I have been lamenting about being unable to use Purigen in small internal filters because even the 100gm bag is miles too big . Double stockings, what simple but great idea. I know a few who have tried it in single layer stockings & ended up with a snow globe aquarium. Still, it's frustrating that Seachem have overlooked the nano tank market by not providing us with tiny bags. Been having a few emails with them about this aspect & they're looking into it apparently. At the moment, in my internals & small hang-ons I'm using the Seachem little rocks that are almost as good as Purigen, probably the precursor combined with sponges. In your experience, have the stockings deteriorated in the bleach though? At strong concentrations it eats through cotton threads and discolours nylon, I just wonder if it would weaken the stockings fibres to such an extent it could give way unexpectedly. I know also that the only slime coat prep suitable to be used with Purigen is their own product, others can totally mess with it. Still, I have no desire to use any products other than Seachem, they've proven their worth to me so I'll stick with them & also the German "Sera" brand. Both Seachem Prime (and Stability) have proven invaluable during my cycling process, especially being able to x 5 Prime to lower Nitrite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbites Posted April 4, 2010 Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 Personally, I use triple layers - still works fine.... the bleaching to rejuvenate will attack the stockings I believe but check them thoroughly and if in doubt - after rejuvenating and washing/dechoring, dry the purigen on clean paper and then rebag in fresh stockings when dry.... With the nano situations - work out how many drops to a ml and use an eye dropper - or I have 3ml syringes with drawing up needles (they're the ones that arn't sharp - just like a hollow tube) to measure small amounts of Seachem products.... Haven't played with SAFE before - apparently they only include a measuring scoop in the smallest size container. Same as purigen only gets a free bag with the 100ml size - larger and you provide your own bag / stocking.... The Seachem 'little rocks' you mention - is that MATRIX? MATRIX is the Seachem version of filter sponge/bio balls/ ceramic rings / etc... very porous to encourage good bacteria to inhabit so they can convert ammonia / nitrites into nitrates.... Purigen works differently and removes fish/plant wastes so I'm assuming that means more than just what the bacteria convert like minerals and salts and other things as well perhaps. Amazing stuff... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaBetta Posted April 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2010 Yup, that's the one, Matrix is fantastic too! I bought the small bottle (all of $12.95) & have put it in every single filter. I've had a wee 10 litre tank refusing to cycle or do anything no matter what I did for 4 long & trying weeks. Heck, I even put other bacteria laden media & Stability in there for the 7 days, nothing! So, I removed the Betta & threw everything I had at it as a last resort, including ammonia (do NOT ask), couple extra big pinches of flakes, siphoned fish poo, decaying plants/IAL leaves & Stability to make a revolting stew. I flung the internal filter into my water top-up tank with the other 6 spares lol, and got the smallest wee ripper of a hang-on. Something sure happened 'coz I've got ammonia & nitrite at the kit's highest possible levels & nitrate @ 20. Since adding Matrix to the hang-on filter the ammonia & nitrite is dropping steadily, nitrate is stable & I'm hopeful I've conquered this little beast of a tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JUNGLE Posted April 5, 2010 Report Share Posted April 5, 2010 I never used any resins until two years ago and was always happy with water clarity etc. First time I used it was on an already sparkling Discus tank. Within two hours the difference was unbelievable. No more tannins from driftwood and a clarity that really is remarkable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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