# Purigen not regenerating?



## xmas_one (Feb 5, 2010)

Is this your first regen?


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Yes


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## MiSo (Oct 26, 2005)

try bleaching it and the bag seperately and stirring it every few hours. it might help.


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## devilduck (May 9, 2012)

It does not return to the original white, but it should be significantly white than when you put it in. I usually go with just straight bleach for 12 hours. It helps to mix the bag around.

Make sure you rinse very very very well! I leave it in running water until there is no bleach smell.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Ok thanks. I'll try to find some more bleach. I had some water/bleach already mixed in a spray bottle so that's what I used.


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## edstewart5 (Sep 24, 2013)

Make sure you use a dechlorinator that is not amine based. It's stated many times on Purigens FAQ that using an amine based dechlorinator will cause the Purigen to become toxic when put back into the tank, forming chloramines and possibly harming your tank. 

I used a 1 to 1 bleach water combo for 24 hours, with shaking of the bag every couple of hours to make sure it all got soaked, and then I put it in a cup of water with 2 tsp of Prime. Left it like that for another 24 hours and then I rinsed it all out for a bit and then put it back in the tank. Good to go.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

devilduck said:


> It does not return to the original white, but it should be significantly white than when you put it in. I usually go with just straight bleach for 12 hours. It helps to mix the bag around.
> 
> Make sure you rinse very very very well! I leave it in running water until there is no bleach smell.


Yes, go with straight bleach, and don't just spray it on - soak it, covering the bag with bleach - it'll whiten.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Just to clarify, I didn't spray the water/bleach mix onto the purigen, I dumped all of it into a bucket so it covers the bag.

I don't have Prime and my LFS doesn't carry it. I use Tetra Aquasafe which is supposed to be safe to use with Purigen, according to this: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=1588130. That thread was from April 2011, and I didnt get my bottle of Aquasafe until the middle of last year, so I think it will be ok.


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## CatFishStryk (Sep 3, 2013)

WestHaven said:


> Ok thanks. I'll try to find some more bleach. I had some water/bleach already mixed in a spray bottle so that's what I used.


Bleach water only stays at top potency for 24 hrs. Depending on how long the bleach water was in the spray bottle, it may have been inactive. 

I did have the same problem as you though; even shaking/kneading the bag every couple hours, I couldn't get all the purigen lightened. Try the suggestion of removing/replacing in the bag. Don't lose that bag tho! I have a fine mesh media bag, and the purigen granules can work their way through the mesh. I think I'm going to have to buy some more


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

CatFishStryk said:


> Bleach water only stays at top potency for 24 hrs. Depending on how long the bleach water was in the spray bottle, it may have been inactive.
> 
> Big agreement on this! One of the big items for bleach is to keep it closed when not being used. Chlorine does gas off pretty quick and that makes it one of the nice things to use to sterilize tanks and equipment like rocks or wood. One thing you learn quick when working with chlorine for pools is that it has to be closed really good. Otherwise it will come out and rust everything in sight!


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Thanks guys. The purigen is still in the original bag it came in when I bought it. I'll try getting new bleach and then using it.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

You may have just discovered one of the really simple untruths of the fish world. There are bunches of people who warn you not to use bleach as it will some way soak in and not come out. They simply ignore what you have found. The chlorine will turn to gas and leave as soon as it can find a way. Just walking past a pool or spa tells me the chlorine is gassing off and leaving.


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## HUNTER (Sep 4, 2012)

I regenerated mine twice already and yeah, it will not be as white as before. After soaking in prime, I let it sit out in the sun for a day to rid the rest of the bleach.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

In my expieriences ,Purigen can be regenerated approx four or five times before it doesn't want to turn white any longer.
Straight bleach might get you further, but much depend's on what you are trying to remove with the purigen.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

In my case, I am removing tannins and excess fish waste. Yesterday I dumped the old bleach/water mixture and replaced it with a 50/50 mix. The purigen is soaking in dechlorinated water today, and I'll put it back in the filter tomorrow.


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## onedollarinmywallet (Sep 24, 2013)

When I tried to regenerate my Purigen (100 ml bag), I found that I wasn't able to successfully return its condition or state back to the pristine white condition that it was in. This was after being in my filter for about three weeks cleaning the tannins from a Mopani wood. Reading through Seachem's forum, I found out that sometimes a regenerated Purigen won't always return back to its white state or condition. Mine after recharging, looked pretty brown. I wasn't sure if I should use it after I had it soaked in Prime and de-chlorinated water for a few days so after running it in my tank for a few days, I decided to just go ahead and play it safe and discarded it. I also did a 50% water change in my tank.


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## talontsiawd (Oct 19, 2008)

Try 100% bleach. I found that if I did this, it worked a lot better. Just rinse it a lot afterwards. I usually rinse for 5 minutes, put in a clean container and let it soak in new water for 15 minutes to an hour. Takes some time but not much effort. Not so fun with canister filters unless you switch bags every cleaning.


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## Lornek8 (Jul 3, 2013)

Just did my first regen a couple weeks ago. Mixture per the instructions but used the concentrated Clorox so maybe a bit stronger. Purigen came out whiter than I remember it being new. Used tetra aquasafe, really strong mixture, and had no issues when putting it back into tank.


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## WestHaven (Jun 30, 2012)

Lornek8 said:


> Just did my first regen a couple weeks ago. Mixture per the instructions but used the concentrated Clorox so maybe a bit stronger. Purigen came out whiter than I remember it being new. Used tetra aquasafe, really strong mixture, and had no issues when putting it back into tank.


Same thing here.


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## JoeyS (Nov 19, 2013)

Single or multiple bleach soaks do not completely whiten my used purigen. But I have found that a 24 hour 50% bleach soak, followed by thoroughly rinsing and soaking in the 2 Tbsp of prime with water. Then a final step of rinsing, then soaking in water with a good dash of white vinegar will complete the regeneration process. It should be completely white by now.

Seachem recommend using discus buffer or vinegar after the bleach has been neutralised by prime or other dechlorinator, this is to ensure the purigen doesn't cause a high pH spike when reused. Using this process I've regenerated my purigen pouches several times now. Still going strong.


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