# Too-Much Purigen?



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi Teebo,

Seachem Purigen can be 'recharged' and used again and again. Using the full bag on a tank of 8 gallons it not a problem - it will just increase the time before a recharge is required.

Per Seachem:


> Regeneration: Purigen® can also be regenerated. As it adsorbs waste products, Purigen® will change color from a pale blonde to a dark brown, almost black. Once it is exhausted, it can be regenerated with a solution of bleach and water. The bleach will literally “burn off” the organics that have been removed from the tank. Watch out for products that claim to be regenerable with a brine solution. That is the regeneration procedure for ion-exchange purposes. A brine solution will not remove organics. While such resins have a limited capacity for organic adsorption, a brine regeneration process only replaces removed ionic compounds. It does not destroy large organic molecules that were removed, which is the primary function of organic adsorption resins.
> 
> REGENERATION: Soak in a 1:1 bleach:water solution for 24 hours in a non-metallic container in a well ventilated area and away from children. Use regular 8.25% hypochlorite household bleach (non-scented, no dyes, do not use a splash-less bleach). Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 4 tablespoons of Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. For freshwater use, soak for 4 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer®, Neutral Regulator®). Original color and full activity should now be restored and Purigen® is ready for reuse. Caution: some slime coat products may permanently foul Purigen® and render regeneration difficult. Do not reuse if odor of bleach/chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit.


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

I did read that about recharging but for the price, I may just replace it rather than risk not cleaning it correctly or its efficiency being cut. That is if I do not have to touch it for 6 months.


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## ajrey (May 7, 2015)

Purigen's life expectancy entirely depends on the amount of dissolved organics in your water. Even though you only have 8 gallons of water, if for some reason you had a lot of dissolved organics (i.e. tannin looking brown water) your purigen will be exhausted quite fast. However, if your water is already fairly clean and clear, for an 8 gallon tank the purigen will last quite a while. I wouldn't be surprised if it lasted 6 months. You can check the bag form time to time to see how much of it is exhausted. If you notice a vast majority of it is darker brown (instead of the light tan color originally) then you probably had a lot of organics and you need to either recharge your purigen through the use of bleach or buy a new pack. Most people choose to recharge their purigen as the price is quite high when using it in larger tanks however I understand your hesitation with wanting to introduce something back into the tank that has been bleached. However, I can assure you that if you add seachem prime or any dechlorinator to the already bleached and rinsed recharged purigen, there will not be any remain bleach solution. (bleach = sodium *hypochlorite*, prime removes any chlorine type molecules, *chlorite* is just a negatively charged chlorine atom)


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

Not to mention bleach begins exiting water immediately after added, it will evaporate from open water/containers very quickly. I used it a bin I was treating driftwood in and I was ensured there was no way it would be left in the wood by a member on here. My water does not have tannins, so I am expecting it will last a long time.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

I use purigen in all my tanks and recharge it every few months with no ill effects.
Just follow the instructions oh yes and the cheaper not prime or safe declorination products like top fin etc are of a different chemical makeup and will indeed foul the purigen.
I am sure there are non sechem alternatives and I believe the seachem site states the chemical type of declorinators that may be used so I'm sure there are other "brands" that may be used as long as they are chemically compatible.

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## onlycrimson (Sep 7, 2010)

I have to say that I rather like Purigen on my 12g, but I have 2 bags and recharge 1 every month while the other works. When I first started in the hobby I stayed away from all seemingly strange filter products, but Purigen actually works. Recharging it is easy to do so for your tank I would just have 2 bags and recharge one while the other works. 6 months is probably pushing it, but I would think 2 months at least.


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

Thanks everyone! I added it to one of my tanks yesterday I am curious to see the results!


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

One of its major benefits is pulling out the tanins if you use any wood decorations.
That was its initial purpose for me.
Came to find out later it functions like activated charcoal to an extent as well that was just a side benefit!


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

I agree you just need to check it periodically. When I started my 75G planted my water was really yellow from tannins. I had a really large piece of wood that I just wasn't able to boil well enough. 

Anyhow after many water changes water was still yellow. I then added purigen to my fluval G6 and within 24 hours my water was crystal clear. 

After a bout a month I was noticing my flow was down on my canister. I kept cleaning the mechanical filter but still my flow wouldn't go back up to 100%. I finally opened the canister and found the bag of purigen was completely brown. After removing it my flow was back to normal. 

I'm now running 1/2 a 500ml bottle in one of my trays along with seachem matrix. Have had great results. This truly is an amazing product. 

I feel for the price the results are well worth it.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I just added purigen to my tank and I am amazed at the difference. My water had a slight yellow color and now is crystal clear. Purigen is your friend!!


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## Maryland Guppy (Dec 6, 2014)

Purigen is awesome stuff.
Remember when regenerating to use plain bleach.
No anti-splash additives or scented bleach, these will kill your livestock.
Only use prime as a de-chlorinator with Purigen regeneration.
A total chlorine test is also nice to justify that rinsing is complete.


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

*This is what I decided to do with my Marineland 5 gallon Contour tank, I bought a large bag meant for making teas and Kava drinks, etc, it is a mesh bag. I had someone sew it into a square the size of the original sponge filter, then I added half the Purigen, and had the original Purigen bag sewed in half so I now have two bags of Purigen rated for 50 gallons each. Using one at a time in a 5 gallon tank (with a spare to clean) *


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## sevendust111 (Jul 15, 2014)

I have two aqua clear 30's on my 20L and I have a bag of purigen in both. I have never had an issue. Thats 200 gallons of rated purigen in 20 gallons of water.


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## Mikevwall (Jul 27, 2015)

Look how clever and nifty you are!


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

This was done because half the bag is all I can fit in the Contour 5 media basket, however I have a full bag in the Whisper internal filter, which is in the 8 gallon tank.


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

*Just wanted to put this to rest, it has only been about a month and this packet is already foul looking. I am going to try bleaching it, I assume the beads must dissolve a layer off each time you bleach it? *


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## jr125 (Mar 5, 2015)

The Purigen itself does not look like it has changed color much to me. It looks like the bag is just dirty with general scum from being in the filter. I started using Purigen several months ago and use 250ml at a time in my 125. This is supposed to be more than needed for this size tank. At one month the Purigen is a deep chocolate brown color and after regeneration is returned to a more light tan color. The individual beads of Purigen in the pic look to be still pretty light in color.


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## proper.noun (May 29, 2016)

I've got Purigen running in my planted and heavily overstocked 5 gallon- for me the bags lasts 6 to 8 weeks before they turn a dark brown color and I switch it out so 6 months might be a stretch but then again maybe not. I say that because I switch out my Purigen bags based solely on visual queues (the color) but that's not to say that my ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate levels have risen towards the end of my bag's life-cycle.


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## proper.noun (May 29, 2016)

Teebo said:


> *Just wanted to put this to rest, it has only been about a month and this packet is already foul looking. I am going to try bleaching it, I assume the beads must dissolve a layer off each time you bleach it? *


Take a look at what mine looks like after about 2 months, i took it out last weekend on Saturday and it was still doing its job. You should also note that in my pic there's a good deal of discoloration on the bag itself not including the beads within. 

I've found that the beads in my Purigen bags can often get used/fouled up in a pretty uneven fashion. If I had a bag of Purigen that was looking like yours I would just squish it up a bunch in my hands to agitate and redistribute the beads inside and continue using for at least 2 more weeks. 

Keep in mind though that I have test kits for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates so if there were ever any doubt in my mind I could easily figure out if the Purigen bag was failing regardless of what it looked like.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

Exactly the above.
Mine wind up looking like proper_noun's after a couple weeks due to mopani wood and other factors.
That large bag looks like it still has at least half it's life left if not more before you need to recharge.
Recharge no more often than absolutely necessary as Seachem claim after 10 or so recharges Purigen loses its ability to do its job.
I am not convinced that this isn't stated to keep sales up and the true amount of times you can recharge is much higher but I have no evidence to back this up other than to say I am still using some purigen bags that are 2 years old and I clean my filters monthly.
When they ever stop looking like proper_noun's then I will assume they have finally failed and replace them.
As long as they still can extract all that tannin and other junk I shall keep on recharging and reusing.
Take from that what you will.


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## LFM (Sep 18, 2014)

I'm not sure if nitrate build up is more of an issue for an 8gal tank but I got rid of my purigen in my 65gal because I could not take the noise coming from my AC that I was using for it and there's been absolutely no change to my tank. If one does weekly water changes (which I do religiously) I'd say purigen is completely unnecessary from my experience.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

For removing tannins I would say it's vital lol
Depends what you intend its use for.
I don't use it or expect it to work as the carbon supplement they often claim it is. 
Of course I don't use carbon either and haven't for many years lol.

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## LFM (Sep 18, 2014)

Yup everyone's setup is different so what works for me might not work for someone else.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

Now you sparked a thought. Purigen supposedly removes organics as I recall from the water.
So if I am using liquid ferts (I am) I wonder if I am fighting myself lol.
Wonder if it is sucking those right out of the water column.....


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Lonestarbandit said:


> Now you sparked a thought. Purigen supposedly removes organics as I recall from the water.
> So if I am using liquid ferts (I am) I wonder if I am fighting myself lol.
> Wonder if it is sucking those right out of the water column.....


This question has been asked many times and the answer always seems to be an emphatic no. Speaking from my own experience my plants grow much better with purigen, and by much I mean visible overnight growth (at times), and my tanks are low tech no dose except excel and root tabs environments. I would think if nutrients are pulled out of the water I would see decreased growth and signs of deficiency with purigen in my no dose low tech environment.


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## Lonestarbandit (Feb 7, 2013)

Oh good. Call me late for everything but dinner.
Of course I am new to liquid ferts

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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

I researched this same question about removing my ferts, it comes down to the ferts we dose are in-organic and it only removes organic (or vise-versa I forget).


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## jamielands (Jun 22, 2015)

I just started using purigen, I didn't know I had an alternative to carbon, or something for removing tannins! I'm so excited. It's only been in my filter a couple days and I noticed some of the beads starting to discolor. I think purigen and I will be great friends. 


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## Teebo (Jul 15, 2015)

I love it in all my tanks, my water is always so clear and also it polishes the water, making the surface more reflective (may be a bad thing if it is reflecting light back at my fixtures)


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