# Using Purigen during cycle



## corgifishkeeper (Apr 27, 2018)

Hi guys, can someone please let me know how does purigen work and If I add it to my filter now, will it affect my cycling? I been cycling my tank for almost 3 weeks now, my ammonia and nitrite level is pretty constant both at around 0.5 - 1 PPM, and I just starting to see low level of nitrate (less than 5 PPM). I had alot of plants in the tank and I added some cholla wood and it tans my water (triple boiled before i add them). I got some purigen to help polish my water, but I want to make sure it wont affect my cycling if I add them to my filter now.


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## Fishtanks (Nov 21, 2016)

Even with or without the Purigen in place, The tank will cycle. Purigen can be used to remove organic waste from the water.


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## Deanna (Feb 15, 2017)

I would not use Purigen until you have fish in the tank. Purigen removes the same nitrogenous products that your BB live on. If you don't have fish in the tank yet, you have to keep adding pure ammonia in order to keep the BB alive.


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## brothermichigan (Sep 5, 2017)

Deanna said:


> I would not use Purigen until you have fish in the tank. Purigen removes the same nitrogenous products that your BB live on. If you don't have fish in the tank yet, you have to keep adding pure ammonia in order to keep the BB alive.


This is actually a bit misleading, at least according to Purigen's described function. It will remove nitrogen _producing_ compounds, but not the nitrogenous compounds themselves (i.e. the ammonia and nitrite.) 

If you are doing a fishless cycle, Purigen won't affect the cycle at all. If you are doing a fish-in cycle, Purigen will remove some of the organic compounds from the water that will produce nitrogenous compounds as they decay, but I don't think it is effective enough to stop or even slow the cycle (else we'd just run Purigen in our filters and skip all of this beneficial bacteria nonsense.)


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Yes the tank will cycle no problem with purigen, carbon, massive water changes, etc, etc. etc. People worry way too much about the cycle and adding fish too quickly. Especially in a planted tank there is BB everywhere and eventually most of it is in the tank not in the filter. 

What purigen, carbon does is it removes some of the waste since the bio-filter is too immature to do so in the beginning. once the BB matures and the plants grow in you usually don't need purigen or carbon and the water changes are enough. 

Ever notice Eheim includes a carbon pad when you buy a filter? ADA recommends that the majority of media at the setup is carbon? It's more important to keep the tank low on organics then it is to maximize organics for the cycle. This is a major reason why so many have algae issues at startup.


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## Deanna (Feb 15, 2017)

brothermichigan said:


> This is actually a bit misleading, at least according to Purigen's described function. It will remove nitrogen _producing_ compounds, but not the nitrogenous compounds themselves (i.e. the ammonia and nitrite.)
> 
> If you are doing a fishless cycle, Purigen won't affect the cycle at all. If you are doing a fish-in cycle, Purigen will remove some of the organic compounds from the water that will produce nitrogenous compounds as they decay, but I don't think it is effective enough to stop or even slow the cycle (else we'd just run Purigen in our filters and skip all of this beneficial bacteria nonsense.)


 @brothermichigan is correct (good catch), my phrasing was misleading as it contained two separate thoughts. 
- Purigen does not remove the ammonia and nitrites directly. It is best used when the fish are added to reduce those two products of the waste cycle.
- Until you add fish, keep dosing pure ammonia.


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