Purigen Reactor

[afriend]

Just watch using it because it has an issue where it works too well sometimes and can actually over filter your tank and deplete all your good bacteria and your tank will start cycling again.

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Purigen absorbs organic compounds. It does not absorb ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate.

There's no way that it can over filter your tank and deplete all the good bacteria. It works like this: Purigen absorbs organic compounds produced by fish poop and uneaten fish food. However it cannot deplete all the bacteria in the bio filter because there is another source of ammonia in the tank: the fish directly produces ammonia and the bio filter process it as part of the nitrification process and thus produces nitrates.

I proved this by performing an experiment. After the Purigen reactor was online for a few months, I took it offline for 2 days and measured the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate twice daily. The ammonia and nitrite remained at zero and the nitrate began to increase. This indicates that the nitrification process is still active as would be expected. I repeated the experiment a few days later and got the same result. The good bacteria remain in the bio filter because it continues to process the ammonia form the fish.

Paul

[afriend]

I've never used used purigen, so I don't have first hand experience. But this might be possible if its as good as they claim. I don't think it can physically deplete your biological bacteria because it doesn't really touch them. But if purigen really does ad/absorb as much as they claim, maybe you won't be getting enough ammonia, nitrite, and dissolved junk in your water to support your bacteria? Again I've never used purigen, but in my mind it seems like it works kind of like a protein skimmer in saltwater, removing the dissolved junk out of the water, before it becomes ammonia and nitrite. So who knows maybe it could?

I wonder if anybody has tried using massive amount of purigen, and if it would just remove all the bad junk out of your water, and you wouldn't even need a biological filter? Wow, something to think about.

I've done exactly that. Read my series of posts titled "Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work". This is given in the general discussions section. Be sure to read Part 1 which presents the results.

As far as still needing a bio filter, it is absolutely necessary because it still has to process the ammonia from the fish. The four part write up explains why this is so.

Paul

[afriend]

I put a 200ml bag of purigen in my eheim ecco canister. It works great and I have 0 nitrates.

Crunchy,

What size tank, and how many fish do you have in it?

How often do you have to replace the bags of Purigen?

How often do you have to clean algae or slime?

Do you have fish poop build up on the tank bottom? How much?

What do you feed your fish?


Would very much appreciate if you would answer the above questions.

Thanks,

Paul

[Crunchy]

Crunchy,

What size tank, and how many fish do you have in it?

How often do you have to replace the bags of Purigen?

How often do you have to clean algae or slime?

Do you have fish poop build up on the tank bottom? How much?

What do you feed your fish?


Would very much appreciate if you would answer the above questions.

Thanks,

Paul

60 gal planted with 5 adults.

Initially once a month, now 2-3 months.

No algae, slime wiped once a week.

No fish poop visible due to using ada amazonia gravel, never vacuumed gravel.

Feed fish ocean nutrition pellets and fdbw. Twice a day.

[afriend]

60 gal planted with 5 adults.

Initially once a month, now 2-3 months.

No algae, slime wiped once a week.

No fish poop visible due to using ada amazonia gravel, never vacuumed gravel.

Feed fish ocean nutrition pellets and fdbw. Twice a day.

Crunchy,

Thank you for your responses to my questions, this is very helpful to me. Hoping that you won't mind a few more. Why did you change your schedule for changing out the Purigen from once a month to once every 2/3 months? What changes do you think you would see in your tank if you removed the Purigen for a month? How does ada amazonia gravel work that there is no visible fish poop? Do you have good plant growth?

Would very much like to see some pictures of your tank.

Paul

[du3ce]

just got some purigen to put in my canister today, didnt really noticed any water clarity, im already running 3 canister filter on my 75g, we'll see how it plays out when i test my water tomorrow

[dirtyplants]

Not to sound cynical, but you make claims, and they sound very good but I have plants and it is cheaper, no nitrates.

[afriend]

Not to sound cynical, but you make claims, and they sound very good but I have plants and it is cheaper, no nitrates.

I say go with what works. Good Luck.

Paul

[musicmarn1]

I have plants but in those tanks nitrates are about 15-20 ppm I don't run carbon just mechanical/biological, but I get a lot of detritus, I'm going to use purigen in one of those to see what happens. Discus Paul has planted tanks, for many years and swears by adding purigen, but of course if you have it working for you, no need to add things ! I just wonder if you do add anything like carbon etc?

And I have bare tanks which I am hoping to add the reactor too

[afriend]

I have plants but in those tanks nitrates are about 15-20 ppm I don't run carbon just mechanical/biological, but I get a lot of detritus, I'm going to use purigen in one of those to see what happens. Discus Paul has planted tanks, for many years and swears by adding purigen, but of course if you have it working for you, no need to add things ! I just wonder if you do add anything like carbon etc?

And I have bare tanks which I am hoping to add the reactor too

Please don't expect to get really good results unless you have made provisions for all of the elements as explained in Part 3 of my presentation. The elements include bubble lift tubes, large water circulation, sufficient mechanical filtration, Purigen reactor, bio filtration, and large water exchanges. I know for a fact that provisions must be made for each in order to obtain the results that I have obtained. I do not use carbon.

Also, be advised that to get zero nitrates, the water source must also have zero nitrates.

All of this is explained in the four part presentation.

Paul

[afriend]

just got some purigen to put in my canister today, didnt really noticed any water clarity, im already running 3 canister filter on my 75g, we'll see how it plays out when i test my water tomorrow

You need to do more than just add Purigen. Please refer to Part 3 of my presentation.

Paul

[WaterDog]

I'm getting ready to build a purigen reactor for my grow out tank which is currently cycling with clown loaches (no baby discus yet). I'll be using one of these http://www.aquariumguys.com/mr1-medi...reshwater.html or maybe this http://www.petmountain.com/product/a...a-reactor.html I'm still researching reactor vessels but that's not the point. The key is to replace the top and bottom sponges with screen strainers. The purigen being approx. .030" diameter spheres means a max 600 micron (.023") screen is needed (for microns to 1/1000's of an inch divide microns by 25400). I'll be making nylon or PVC disks that sandwich the screens in between them. Not solid disks but more a ring with an "X" cross bar gusset. The diameter of the disk assembly will fit the inner diameter of the tube net or more likely I'll design an O-ring configuration to the outside diameter of the disk assemblies to snug them up. What say you Paul?
If this works well I'll be modifying this unit for my 400 gallon show tank.
http://www.aquariumguys.com/mr1-mons...reshwater.html

[afriend]

I'm getting ready to build a purigen reactor for my grow out tank which is currently cycling with clown loaches (no baby discus yet). I'll be using one of these http://www.aquariumguys.com/mr1-medi...reshwater.html or maybe this http://www.petmountain.com/product/a...a-reactor.html I'm still researching reactor vessels but that's not the point. The key is to replace the top and bottom sponges with screen strainers. The purigen being approx. .030" diameter spheres means a max 600 micron (.023") screen is needed (for microns to 1/1000's of an inch divide microns by 25400). I'll be making nylon or PVC disks that sandwich the screens in between them. Not solid disks but more a ring with an "X" cross bar gusset. The diameter of the disk assembly will fit the inner diameter of the tube net or more likely I'll design an O-ring configuration to the outside diameter of the disk assemblies to snug them up. What say you Paul?
If this works well I'll be modifying this unit for my 400 gallon show tank.
http://www.aquariumguys.com/mr1-mons...reshwater.html

WaterDog,

Give it a try and see if it will work. If you can keep it from becoming plugged for a month, you got yourself a reactor. I found that a good place to get filter screen is compsuco.com . I recommend Polyester Mesh over Nylon Mesh as it is more durable and easier to work with. They have their website mixed up a little. To find Polyester Mesh, find the Product Index and then select Polyester Mesh.

Please keep me posted on your progress. If you will send me a PM, I'll give you my email address.

Paul

[WaterDog]

Paul, awesome website!!! that's exactly what I was looking for. I found the polyester mesh no problem and I think I'll start with 600 micron since the next size up is 790. Correct me if I'm wrong but is your idea is to keep the Purigen balls levitated and bouncing around like popcorn in a popper? My idea is to put my pump ahead of the reactor and regulate the flow to achieve levitation of the media. Not sure what flow rate that would take. I suppose one way to do it would be to put a "Y" with a bypass line from before the reactor to after the reactor and then the other leg of the Y to a ball valve that I can adjust to achieve percolation in the reactor. The idea being to not put back pressure on the pump. Comments?

[afriend]

Paul, awesome website!!! that's exactly what I was looking for. I found the polyester mesh no problem and I think I'll start with 600 micron since the next size up is 790. Correct me if I'm wrong but is your idea is to keep the Purigen balls levitated and bouncing around like popcorn in a popper? My idea is to put my pump ahead of the reactor and regulate the flow to achieve levitation of the media. Not sure what flow rate that would take. I suppose one way to do it would be to put a "Y" with a bypass line from before the reactor to after the reactor and then the other leg of the Y to a ball valve that I can adjust to achieve percolation in the reactor. The idea being to not put back pressure on the pump. Comments?

WaterDog,

The valve idea sounds like it will work OK, but its difficult to say for certain without trying it. After placing mine in operation it took me a few design modifications to my reactor before I was satisfied with the results. I'm not certain exactly what will or will not work properly. I do know that the design I presented works really good. So its more of a case of try and see if it performs the way you want.

If you will send me a PM with your email address, I can provide you with a video showing what the Purigen beads look like when in operation. My tank requires a flow rate between 0.5 and 1.0 g/m to achieve the intended purpose. The only problem with higher flow rates is that the screen material may clog up sooner. Also, be sure to gradually turn the flow on so that the Purigen beads don't suddenly get thrust up into the screen. Remember that the beads are only slightly more dense than water and that some of them are actually less dense. The beads don't look levitated, more like a "slow boil."

Paul