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Thread: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

  1. #31
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Quote Originally Posted by OC Discus View Post
    Paul,

    Do you think Purigen could be added to a Magnum 350 Canister filter to reap more of the benefits than having the 100 ml bags in the hob filters?
    I have a 55g bare bottom tank with 6 discus. I think the concept of the purigen circulating in the water allowing 100% contact would be more effective than having water pass through the little bags. I'm not sure if the screen in the media container is small enough to keep the purigen from passing through. It would need to be run at about 1/5 speed/flow rate to obtain the dwell time you describe- 1 gal per minute.

    When I first considered using Purigen, I tried using the 100ml bags by placing them in my canister filter. The only benefit I got was an improvement in water clarity. After a couple of weeks I removed them and carefully cut them open. When Purigen beads are exposed to organic compounds, they slowly darken. It was apparent that water was not flowing thru the bag properly because the beads close to the bag were dark, and there were a few "channels" all the way thru where water was flowing, but about 80% of the beads showed no signs of darkening. Basically what was happening was that water pressure was compacting the beads against the bag and not allowing water to flow thru.

    The challenge in getting Purigen to work in a reactor is two fold due to the nature of the Purigen beads. First, they are very small (about 0.03 inch in diameter) and second, they are only SLIGHTLY more dense than water. The reactor has to fluidize the beads, AND keep them out of the aquarium. When I designed my reactor, I discovered that the most difficult part was to get the reactor to work reliability for thirty days or more without having the tiny beads block the return flow of water. The design presented in part 4 does this extremely well, but the biggest problem with it is that it is not easy to implement.

    I have used the Magnum 350 canister filter in years past, and believe that it would require extensive modifications, and probably not work very well in the end. What I would suggest is to take a look at the reactor that is presented in the video (Post #22) and see if it will do the job. In Post #27 it's identified as an MR1 reactor and there is a link to it. Perhaps you could contact Josie and find out how well it works. I would be very interested in knowing what you determine.

    If you would like some help with this, I'm willing to assist you, just PM me. I would very much like to see someone validate the results that I have obtained with my setup. What I can tell you for certain is that the system I have presented works extremely well and keeps my aquarium prestine clean while greatly reducing the maintenance to keep it that way.

    Paul

  2. #32

    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Thanks Paul,

    It's hard to argue against the facts, but I'm sure some do. Most people don't have the technical and mechanical ability to put together a system like yours. I would need to order a ready made reactor. Thanks for the offer of help. If I set up a similar system, I'll definitely contact you.

    Quote Originally Posted by afriend View Post
    When I first considered using Purigen, I tried using the 100ml bags by placing them in my canister filter. The only benefit I got was an improvement in water clarity. After a couple of weeks I removed them and carefully cut them open. When Purigen beads are exposed to organic compounds, they slowly darken. It was apparent that water was not flowing thru the bag properly because the beads close to the bag were dark, and there were a few "channels" all the way thru where water was flowing, but about 80% of the beads showed no signs of darkening. Basically what was happening was that water pressure was compacting the beads against the bag and not allowing water to flow thru.

    The challenge in getting Purigen to work in a reactor is two fold due to the nature of the Purigen beads. First, they are very small (about 0.03 inch in diameter) and second, they are only SLIGHTLY more dense than water. The reactor has to fluidize the beads, AND keep them out of the aquarium. When I designed my reactor, I discovered that the most difficult part was to get the reactor to work reliability for thirty days or more without having the tiny beads block the return flow of water. The design presented in part 4 does this extremely well, but the biggest problem with it is that it is not easy to implement.

    I have used the Magnum 350 canister filter in years past, and believe that it would require extensive modifications, and probably not work very well in the end. What I would suggest is to take a look at the reactor that is presented in the video (Post #22) and see if it will do the job. In Post #27 it's identified as an MR1 reactor and there is a link to it. Perhaps you could contact Josie and find out how well it works. I would be very interested in knowing what you determine.

    If you would like some help with this, I'm willing to assist you, just PM me. I would very much like to see someone validate the results that I have obtained with my setup. What I can tell you for certain is that the system I have presented works extremely well and keeps my aquarium prestine clean while greatly reducing the maintenance to keep it that way.

    Paul

  3. #33
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium



    Very interesting stuff I agree with the way purigen is not very affective in a media bag. The stuff works great in a reactor I have been using this for a while and love the results......Josie

    22 Discus, 80 rummy nose, 50 cardinals and 4 green phantoms and the water is crystal clear and the parameters are spot on.......Josie
    Last edited by Chicago Discus; 02-25-2014 at 05:47 PM.
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  4. #34
    Registered Member nc0gnet0's Avatar
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    oops, wrong thread!
    Last edited by nc0gnet0; 03-04-2014 at 07:59 PM.
    Ex-President-North American Discus Association-NADA
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  5. #35
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Josie, I would love to know the details on how you set up the purigen reactor and tied it into the sump..Would love to try it with my system. Your Discus are breath takingly beautiful and so peaceful looking...If you ever want to share how you achieve that I'm all ears!

    Sent from my Galaxy Note 3
    Judi

  6. #36

    Default Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk?

    Yes. Tell us.
    Last edited by OC Discus; 03-04-2014 at 09:04 PM.

  7. #37
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Quote Originally Posted by judijetson View Post
    Josie, I would love to know the details on how you set up the purigen reactor and tied it into the sump..Would love to try it with my system. Your Discus are breath takingly beautiful and so peaceful looking...If you ever want to share how you achieve that I'm all ears!

    Sent from my Galaxy Note 3
    Josie,

    Yes, please tell us how your Purigen reactor works and how you implemented in your system. AND the results you have obtained.

    Paul

  8. #38
    Registered Member CraigJ's Avatar
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Hi Paul,

    Thank you for sharing your experiences through your excellent write-ups. Regarding Purigen, I'm wondering if this is a simplified version of what some of you are using; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLYLd3Bldkw

    Any thoughts?

    Craigj

  9. #39

    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Craigj,

    Below is a link to purchase your unit. This is designed as a fluidized sand bed filter, but it works as a purigen reactor as well? Why couldn't a person have one of each, side by side, for a display tank- One bio canister and one purigen reactor. The compact size would fit easily under a cabinet.

    Can you provide more pictures of how it is mounted in your tank? Is it a hang on the back unit, internal unit, or can it sit below with just the power head in the tank? I would prefer the last option.

    http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...030xMPPSxCPA21

  10. #40

    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Setup Instructions for fluidized sand bed/purigen reactor

    http://www.lifegardaquatics.com/pdfs/fluidizedbedUG.pdf

  11. #41
    Registered Member CraigJ's Avatar
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    O C,

    Sorry, that is a Youtube video I stumbled into when I was researching Paul's DIY Purigen reactor. If the Lifeguard product works as in the video, it would cost less than just the Watts Big Clear 20-BC used in Paul's build. More to ponder, but I have to get Discus first......

  12. #42
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Quote Originally Posted by CraigJ View Post
    Hi Paul,

    Thank you for sharing your experiences through your excellent write-ups. Regarding Purigen, I'm wondering if this is a simplified version of what some of you are using; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLYLd3Bldkw

    Any thoughts?

    Craigj
    Craig,

    Thank you for posting this, I have not seen this video before. Heres my thoughts on it. The reactor is producing excellent results in fluidizing the Purigen beads. There appears to be a huge amount of Purigen (perhaps a liter or more) in the vessel. Note that there is a very slow water flow thru the reactor (about 1 to 2 g/min) and this is also good. So from the standpoint of getting the Purigen to absorb organic compounds, theres no question that the reactor itself will do an extremely good job.

    The author of this video does not address how the reactor is integrated into an aquarium. In order to use the reactor for a display tank, one must first figure out how to prefilter the water before entering the reactor. Otherwise the Purigen in the reactor is going to get allot suspended solids in it and a liter of Purigen costs about $40. The second consideration is how to keep the Purigen beads out of the display tank. The beads wont harm the fish, but is undesirable from an aesthetic view. There must also be consideration for keeping the reactor going for up to a month or more before it needs to be serviced.

    So, I believe that this method of implementing a Purigen reactor is a really good prospect to consider. Especially since it appears to be much simpler than my Purigen reactor. Perhaps someone on the SD forum can take this reactor and figure out how to apply it into my concept of a "total filtration system". As a suggestion, I think that theres a good chance that the reactor shown in the video could be integrated into a sump system. Just have to figure out how to prefilter the water and trap the beads, and you got a really good Purigen reactor.

    Thank you again.

    Paul

  13. #43
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    Quote Originally Posted by OC Discus View Post
    Setup Instructions for fluidized sand bed/purigen reactor

    http://www.lifegardaquatics.com/pdfs/fluidizedbedUG.pdf
    OC Discus,

    Yea, keep the good ideas coming.

    Paul

  14. #44
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    OK I will do my best,

    My Purigen reactor that I use is the MR1 reactor I believe they use this reactor mostly in saltwater aquariums. http://www.nextreef.com/reactors.html you can use the one I use or any reactor will really work. I purchased the reactor and 500 ML of Purigen rinsed everything very well including the Purigen itself. Place the product in the reactor and used floss at the top part of the reactor as to not have leakage when you turn the reactor on. Connect your hoses to the reactor and at the pump end put a ball valve so you can regulate the water flow going into the reactor. once running you want the Purigen to move but no so fast as it reaches the top of the first sponge a nice gentle flow will work. You can place both ends in the aquarium that you a using the reactor with as I do both ends are placed at the end of my moving bed sump. In the last chamber of the sump the water is constantly being pump and moving so placing both ends in that chamber is a good idea.

    Alright we get the idea of how to set it up now I'm going to explain why I started using the Purigen reactor. I started using the reactor in my 300g tank because its pretty crowded 25+ full grown discus, 5 Plecos L200, 50-60 rummy nose, 50-60 cardinal tetras, 20 corys, some plants and a piece of driftwood. So as you can see the 300 is very crowded and over stocked. With the three to four water changes a week 60 to 80 percent I still was getting some levels in the tank that I didn't feel comfortable with and I needed to change something so my water would be more stable. So instead of removing some of the tank occupants which is the right thing to do..LOL..And being very stubborn as I am I decided to come up with a plan. So I started doing some research on how I could solve this problem without thinning the herd in the 300. Even though the K1 moving bed works great and you get good results it was still taxing the system and couldn't keep up with the bio load. I didn't have room in the moving bed filter to add more K1 so I need a way to trick the system. What the reactor gave after it was set up was more surface area to work with in a very small cramp space. So basically in a nut shell I tricked my system in thinking it was actually bigger than it really was increasing the surface area of the filter (Life support system for the 300).

    After using the reactor for a few months the water parameters in the 300 stabilized making me happy an the occupants happy and healthy. these are my results from my use of a Purigen reactor Im not an expert or claim to know everything about Discus, Im still learning just like everyone here. Sorry for this being so long......LOL.....Josie
    Last edited by Chicago Discus; 03-05-2014 at 12:25 PM.
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  15. #45
    Registered Member judijetson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Getting the WOW Affect with Allot Less Work - Part 1 The Aquarium

    I like this idea a lot and am going to give it a try with my sump system

    Sent from my Galaxy Note 3
    Judi

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