# Would a 500mL bottle of Purigen be enough for two FX5s?



## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

I used the last of my carbon today, and someone suggested to me checking out Purigen. It sounds fantastic. I was wondering if a 500mL bottle would be enough to split between my two FX5s.

This one:
Seachem Purigen 500ml // Aquarium Supplies Canada - Pond Supplies Canada - Reptile Supplies Canada // Pets & Ponds

Thanks


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

not sure how many gallons you have but it's probably more than enough....A 100 mL bag is supposed to be good for up to 100 gal.
J&L carries it too but I think the biggest bottle they carry is 250 ml
It's definitely a great product and is awesome about polishing the water


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

Sounds good! I've got 75 and 90gal. I was most concerned about making sure there's enough to spread out into a full layer, since the diameter of the media baskets is pretty big.
The carbon will of course last a little while longer, but I'm looking at putting together an order from petsandponds. Just need to figure out what I really need and what I can live without


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

not an expert on Purigen, but I believe it is intended to use in mesh bags they sell for it:
SeaChem "The Bag" Filter Media Bag
I dont think you need to layer it in the filter, because in my experience it works like a magnet. I could be wrong but I do use the bags & they work great.
Here's some more info on it: Seachem. Purigen


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

If I recall right when I used the 1L with it filled up two mesh bags so 500ml will fill I believe 1 of those mesh bags to about 3.5" x 7" x 1.25" to give you a idea of how much media it is


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## Vman (Jan 20, 2011)

You must put it in the mesh bag. I use it in both of my filters and its awesome. You don't have to cover the whole surface of the basket. I first thought the same,it seemed to make sense. You'll see after a couple of weeks how much shite it will collect. I swear by it. I also love the way you can regenerate it with bleach then prime.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Can purigen be used with planted tanks, or will it take out the nitrates necessary for plant growth?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

It will last much longer than carbon and can be recharged again and again.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Yes, you can use it in planted tanks. I've done so for years.
When you bag it, make sure you don't layer it too thick. A 1/2" layer will do, to allow the water to freely flow through it completely, for best results.
500 ml will last you a long time for your 2 tanks. You can re-charge it about every 3 weeks or so, at least a dozen times before it begins to lose it's effectiveness - so it's relatively inexpensive to use, and it works great.


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

I've regenerated my 100ml purigen bags several times and they just keep working, just like a Timex watch. It's awsome stuff and I don't use carbon at all, Purigen will not leach the bad stuff back into the water as carbon does after about a month if you forget to replace it. A little more expensive but worth it. IMO


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

Cool, thanks for all your posts guys 
Yes, I was going to use the same bags that my carbon is in now.


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

Unless you're using Seachem's "The Bag" for your carbon, you're going to have a snowstorm of Purigen running through your tank. Particles are fine and not intended to be used with standard media bags. Save yourself some time and trouble and order at least a couple of Seachem's bags while you're at it. I have 4 or 5, and I swap in a regenerated bag with the dirty bags every few months so I regenerate several bags at a time.


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

Interesting... 
Has anyone tried it using a media bag besides the seachem one? 
I believe the ones I have are these:
Universal Fluval Nylon Media Bags - 2 Pack // Aquarium Supplies Canada - Pond Supplies Canada - Reptile Supplies Canada // Pets & Ponds

Came with the big bottle of fluval carbon.


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

A quick google search came up with this review of the fluval media bag:

"Really nice media bag for larger media. I'm using it in a Fluval 206. It's certainly a good deal for two bags. I got it hoping that it would work with Seachem's Purigen. No go. Don't get it for Purigen. The Purigen is too small and just flows out through the mesh."

So thanks for the heads up hp.
I see pets and ponds has the seachem bags on sale a bit for $6.99, though 2 of them will push my order over $100 x_x Things sure add up quick!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

yes it is super fine, definitely use the proper bags. If you get it up to $200 you can get free shipping :bigsmile: Just sayin'......lol


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## BullDog (Apr 21, 2010)

Lol 
But I'm trying to curb my spending! Technically, the only thing I need from there are a couple UVB bulbs for my turtles, they're cheaper there than anywhere else. I usually get 4, which is usually a 2 year supply, assuming none of them burn out prematurely. 
The purigen (and now the bags) are more for me. I've been using carbon, but I don't change them near as often as I should, and I like the idea of being able to refresh the purigen.
And I threw in some seachem biomedia, because you can never have too much biomedia  And CHA-CHING! $100 (plus 10-15 shipping).
But it should last me a couple years. So I have to think of it that way, and not the $100 hit that I see my wallet take :lol:


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## mitchb (Apr 27, 2011)

One of the things about the bag that purigen has is that it can stand up to bleaching. I have never bleached it when I used it as I am paranoid of bleach touching the water and killing my fish, but apparently the other bags dont hold up well to the recharging. If you wanted to avoid the bag you could t off the reutrn from your fx and put reactor inline but that doesnt save money... but the moving reactor looks cool


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

mitchb said:


> One of the things about the bag that purigen has is that it can stand up to bleaching. I have never bleached it when I used it as I am paranoid of bleach touching the water and killing my fish, but apparently the other bags dont hold up well to the recharging. If you wanted to avoid the bag you could t off the reutrn from your fx and put reactor inline but that doesnt save money... but the moving reactor looks cool


That's true, my bags are still going strong - but the original plastic ties have since fallen to pieces, so make sure you have extra cable ties on hand after a few bleaching treatments.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

I run bags in my smaller tanks, but for my 125 gallon (which incidentally has an FX5 on it, along with 2 other filters), I run a Two Little Fishes Phosban reactor to fluidize the Purigen and it works remarkably well. So well in fact that I recharge the Purigen in it twice as often as in the canisters. But it's also faster/easier to recharge since there is no bag. There are a number of posts/threads on here and other forums from people who use this method if you want to try it. The big trick is you need a slower flow rate and you need to cut out little pieces of "The Bag" as extra filter material instead of the sponges. I run mine with an MJ400 with the valve turned 3/4 way down.


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

I've used the larger sized fine mesh bags available @ PetSmart stores for around $2 for two bags.
Just make sure you double bag the Purigen in these bags and they'll work fine.
Also, you can get fine mesh Organza material bags of various sizes at many gift shops (they're used in which to place wedding/birthday gifts, etc.). They work well too.
I've used both types for several years.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Planted tanks guys please clarify? If purigen takes out nitrates but we're fertilizing to get no3 into the water for plant use then isn't purigen counterproductive for plant growth?


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

No expert but I did look up a little before I setup my 180gallon planted with purigen.

From what I read (may or may not be accurate as its not right from experts who have study its affects, and who knows maybe I mis-understand it!), it appears as if purigen will remove organic wastes and and not inorganic. So dosing with fertilizers is giving you inorganic sources for your plants of its nutrients and fish waste and so on is giving you the organic source. To some extent there will be less in the tank for the plants to draw from but it is only from the organics and not what you're dosing that will be getting pulled out.

Seachems own site says regarding the trace minerals that its affects on them are minimal, but even with that you're usually dosing slight above what is required anyways.

With that said, freshly planted 180gallon tank with purigen, the plants seem to be doing fine, I'm just dosing with flourish, setup my co2 last night so stopped dosing with excel. Waiting on gram scale so I can setup my drip system.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

From what I understand purigen is meant as a chemical/biological filter media for planted tanks. It is not supposed to adsorb trace elements the way carbon would, plus it will not release stuff back into the water column once it is expired. Personally I find that with planted tank there are lots of mulm and purigen can take those out much better than other media I have tried. I think it is also a good media for discus tanks as it is supposed to lower nitrate as well...For the same reason, it is also a good choice for over stocked tanks.
Be careful when using purigen with API product (especially water conditioner) because you may have problem regenerating your purigen due to some kind of chemical that API uses.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Thanks for the info guys. I'll put some of this stuff in my 22gal filter tomorrow; I need something to scrub its water. The water in the 20gal with UV looks so much better.


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