Equipment Review and Discussion :: Purigen Question

[Kansasslider]

To regenerate. I know I use bleach/water.my question is do I need to soak in Prime for 8 hrs or just soak in Neutral Regulator for 4 hrs or both? Instructions are not clear about this. Just says for fresh water to soak in N/ Reg for 4 hrs?u

[VeipaCray]

From their website:

Regeneration: Soak in a 1:1 bleach:water solution for 24 hours in a non-metalic container in a well ventilated area and away from children. Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of ChlorGuard™, Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. 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 chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit.

[Kansasslider]

Those are the old directions
Now you are told to soak in Discus buffer or Neutral regulator for 4 hrs to drop the PH
Researched it yesterday. Kinda funny you have to use all their products. Makes me wonder if its really worth all the money spent?

[Listen97]

Those are the old directions
Now you are told to soak in Discus buffer or Neutral regulator for 4 hrs to drop the PH
Researched it yesterday. Kinda funny you have to use all their products. Makes me wonder if its really worth all the money spent?

Or as most companies do, they make a cleaning solution that works as good as the bleach method and think we can make some money on this. I'm thinking if bleach has been the method for years and they haven't changed the formula to make the Purigen, then the cleaner they sell is just a money making product.

[VeipaCray]

They may be older directions, but they have worked for the 10 or so years I've been using Purigen. I doubt they've changed the product. And those are the directions still published on the website.

@Listen> I agree.

[Kansasslider]

I understand this
Apparently they figured out the bleach and or prime raises the PH really high. Wait till you get a new pack you will.see the instructions have changed. I wonder how people ever kept tanks clear before Bio media, purigen etcetc. I don't think you need any of this stuff to have a nice clean and clear tank. At least I never had all this stuff 20 yrs ago when I had me Oscars!
And it was a great looking tank.

[Kansasslider]

Mine after regeneration. What happened?

[Kansasslider]

I think my problem was I let it dry after regeneration?

[devilduck]

Never seen it turn pink like that before. Try re-soaking it in some treated water overnight.
Seachem doesn't recommend letting the Purigen dry completely because the grains will crack. I don't think it effect the performance at all but might make the tiny gainuals even tinier.

[Kansasslider]

I put it in water and it seams to be OK. I thought I had ruined it.I did some research an found your right your not supposed to let it dry. They should tell you this in the instructions.

[devilduck]

Just remember to rinse the hell out of it after the bleach treatment. Bleach is oily feeling takes a bit to rinse off completely.

[twoam]

From their website:

Regeneration: Soak in a 1:1 bleach:water solution for 24 hours in a non-metalic container in a well ventilated area and away from children. Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of ChlorGuard™, Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. 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 chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit.

The purigen I recently purchased had the directions above with this stuck in the middle of them...."For freshwater use, soak for 4 hours with a solution containing 1 TBSP of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer, Neutral Regulator)".

These directions confused me to. It is time to switch bags and regenerate the spare and still not sure which method to use.

Thanks for all the advice on media VeipaCray. I set the filter up according to the media thread and your advice on carbon, purigen, algae control and water conditioners (not using them). Water is so crystal clear that I actually hate to take some out for a cleaning/partial water change. Clarence thanks you also

[Into_the_Mystic]

I soak mine over night in a plastic container with 1/2 bleach 1/2 water, then I rinse well and then soak it overnight again with a dechlorifier.

It is still a tiny bit yellow and stinks like rotten eggs! yuck!

[Kansasslider]

From their website:

Regeneration: Soak in a 1:1 bleach:water solution for 24 hours in a non-metalic container in a well ventilated area and away from children. Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of ChlorGuard™, Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. 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 chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit.

That's exactly my point the changed the directions for only one reason. Bleach is really high in PH.
The purigen I recently purchased had the directions above with this stuck in the middle of them...."For freshwater use, soak for 4 hours with a solution containing 1 TBSP of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer, Neutral Regulator)".

These directions confused me to. It is time to switch bags and regenerate the spare and still not sure which method to use.

Thanks for all the advice on media VeipaCray. I set the filter up according to the media thread and your advice on carbon, purigen, algae control and water conditioners (not using them). Water is so crystal clear that I actually hate to take some out for a cleaning/partial water change. Clarence thanks you also

[Kansasslider]

My point is now they say to use a PH buffer that of course they make. What a rip off. I'm sticking with bleach and maybe soak in water for a day or 2? After all turtles are OK with Ph from 6 to 8. So unless you have nice fish and why would you"LUNCH" It should be fine. I try to keep my PH at 7.