General Care Discussion :: Reptisafe ok to use with Purigen?

[SouthpawSliders]

I got some purigen I wanted to try in my fluval 305. I am about to do a total water change and tank cleaning, but I am wondering if the reptisafe water condition will damage the purigen.

I called seachem, but they were closed. I was hoping to do this tonight, but I can wait until tomorrow if necessary.

Anyone know for sure what the deal is on this? Thanks!

[VeipaCray]

They are possibly not compatible as Repti Safe promotes a slime coat. See below

You don't need a water conditioner. Just put a little carbon in your canister.... carbon can be used with purigen. The carbon will absorb the chloramine / chlorine from the water. The purigen will do the rest.


From the Seachem site....

Q: On some of the Purigen® documentation I have read it says that some slime coat products can contaminate Purigen® and render it toxic. Can you identify these products ?

A: Only certain slime coat products will cause Purigen® to become toxic; the products that do this are amine based. Prime® and Safe™ are not amine based and so will not cause this problem. If you're curious, what happens is that the amine compounds can strongly bind to the resin, then when they (the amines) come into contact with any chlorine they will form chloramines which are highly toxic. We offer a stress coat product, StressGuard™, which is not amine based and so can be used in conjunction with Purigen.™

http://www.seachem.com/support/FAQs/Purigen.html

[SouthpawSliders]

I contacted Seachem, and they weren't sure if Reptisafe contained any amines- the compound that binds with the resin in Purigen and can release chloramine into the water.

Then, I contacted ZooMed, and they told me that Reptisafe does not contain amines. Therefore, it is compatible with Purigen.

Feel free to verify this yourself, but this is what I was told by both companies tech support.

Sweet! So, the kids are in for a tank cleaning, fresh water, and purigen filtration. We'll see how that goes.

[VeipaCray]

Why not just use carbon in your filter to conition the water?

No hazardous chemicals need to be added to the water your turtle lives in then.

[SouthpawSliders]

The whole point of getting the purigen was so I could stop using carbon. The carbon is more expensive in the long run, and seems like it creates more waste in terms of stuff to use and throw away.

Also, I could have sworn that either you, or someone else here said using purigen and carbon was overkill, and unnecessary.

Anyway, maybe we can start fresh here and let me tell you what I did, and/or plan to do, and you tell me if it's good.

In case I couldn't use the reptisafe with the purigen, I filled up a few buckets with cold tap water, and let them sit for 2 nights to let the chlorine evaporate. I got 4 bags of purigen (2 for immediate use and 2 in reserve). I have a fluval 305, and I was planning on putting an extra sponge in the very bottom basket for extra mechanical filtration; then 2 bags of purigen (1 in each basket section of the second level), then fill the top basket sections with bio media.

I'm basically starting from scratch as if it were a brand new setup. I'm cleaning out the tank, and all the stuff in it. I don't remember exactly what I did the first time around, but I don't think it was setup perfectly.

Anyway, how does this sound to you? I guess I could also use carbon if I have to. I could buy bulk carbon and get media bags.
How do I know if there is chloramine in the first place? Is there a test? I'm in the San Fernando valley in Calif; anyone know about the water here?

I love my turtles and don't want anything to hurt them. I was so paranoid when they were babies (before I found this site) I used to put bottled water in their little tank just to make sure it was clean and pure. I only got the water treatment because I thought it was what was best for them. If there is a better way, I'm all for it.

[VeipaCray]

Letting the tap water sit in a bucket overnight would let chlorine evaporate, but the cold tap water more than likely was treated with chloramine which doesn't evaporate. Most water municipals use chloramine because it doesn't evaporate. Odds are it's chloramine.

Yes for everyday use... you don't need both carbon and purigen. You CAN run them at the same time, but they end up doing the same thing... remove dissolved organics. The one important thing that carbon does that purigen does not is remove chloramine.

Here's what I would do:
Fill your tank with cold tap water.
Setup your filter for the optional filtering and run your heater. Run your filter that way for a day or so (yank out the chloramine)
switch your filter to the normal media setup (purigen instead of carbon) and regular media.

see this thread: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=30145

[SouthpawSliders]

Ok, so if I run the optional setup to remove the chloramine, once I take out that carbon after a day, do I have to toss it, or can I save it, let it dry, and do this again a few times when I do a total tank change?

Also, what is filter floss? Can I just use the sponges or what?

Thanks!

Oh, and what do I do with the turtles? Can I leave them in a dry box with a towel for a day?

[SouthpawSliders]

Duh, maybe I should learn to read!

I am going to try the "optional" filter setup for a day to condition the water, then change out the media to purigen and biomedia.

I had some filter floss material for my old filter for them. This should condition and "polish" the water to get it ready for the kids.

So, can I save the carbon from this conditioning and use it again, or???

[VeipaCray]

The problem with carbon is that you cannot tell when it's life is done short of vigorously measuring water parameters (and the test kits cost more than a carbon replacement) Could you reuse it? Maybe. The more stuff in your tap water, the quicker the carbon becomes exhausted.

You'll like the purigen. It turns dark brown. In my signature is a link to my build thread where I have a picture of new purigen and month old purigen side-by-side.