Spec-Tanks | Top Q&A

I have been using the Seachem Purigen in the filter section of my Fluval Spec V aquarium for a few months now. I recently pulled up the filter media and the Purigen has now turned a nice, dark brown. Their instructions have the following to say about when to clean: “Exhaustion is indicated by a marked discoloration of the granules to dark brown or black.” While the black still hadn’t gone away, I couldn’t help myself and decided to clean it up.Read: How to Regenerate Purigen Being able to clean (renew or recharge) this medium and put it back to use is a big plus that I discussed in the Seachem Purigen Review. mine. Their documentation says it can be regenerated up to 10 times. Some people are a little upset about cleaning it as it involves some potentially harmful methods and materials, namely bleach. I will share Seachem’s exact instructions again here, and then I will describe in my own words how to clean your Purigen. From their website: [Seachem has updated portions since this article was first published and those changes are now included below – I have indicated changes with bold text]Soak in a 1:1 bleach solution for 24 hours in a non-metallic container in a well-ventilated area and out of the reach of children. Use regular 8.25% hypochlorite household bleach (unscented, dye free, do not use low spatter bleach). Then rinse, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 4 tablespoons Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse clean. To use fresh water, soak for 4 hours with a solution containing 2 tablespoons of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer®, Neutral Regulator®). Original and fully functional color will now be restored and Purigen® ready for use again. Caution: some slime coat products may stain Purigen® permanently and make it difficult to regenerate. Do not reuse if bleach/chlorine odor is detected. In case of doubt, soak the seeds in a small amount of water and test for residual chlorine with a chlorine test kit. “One notable change that Seachem has added over the years is the recommendation that the Purigen last be soaked for 4 hours if Purigen is being used in a freshwater tank. I’ve never taken this extra step and I haven’t experienced any side effects either.

Supplies needed to regenerate Seachem Purigen:

Tank safe Tupperware container. Preferably one with a base that helps your beach bag lie flat. Aquarium safes, I mean aquarium-only ones, have not been washed with soap. Do not use metal containers as bleach will corrode/react with it.
Bleach. I choose to use the Clorox brand as we have and it was mentioned (before) on the Seachem website that’s what they use.
Seachem Prime Dechlorinator
Machine water
Your dirty, nasty Purigen

Step one: Pocket your Purigen from the filter. Rinse it under gentle running water to remove any residue. Place the Purigen bag in your Tupperware.Step two: Measure bleach and tap water into your kit in equal parts (to make the mixture in a 1:1 ratio). I wanted to give my Purigen a little space so I ordered 1-1/2 cups [350 ml] water and 1-1/2 cups Clorox bleach. Read more: How to break padlocks in an underwater recorderThird step: Let this sit for 24 hours. Every now and then I wiggle the bowl around a bit to mix the contents, trying to get all the contents of the bag exposed to the bleach. The process can be foul – at the end of 24 hours, it has a slight smell of dead fish. I left the bowl in the garage. I would recommend somewhere outside your home. If you’re staying in an apartment, maybe stay in the bathroom with the exhaust fan on. At the end of 24 hours, water that was significantly tinged with litter was pulled out of Purigen. Looks good!Step four – Purigen rinse: At this point, you have a product that has released a lot of surface dirt, but it’s swimming in the litter and covered in bleach, both of which you don’t want back in your aquarium. I spent 5 solid minutes rinsing the Purigen bag under cold running water. Turn the bag upside down to test and expose all of the pellets to running water.Step 5 – Main Soak: Rinse your tupperware container. Fill 1 cup [237 ml) of tap water and 4 tablespoons [59 ml] by Seachem Prime. Let it soak for 8 hours. If you are working with a larger bag, keep the same ratio but increase the water to completely submerge the purigen.Step six: Rinse Purigen again under running water. That’s what the instructions say to do, but then you have chlorinated tap water in your Purigen. Might be overkill but. . .Step 7: Rinse the tupperware, fill with tap water 1/2 to 3/4, put the Purigen bag in, add two drops of Seachem Prime to dechlorinate. Let it rest for a few minutes. For marine aquarium use, I substitute RODI for tap water in this step and will probably skip Prime. Tap water might work fine but I have a hard time getting it right with tap water when it comes to saltwater tanks. Read more: how to use a well pump on the groundStep 8: Place Purigen back into your aquarium’s filter media.

Result:

My 100ml Purigen bag wasn’t quite as snow-white as I expected from their description, but it did get a lot cleaner after the whole process.After I added it back to the aquarium I had no problems with any of my fish or shrimp. It’s not too complicated and it’s nice to have it back to almost its original state. rotate while I clean the other. When you store the product, just be sure to keep it wet; Add a little water to the ziplok bag and tie it all up.

Update – Results for using saltwater aquariums:

We now have a working nano saltwater tank and I have had the opportunity to regenerate several 100 ml Purigen bags alternately for this tank. buffer soak as Seachem recommends for fresh water use). The only difference I cover in this article’s instructions – for saltwater, I do a final rinse and soak in RODI water (as opposed to a final rinse in dechlorinated tap water). Nothing died. There are no adverse effects on fish, snails, corals, or anything else that we observe in this marine system. I was a bit nervous using this process for a more sensitive saltwater system, but it worked well. Make sure it is completely rinsed with no traces of chlorine left in the Purigen. If you have questions about any part of the reproduction process, it’s best to throw out the media and replace it with new material. In the grand scheme of things (taking into account the high cost of even a simple nano reef setup), it’s not worth risking a tank full of coral and fish on a 12-pack of Purigen dollars. – they simply threw it out and replaced it with a new one. It’s the safest option and one I understand and can respect.Share on FacebookRead more: Carl’s Terraria Guide | Top Q&A