I have not used purigen as an alternative to activated carbon. I have used it to compare with Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.) because of its claims that it is superior. I only used the "bulk" form in a jar (they didn't have the pre-bagged stuff at that time) I thought it may be better because it can be regenerated by bleaching. I used it like D.E. powder would be used and found it to be a PITA, little white beads all over the place. Aside from that it did a nice job. It is a little expensive compared to D.E. for as little as I use it. I reccomended it to 2 people, o to help with water clarity. It helped one person and they swear by it and use it as a mechanical filter, with a coarse sponge as a prefilter. The other said it did improve clarity but didn't solve the problem completely. I don't really know what the reason was for eithers clarity problems. They both used the pre-packed form. If you dont use the prepacked (prepacked meaning it comes in a little mesh bag) you will need a fine mesh media bag , I would say 200 micron or slightly less. I would also reccomend a prefilter (a coarse sponge before the pack) so that it wont clog that easy.With all that said if you want to try it as an experiment to see , I say "Why not". You will need a dechlorinator for the regeneration procedure, just check the directions. I still have a 3/4 jar left, I may try it again as filter media to see for myself.

well this is only about my fifth attempt to get to this point! why oh why does this thing freeze up!?

thanks, woeisme. i already have a sponge prefilter... connected to my aquaclear. so that is a start.

jpoint well taken on the pre bagged stuff. i can see it now, the bruises from trying to skate on the little tiny beads all over the floor and trying to shake off the ones stuck by static electricity..

i am having a hard time understanding how you can regenerate it with chlorine, though. i only heard of ion exchange resins being regenerated with salt when used as a water softener.

Purigen isn't an ion exchange resin. It is actually a soft, rubbery bead. It is what seachem describes as "macro-pourus" so the bleach would just loosen and dissolve the crud it collects. It is very small so it allows it to be packed tightly to catch more than A.C. it also has a ton of surface area. After it is clean from the bleach it is reccomended to use dechlorinator to remove any residue chlorine.

thank you for that wonderful explanation! so, it sounds like it also has biological filtration capabilities. will it take away nutrients from my plants?

Fairy toadmother...what size aquarium do you have and what type of fish do you have?? I thought I knew you well and now I find you have an aquarium. Oh I suppose you mentioned the aquarium hobby at the pond forum but gee I must have skimmed through that part. Sorry my dear friend. I remember you saying something about having a few tanks in your home if my memory is correct. Please pardon me, I am an oldie. Ha!
Theresa

lol, theresa! i brought my old aquarium home from my grams house oohhhhhh, early september? it is a 25 high mirror backed, oak trim but the cabinest is pine with oak stain.

she(gram) had 2 albino cories still and they are now joined with 2 angels (after losing 2 others) and one corydoras nanus (?).

i have a 10 gal set up temporary (taht i had used for the tadpoles a couple years ago!) for quarantining a guppy trio. the 10 gal stand was also my grams but the metal sided tanks are long gone, replaced by 2 newer ones. so, the bottom one is anxiously awaiting to quarantine more "pygmy sized" cories or 2 kuhli loaches.

i DREAM of moving my 2 angels to a larger tank...if only that living room would get finished. i don't dare buy one and put one in there then try to move it to finish the floor (carpet needs replaced with carpet or laminate flooring).

"sound like it has biological filtration capabilities" Yes, while it is in the filter it will get bacteria growth on it I'm sure. It has good surface area. When it is regenerated, the bacteria will die. I like to have the media that I am using for biological filtration as the last stage in filtration. I use a coarse sponge or similar material. I use a coarse sponge as a prefilter and mechanical filter, then chemical media like activated carbon, then the sponge or media of choice as bio filter. This way little to no rinsing is needed for the biological part. Keep in mind that the more plants you have the less bacteria is in your filtration system. The plants utilize and process ammonia/nitrites and nitrates. " will it take away any nutrients from my plants?" Yes, somewhat. Most aquarists that have planted tanks don't use activated carbon (AC) because of this. I have read that the impact is minimal though. I also didn't use the AC for a long time. I had a problem a while back with water quality and some fish got sick. I started using the AC again and had no problems with plant growth. I actually think they grew slightly better and I had less algae. I still use AC to this day and replace it every 2 weeks. I have not noticed any difference in Nitrate or phosphate levels, that is the only nutrient tests I have. One day I will get the iron and potassium tests. Iron more so, most aquarists that are also chemists that have written articles on fertilizer dosing will say that aquatic plants cant get enough potassium.

Woisme...great name. Ha! Thank you for that bit of information about AC not hurting plant growth. How long have you been in this hobby? You seem to have a lot of knowledge and experience. Right now I am raising a Hardy water lily plantlet in my 10 gallon Nano aquarium. It is doing fine. I had it in my pond until Fall set in and thought I would try it in my aquarium. It is not blooming but growing with tiny and large leaf pads along the tuber rooted in the gravel of my aquarium. It really looks nice in there.
Theresa

thank you , woeisme. i hear iron tests are not always dependable b/c they don't differentiate b/t chelated and total iron. there is one test i found in a catalog yesterday thta claims it does. hmmmm, what was it? catalogs just don't like to tell you the manufacturers name. it looks like a hagen box- at that fish place.

theresa, i almost brought mine in for the same thing but didn't! still out in the cold for year #3

Yes, I heard the same about iron tests, one reason I haven't got one yet. I think it is the hagen thats the better or was it seachem's, don't know, no rush though I just add iron supplement in small doses and I use Florite for the heavy root feeders. How long in the hobby? Well my older brothers and sisters had aquariums so as far back as I remember. I got "my" first aquarium, a spare 10G from my sister, at about age 10 I think. I gave away most stuff at age 17 (just around the time I got my drivers license) I held on to 1 aquarium until age 19 when I left for boot camp. I had a 55G for about almost 2 years some time in my late 20's and cared for a freinds aquarium for a little over a year after that. The most recent aquariums started over 3 years ago, I did alot of research because of difficulties starting the first one without killing any fish. I found out that a great deal of people have had similar problems and got discouraged with it and just bagged fishkeeping. I did a lot of research, mostly on forums like this and some in magazines. Books are fine, by the time they are published some information is out dated. So now that the long version was answered I would say over 10 years LOL. What kind of lighting in the 10G? wattage and color temperature to be precise.