Purigen?

[Belgian Anthias]

Information provided by the manufacturer Seachem

Purigen® is a premium synthetic adsorbent that is unlike any other filtration product. It is not a mixture of ion exchangers or adsorbents, but a unique macro-porous synthetic polymer that removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all other competing products by over 500%. Purigen® controls ammonia, nitrites and nitrates by removing nitrogenous organic waste that would otherwise release these harmful compounds. Purigen’s impact on trace elements is minimal. It significantly raises redox. It polishes water to unparalleled clarity. Purigen® darkens progressively as it exhausts, and is easily renewed by treating with bleach. Purigen® is designed for both marine and freshwater use.

Purigen® removes soluble and insoluble impurities from water at a rate and capacity that exceeds all other competing products by over 500%.

Selectivity
Purigen® is the highest capacity organic filtration resin on the market. No other products can compare to its ability to clear haziness and polish water to unparalleled clarity. Unlike other products on the market which are simple ion-exchange resins, Purigen® is specifically designed to be an organic scavenging resin. When ion-exchange resins are filled to capacity by metals and other contaminants, Purigen® has barely begun to reach its potential. Purigen® generally ignores simple elemental compounds, having an extreme affinity for nitrogenous organics. The primary source of nitrogenous compounds in an aquarium is waste. Fish, corals, even plants produce nitrogenous waste. Purigen® removes that waste faster and more completely than anything else on the market.



Capacity
Purigen’s® possesses enhanced capacity owing to its vast surface area. All other resins on the market are purely spherical extruded beads. These beads remain smooth even under a microscope. Purigen® is both spherical and macroreticular. It has microscopic pores that increase its usable surface area to many times that of a purely spherical resin.

After being on the market for many years this information is vague.

What exactly does Purigen remove? Can this polymer replace a skimmer and GAC?

 

[hart24601]

I wouldn’t replace a skimmer with it, but it is quite similar to carbon with both potentially have slightly different affinities. I run purigen all the time and sometimes add carbon for a while, just to supplement the purigen. It really works great in FW as well.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Purigen® generally ignores simple elemental compounds, having an extreme affinity for nitrogenous organics. The primary source of nitrogenous compounds in an aquarium is waste. Fish, corals, even plants produce nitrogenous waste.

Dissolved organic nitrogen includes a variety of organic molecules and compounds, ranging from small molecules like urea and amino acids, to peptides and proteins, but does also include viruses and small bacteria.

 

[hart24601]

I have operated a good range of tanks and do notice if not running a skimmer the purigen gets dark much faster so there is clearly overlap. In my picos I only used purigen and WC, but larger tanks use both just to clarify!

 

[PookieGV]

Thanks for starting the thread, this stuff is a bit of a mystery. I am planning on running purigen in my coral/invert qt. It is a small AIO with no skimmer. Does it make sense to run purigen + carbon?

 

[hart24601]

Thanks for starting the thread, this stuff is a bit of a mystery. I am planning on running purigen in my coral/invert qt. It is a small AIO with no skimmer. Does it make sense to run purigen + carbon?

Yes. I did for many years!

You can think of it like rechargable carbon that you know when it's exhausted by the color change. Carbon and purigen will bind slightly different compounds so imo I run both.

 

[BirdGuy21]

I’m recharging Purigen for my freshwater tank today, was just thinking about adding some to the reef.

 

[SPR1968]

I also use Purigen alongside Activated carbon and other things, and I can tell you when I change it every 4 months or so, the water goes noticeably clearer and sparkles.

It’s clear anyway, but Purigen certainly makes a worthwhile difference.

You certainly need to maintain a skimmer but it just removes different compounds to the other things in my system as well.

 

[Belgian Anthias]

Purigen® generally ignores simple elemental compounds, having an extreme affinity for nitrogenous organics. The primary source of nitrogenous compounds in an aquarium is waste. Fish, corals, even plants produce nitrogenous waste.

Dissolved organic nitrogen includes a variety of organic molecules and compounds, ranging from small molecules like urea and amino acids, to peptides and proteins, but does also include viruses and small bacteria.

Dissolved organic compounds include viruses and bacteria? Do you mean live viruses and Bacteria?
What is the difference between simple elemental compounds and small molecules?
Seachem claims it removes soluble and insoluble impurities. A skimmer is not able to do that.

If all the above this is true it can replace a skimmer!

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Dissolved organic compounds include viruses and bacteria? Do you mean live viruses and Bacteria?
What is the difference between simple elemental compounds and small molecules?
Seachem claims it removes soluble and insoluble impurities. A skimmer is not able to do that.

If all the above this is true it can replace a skimmer!

I don't use a skimmer

 

[Belgian Anthias]

Can Purigen remove bio-toxines?

 

[Belgian Anthias]

I also use Purigen alongside Activated carbon and other things, and I can tell you when I change it every 4 months or so, the water goes noticeably clearer and sparkles.
You certainly need to maintain a skimmer but it just removes different compounds to the other things in my system as well.

In what way the removed compounds are different and what are the other things?

 

[hart24601]

@Randy Holmes-Farley is the man to ask about that!

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I wouldn’t replace a skimmer with it, but it is quite similar to carbon with both potentially have slightly different affinities. I run purigen all the time and sometimes add carbon for a while, just to supplement the purigen. It really works great in FW as well.

Do you keep clams?
I'd wonder what they would feed on in a system that used skimming, GAC & purigen?

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Can Purigen remove bio-toxines?

which are you concerned about? zootoxins or phytotoxins

 

[Belgian Anthias]

You can think of it like rechargable carbon that you know when it's exhausted by the color change. Carbon and Purigen will bind slightly different compounds so imo I run both.

The removal capabilities of GAC , how and why, is well documented and tested. I can not find the same information about Purigen. Which compounds would these slightly different compounds be ? When using both there should be a good reason otherwise it would be a waste of money.

 

[hart24601]

Do you keep clams?
I'd wonder what they would feed on in a system that used skimming, GAC & purigen?

I do yes. Feed on light and the plenty of compounds skimming GAC and purigen don't get. They can uptake ammonia, urea and amino acids directly from the water for example. Our tanks are still nutrient soup even if using these tools.

 

[hart24601]

The removal capabilities of GAC , how and why, is well documented and tested. I can not find the same information about Purigen. Which compounds would these slightly different compounds be ? When using both there should be a good reason otherwise it would be a waste of money.

That is passed on from Dr Randy when previously discussing those two. His chemistry far surpasses mine and he has developed synthetic polymers for human use so I take his word for it. He has stated that they would most likely have slightly different affinities and would run them together if one wanted to have a broad removal range. I am unsure if it's the pore size or what exactly which I why I tagged him although I'm sure one could search for his statements too, he has talked about them a few times. Heck I wonder if he ever gets to talk about something new to him sometimes.

Being that he suspects they are complementary and with purigen being inexpensive plus rechargable the odd bag of carbon once every month or two doesn't break the bank however I don't lose sleep over forgetting to run carbon either.

 

[Belgian Anthias]

which are you concerned about? zootoxins or phytotoxins

All!
I just try to find out what exactly are the capabilities of Purigen. lab tests etc...
The capabilities of skimmers and GAC , how and why, is well known and documented.
The basic information provided by Seachem does not help me much.

 

[hart24601]

He wrote this in 2008:


I do not believe it is publicly known exactly what the Purigen polymer is. But many of these act in similar ways. These sorts of polymers will bind organic materials, and may bind a slightly different subset of the organics in reef aquarium water than will GAC, so I'd say that to some extent they can be complimentary and using both is a fine plan.

I use GAC for my system, but cannot demonstrate that it is better than Purigen in reef aquarium water.