Seachem purigen for freshwater fish only?

[LordJoshaeus]

Hi everyone! I know this is a question about freshwater, but work with me here...

In a freshwater tank with fish and no plants, is there any benefit to using purigen? I imagine that it would be helpful in a planted tank by removing organic waste before it can decay into ammonia (which would encourage algae issues even if the organic waste itself wouldn't). Thanks :)

 

[DED65]

Purigen will help remove ammonia, nitrates and nitrites which are toxic to freshwater fish. I don't use it in my freshwater aquarium, I placed Matrix in the canister filter. My aquarium has been going for many years and I have the biological filtration to remove those. Purigen will help in a newly set up aquarium or one that has had the biological filtration damaged. The Matrix will last forever, gives the bacteria that breaks down the toxins an anaerobic area to multiply in.

 

[LordJoshaeus]

Purigen will help remove ammonia, nitrates and nitrites which are toxic to freshwater fish. I don't use it in my freshwater aquarium, I placed Matrix in the canister filter. My aquarium has been going for many years and I have the biological filtration to remove those. Purigen will help in a newly set up aquarium or one that has had the biological filtration damaged. The Matrix will last forever, gives the bacteria that breaks down the toxins an anaerobic area to multiply in.

I was under the impression that purigen removes dissolved organic matter, rather than the ammonia it eventually decays into. Does matrix really develop anaerobic zones in the average filter?

 

[DED65]

I was under the impression that purigen removes dissolved organic matter, rather than the ammonia it eventually decays into. Does matrix really develop anaerobic zones in the

Purigen does remove organics. Seachem states that Matrix has a tremendous advantage over the bio balls because of the surface area and is very porous so the bacteria live inside of the material too. I like to wash the filters in the washer with bleach and let the Matrix take care of biological load.

 

[DaddyFish]

If you read between the lines of Seachem Tech Support responses, you will get the understanding that all their recommendations generally turn back to "Matrix is the best overall solution they offer". Their other products are more targeted toward specific problems. Think of them as add-ons, but start with Matrix.

I've been running Matrix in freshwater for about two years. I typically run 4x Seachem's recommended amount per tank volume and with great success.

If you need to target high nitrates, you will have to find a way to slow the flow over Matrix to below 50 gph. That's typically not enough flow to properly filter your tank. So you may want to consider a second filter running at a slower flow or redirecting flow. I've found it all works best with plenty of Matrix for primary filtration at a high flow rate, combined with a moderate amount of Matrix at very slow flow rate. No Purigen required.

 

[Speaker]

I threw it in my cannister filter once several years ago. I didn't see much of a difference on my planted tank. I would use matrix.

 

[DaddyFish]

Hi everyone! I know this is a question about freshwater, but work with me here...

In a freshwater tank with fish and no plants, is there any benefit to using purigen? I imagine that it would be helpful in a planted tank by removing organic waste before it can decay into ammonia (which would encourage algae issues even if the organic waste itself wouldn't). Thanks :)

Oh, and don't worry about asking "non-reef" questions here. There's way more of us freshwater and fish people hiding in R2R closets than they realize.
;Woot
Now run!!!

 

[LordJoshaeus]

If you read between the lines of Seachem Tech Support responses, you will get the understanding that all their recommendations generally turn back to "Matrix is the best overall solution they offer". Their other products are more targeted toward specific problems. Think of them as add-ons, but start with Matrix.

I've been running Matrix in freshwater for about two years. I typically run 4x Seachem's recommended amount per tank volume and with great success.

If you need to target high nitrates, you will have to find a way to slow the flow over Matrix to below 50 gph. That's typically not enough flow to properly filter your tank. So you may want to consider a second filter running at a slower flow or redirecting flow. I've found it all works best with plenty of Matrix for primary filtration at a high flow rate, combined with a moderate amount of Matrix at very slow flow rate. No Purigen required.

That sounds a lot like what you need to do to get denitrate to work...are seachem denitrate and matrix interchangeable for the purposes being discussed here?

 

[DaddyFish]

That sounds a lot like what you need to do to get denitrate to work...are seachem denitrate and matrix interchangeable for the purposes being discussed here?

According to the conversations I've had with Seachem tech (and they have always been very helpful folks), if you have both products available, Matrix provides the better solution because it is well suited for both environments, aerobic and anaerobic. It may take Matrix a bit longer to establish anaerobic colonies, but in the long run it's the better choice.

 

[rockdiver]

How do you put the matrix in ? I have a 30 aio and should I put it in loose or in a bag ?
I also have a 120 with sump and was looking to put some in there.
In the 30 it would be hard to get out if loose.
In the 120 I was going to put them in the fuge area loose kinda like sand and then some cheato
Any help would be great since I always just used LR and not this stuff. Also was looking at the marine pure but its 50/50 on if they leach stuff.
Thanks

 

[DaddyFish]

How do you put the matrix in ? I have a 30 aio and should I put it in loose or in a bag ?
I also have a 120 with sump and was looking to put some in there.
In the 30 it would be hard to get out if loose.
In the 120 I was going to put them in the fuge area loose kinda like sand and then some cheato
Any help would be great since I always just used LR and not this stuff. Also was looking at the marine pure but its 50/50 on if they leach stuff.
Thanks

In canister systems that have their own liftout baskets I typically use Matrix loose. Anywhere it would be difficult to remove and rinse (AIO, sumps, HOBs) I use Matrix in large-hole mesh bags. Mesh bags make it easy to remove and rinse in clean tank water, which is crucial to keeping the media from clogging over time. I typically rinse mine every 3-months.

 

[Wonger77]

I run Purigen in my FW planted nano. I use Purigen mainly as a water polisher. I don't think it really affects my water chemistry much if at all. I switch it out every few months when my water is looking a little turbid and the Purigen looks pretty brown. It usually clears it up within a day. It gives it the "fish float in in air" look when you first change it out.