Reddit reviews Seachem Purigen Organic Filtration Resin - Fresh and Saltwater 100 ml

Purigen. Drop it in your filter and you're good to go.

Like the Pleco! Get some Purigen in that tank! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002A5VK2

Get this
http://amzn.com/B0002A5VK2
Way better ten activated carbon. Removes all tannins and is a one time purchase as it is regenerable. The reviews also support it.

It's like $8 on Amazon. Make sure you get the kind that comes in a mesh bag. It is also sold loose so you can make your own bags, but that's a messy process that can easily end in failure.

This is the stuff you want.

Carbon can remove much than tanins from the water - not always a bad thing but not always good either. As for how quickly it works, in my experience it is fairly quickly often with 24 hours.

But if you just want to remove the tea color from the water perhaps think about using Purigen and be sure to get this bag if you buy a bottle of it.

Do you have a hang on back filter? Depending on the model, you can throw some different materials into it.
Buy the huge sheet of filter pads for mechanical filtration. Give it a gentle squeeze in a bucket of aquarium water about once a month.
Poly-fiber can also be used for it. They sell it at Wal Mart for pretty cheap. You'd have to replace it every two weeks or so.

For biological filtration, pick up some ceramic rings. Cleaning is the same as the filter pads. You'd only really have to replace them if they were breaking down.

You can use Seachem Purigen if you want something for chemical filtration. I don't have any experience with this, but it get great reviews.

Activated carbon isn't really needed in the filter unless you need to remove medication. Purigen would clear up any discolorations just as well and can be recharged.

Aquaclear 50 is what I use on my 20 gallon, and it works well - you can skip the bullshit cartridges that most manufacturers use, I added some floss padding and purigen to polish the water (clarity) and threw out the charcoal filter that came with it. You also might need to cut the sponge that comes with it in half laterally to fit all of this and still have the bio media submerged, but that's easy.

Aquaclear 50 on Amazon

Filter floss on Amazon

Purigen on Amazon

Your LFS will likely have all of these things as well, so it's up to you if you're in a rush or want to save a few $$$ by using Amazon.

And, lastly, this is just what works for me. You might try a different setup - but many other HOB filters don't allow you to customize the filtration all that much, and are just there to sell you cartridges.

HOB filters are the Gilette of the aquarium hobby.

Alternatively, get a purigen filter insert. I had problems with sand/tannins, that cleared it up in less than a week.

And this be the Purigen, Yarrrr.

http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-165-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376932266&sr=8-1&keywords=purigen

You could use purigen!

Media is whatever you use to house bacteria in your filter.

There are many different kinds:

Sponge - cut to fit.

Filter Fiber - polishes water by capturing little particles

Matrix - porous stones

Bio Balls- plastic bacteria houses

Carbon- mainly used when you need to remove medicine from the water after treatment

Purgen - removes tannins (tea color) from water caused by wood or leaves

Everyone uses whatever they like/need/have room for.

Filter kits come with cartridges that are pre-made to fit the filter compartment. They are expensive and shouldn't be thrown away, as you may know, because then you have thrown away your bacteria. If you do decide to use cartridges, just swish them in the dirty water to remove gunk, and put them back in. Many use the cartridges in combination with the other media listed above and then they have a back-up set of media. It's up to you.

Aquarium Co-op has some good youtube videos on hacking filters, which will further help with understanding all of this if I have confused you this with explanation.

Had someone ask for an inventory list and thought I'd post it up here for visibility.

Coralife Biocube 14 - $199

Lighting System - $141

• 2x Ecoxotic Panorama Pro 16w 8000k LED modules
  
• Two-Way DC Splitter
  
• 60w 24v AC-DC power supply
  
• Current USA Single Channel Ramp Timer
  
  Filtration System - $122
  
  
• EHEIM Jager 50w Heater
  
• InTank BioCube 14 Media Basket
  
• Poly Filter Floss
  
• Seachem Purigen
  
• Seachem Matrix
  
• Seachem Filter Media Bag
  
• Hydor Flo Rotating Water Deflector
  
  Arline System - $32
  
  
• Tetra 77853 Whisper Air Pump
  
• Topfin Two-Way Metal Gang Valve
  
• Lee's Sleek Airline Tubing
  
• Jardin Suction Cup Clips
  
  Decor - $140
  
  
• Penn Plax Real-Scapes 20x12
  
• Marineland Silicone
  
• CaribSea Eco-Complete 20 lbs Black
  
• Driftwood
  
• Rocks
  
  Flora - $114
  
  
• Chilensis (Sagittaria platyphylla)
  
• Cardinal Plant (Lobelia cardinalis)
  
• Dwarf Pennywort (Hydrocotyle sibthorpiodes)
  
• Narrow Leaf Chain Sword (Echinodorus tenellus)
  
• Kleiner Bar Sword (Echinodorus barthii x Echinodorus uruguayensis hybrid)
  
• HC Cuba (Hemianthis callitrichoides 'Cuba')
  
• Crypt Parva (Cryptocoryne parva)
  
• Christmas Moss (Vesicularia montagnei)
  
• Frogbit (Limnobium laevigatum)
  
  Fauna - $46
  
  
• 30x Malaysian Trumpet Snails
  
• 16x neon tetras
  
• Male betta splendens
  
  Tools - $12
  
  
• API Algae Scraper Extra Long (Glass)
  
• Fluval Flora Stainless Steel Planting Tongs

Purigen.

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116016506-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1483481330&sr=1-1&keywords=seachem+purigen

Sexy!

I have filter media on my main wishlist.

Thanks for always doing these contests!

This is the one I got:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002A5VK2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It was sold directly by Amazon and comes pre-bagged.

Just went through my box of fish goods. Probably the best things (which I coincidentally got off Amazon) are random airline accessories. One-way valves, random connectors, suction cups, and a pack of check valves have all proven useful. It's great having extra pieces for whenever you need one. I built a drip acclimation line that I saw for sale somewhere with these parts, I have two DIY sponge + K1 filters that I needed one-way valves for to regulate the airflow, etc. Just so many uses :)

Some other good purchases:

Seachem Purigen

Bubble Counter - for DIY CO2 or DIY in-tank brine shrimp hatchery

Yeast - for DIY CO2

Metal Faucet Adapter - for gravel vacuum that attaches to your sink

Pre-filter Sponge Pack

Ok. I would go about 6 weeks before you clean the filter, and when you do rinse your sponge and cotton in tank water, not tap water. Don’t rinse the bio balls or rings at all, just shake them off a bit. I would also suggest purigen to help with chemical filtration. I noticed an immediate difference when I switched from carbon to purigen. The take home is bacteria is your friend, and you need an established colony in your filter. I never change my media, just rinse it. My purigen lasts about 8 weeks before I have to change the bag.

I noticed a similar problem in my aquarium and I found that this helps a lot. Seachem Purigen 100ml https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_44nYCbE0ACHXB
Basically just put it in the filter and it’ll clear up the cloudiness. For those little specs I’ve noticed topping off the water in the tank so the flow of the water hits the waterline directly can eliminate them.

• The carbon won't hurt anything. You can leave it in
  
  
• Take the zeolite out unless you get a really bad ammonia spike. It is generally used to subdue ammonia spikes and is actually a great thing to have around. You just don't need it while you are trying to develop a beneficial bacteria colony.
  
  
• So filter media comes in 3 forms and generally as a beginner you want your water flowing through them in this order: Mechanical, Biological, and Chemical:
  
  
  • Mechanical - Sponges, filter floss, etc. - I literally use cut up pieces of sponges: Sole purpose is to remove large debris that could otherwise clog and/or harm your biological media. Sponges can be used as both mechanical and biological, although there are much more efficient mediums available for biological media. This should be rinsed on a regular basis (once a month at least) when you perform water changes. Set some of your dirty tank water aside and use it to rinse the sponges out, never use tap water.
    
    
  • Biological - Provides surface area for your beneficial bacteria to grow. There are tons and tons of options here as well, Glass and ceramic or pumice type materials are generally considered to be the best as they provide the most surface area for bacterial growth. I use Seachem Matrix. If you buy quality biological media you will never need to replace it. It also does not require a vigorous rinsing like mechanical media. When I am cleaning out my filters I simply set it in the bottom of the bucket with dirty water in it.
    
    
  • Chemical - Thousands of products here. Anything from water clarifying substances (generally what carbon does) to chemicals that will help control nitrite and nitrate spikes. Chemical media is not necessary in a media stack but many choose to use it for goals they are trying to achieve. I, for instance, use Seachem Purigen to help keep spikes from happening, but you shouldn't really worry about chemical media until you are further along in the hobby.
    
    
• Yes, remove uneaten food for now. As long as Ammonia levels stay below .25ppm you are fine. Once it goes above that point (you will develop a feel for how long this takes) perform a 30%-50% water change (whatever it takes to get the ammonia level back down). Once nitrites start to form you will need to keep them at a minimum.
  
  
• Just base your water change schedule on the development of ammonia and nitrite. Since you are going to be testing daily you will recognize when they get over .25ppm on the ammonia. Just plan on changing some out on a daily basis and adjust as necessary. 30% -50% is always a good amount to aim for. If that isn't enough to get the ammonia and nitrite levels in control, perform multiple small water changes over the course of a couple hours instead of a massive change out. This helps prevent shocking them from sudden temperature or water hardness, or ph changes.
  
  
• Siphons are excellent. You can use a turkey baster in the meantime to get food pieces out though. I always keep one near my tanks to spot-clean stuff. Pythons are dirt cheap and the best on the market.

Purigen comes in two different types: Packed and loose. It helps with the clarity of the water and helps your water quality so it's a favorite among enthusiasts.

If you buy the loose, you'll have to make your own bag or buy a pre-made bag. A lot of people will do this so that they can have back-up bags ready for when they are recharging their Purigen(s). Personally, I have two packed bags since I run only one tank and it's pretty small.

You clean or "recharge" the Purigen when it becomes dark brown or black. You soak it in a mixture of 1:1 water and regular bleach for 24hrs, then soak it in water with 4tbsp of dechlorinator, and then there is a buffering step but I skip it.

In my 6.5 tank it took about 2 years for my Purigen to become a dark-ish brown.

In my small canister I have a couple of filter medias and the Purigen. Don't need anything else too fancy. YMMV as I don't know what kind of tank you are setting up :)

http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116016506-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411659556&sr=8-1&keywords=purigen

this would be a much more affordable and realistic solution, just make sure you use compatible water conditioner with it, any Seachem one should work (prime, neutral regulator, etc)

Use seam chem purgen for tannins, it can clear it up in a week and keep it in there if you want it crystal clear.

http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-165-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371161075&sr=8-3&keywords=seachem

I’ve had an ammonia spike at some point in the past anyways I used this. It worked well for me as I didn’t have a spare tank back then.

Purigen

I only used it once, you might want to research it a little first. I can’t quite remember much about it. Only that I put it in my canister and next day ammonia was all gone. It worked incredibly fast.

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116016506-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2

This stuff?

Just some info:

Picked up a nice sized piece of driftwood from the internet, as well as the very nice Marineland 5gallon hex. We're using a Purigen filter in the built in system, and it's worked phenomenally since day one at keeping the water clear and at a healthy balance.

For fish we have our Veil Finned Betta, a school of 5 phantom tetras, a yoyo loach, a snail, and about 10 cherry shrimp.

For plants, we've got a marimo ball that we're growing out to use as grass for the tank at a later time (which you can see at the base of the Easter Island statue bust), some marimo pieces on the driftwood, and a stone with baby tears growing from it which should grow along the floor as well. As for the large plant on the left I hate to admit this but I have no idea what its called. It's grown really really well since planting it.

Just thought we'd show off a bit! This is our first attempt at any kind of planted tank, and we've got huge plans for our upright 20 gallon in the near future. I plan on doing a before and after as soon as we finish with that one.

I boiled mine for a total of 6 hours soaked for a week and had no tannins, I found another much larger piece and couldn't boil it and had no tannins after soaking it in a rubbermaid container outside and changing the water every day or two. But adding some Seachem Purigen it will suck up all the tannins and give you lovely clear water!

I love canister filters myself. You can typically get a more full range of filter material going than a HOB like what blowconfused mentioned. (What (s)he suggested looks great too though.) I would try out the 206 or 306 Fluval canisters.

Also, for clearing up your water; give Purigen a go. I absolutely love the stuff. It seriously is magical filter dust.
Plus it is rechargeable so when it has sucked up everything, you can recharge and it is ready to go for rounds 2, 3, and on. I'd go with this one first as the others will require you to buy the separate bag. This one is presealed.

Another option would be to return it and buy this: Seachem Purigen 100ml https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_tu-.ub1DVAGN5
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_tu-.ub1DVAGN5

It comes in a bag already.

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 others 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.


Basically, its this special plasticy bead stuff that goes in the hob or canister (the 100ml comes with a fine mesh pouch), it absorbs all sorts of metals, nitrates, excess waste etc from the water, pretty similar to what carbon does, except it does it a whole lot better, and it lasts a lot longer. It also polishes and removes tannins from water, water will look crystal clear once you start using it, i dont have a single tank with out purigen in an hob.

You could also try putting a pack of Purigen in your filter, keeps water crystal clear and is renewable.

I typically put one back to back for a couple weeks if I know one is going on the wayside. However, once I started learning about filter media I started just stuffing my Hang-On-Back filters with filter floss and ceramic rings. Right now my HOB has a small bag of purigen, a little clump of poly fill, and a pot scrubbie.

I experiment with different media regularly, but you always want to seed your new media by placing it in the tank(near the water flow) or, preferably, in the filter itself.

Okie dokie. I could do the 5 gallon tank with the filter, thermometer, fish net, and the small sponge filter (someone commented on the airpump first), and a halfway full small bottle of Fluval water conditioner.

​

I also have a bottle of Dr. Timm's Ammonium Chloride, a small packet of Purigen that can be bleached and reused (Purigen), magnetic algae cleaner, and a substrate vacuum thing. Are you interested in any of that?

Looks like the wood is leeching quite a bit of tannins, if you wanted to get rid of that you can get dedicated filter media (like Seachem Purigen) or just do a lot of water changes (3x a week instead of just once).

Aquaclear 20

Replace the carbon with Purigen and you're good to go.

The hard water isn't really a problem for what you have in there.

Also, try some Purigen in there to help with the coloring.
http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-165-Purigen-100ml/dp/B0002A5VK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370280318&sr=8-1&keywords=purigen

Are you using bioballs or live rock in the second chamber?

Most of the reading I've done is very anit-bio balls as they are a poor media for filtration.

Now, this might not apply to you because I'm trying to rehab a tank that had 2 yrs of neglect. But I "upgraded" the filtration and here's my setup:

1st chamber:
Biocube Skimmer

2nd Chamber:
Media Cartridge

Cartridge from bottom to top slots:


Purigen


Matrix in a bag


sponge


filter floss

3rd chamber:

empty


I'm considering upgrading the powerhead to increase the gph hitting the filtration and adding a splitter to the nozzle so I can have two directions of outflow in order to reduce dead zones in the tank.