The Puffer Forum

Pufferpunk wrote:FAIL! In no way does the Purigen work anywhere near similar to a protein skimmer.

Just ran across this post~
Doesn't protein skimming just remove dissolved organics?
Isn't that what Purigen is made to do?
(please excuse my newbness!

I havent used purigen but it seems too good to be true:

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 others, even HyperSorb, by over 500%. Purigen; removes protiens, nitrites and nitrates, ammonia, and a broad spectrum of organics, yet its impact on trace elements is minimal. It significantly raises redox. It polishes water to unparalleled clarity. Like HyperSorb, Purigen darkens progressively as it exhausts, and is easily renewed by treating with household bleach. A 100 mL bag of Purigen purifies and polishes up to 100 gallons of water for up to six months. Purigen is designed for both marine and freshwater use.

GAC/GFO with a big skimmer is most commonly used and has a great price to effectiveness.

It made a hell of a difference in water quality for my BW...

I thought it was kinda funny though, I put it in my FW feeder tank, hung it right in there above the bubble wall..
WOW.
It turned color faster than the stuff that's in my main tank..and left the water crystal clear.

So I was wondering, if a protein skimmer is just for "dissolved organics", then from what I can tell, Purigen does the same thing, but perhaps rather than in the hob with water just flowing through it, perhaps it can yield more efficiency, or similar, to a skimmer, AS LONG as it's in the "path" of the bubble wall, or something similar..

I mean, I thought my FW feeder tank was clean and clear, but WOW... heh now it's insanely clear.

From here on out, I'll probably never have a tank without it. I'll have to figure out some way to test the efficiency of the bubble/purigen method compared to a skimmer.

I've heard of people regenerating Purigen up to 6 times I think is the highest I've heard, but I wonder if it could be more because it's basically just polymer beads...

I've done mine more than 6 times, but less than 12. Still works. I've found it most efficient in a HOB with lowish flow. Unless your bubble wall is encased in something, I doubt it would create enough flow to draw water through purigen, making the surface discolor but the entire inside do nothing. The most efficient way to use purigen is in a fluidized bed, like a modified calcium reactor. That ensure perfectly even water flow around every bead of purigen. Mine's in two places in a flooded tray, pretty much my only choice for placement.

Got an answer from the reef club, its pretty much just a synthetic carbon, with a huge price tag $50.49 for a liter vs 1 gallon of Bulk Reef Supply high grade ROX carbon for $39.99.

3.78 times as much carbon for less $. Both do the same thing.

Is an ro/di unit essential for reef tanks. Or can I just use tap water with synthetic reef crystals. I want to get one Im just waitin on one to pop up on CL. My friend said when he started using one. All his brown algae dissapeared. Is it worth the money.

It is not essential, if you love all your corals & rock work choked out by algae, cyano, etc...

SammyDee wrote:Is an ro/di unit essential for reef tanks. Or can I just use tap water with synthetic reef crystals. I want to get one Im just waitin on one to pop up on CL. My friend said when he started using one. All his brown algae dissapeared. Is it worth the money.

Tap water will lead to algae problems in 99.99% of cases.

Ways around it:
RO/DI -BEST
Buy either natural or premixed RO/DI saltwater from the LFS -BETTER
Buy prefiltered water from a water store or the supermarket -GOOD