The Puffer Forum

Rumors of age dulling the wit are clearly greatly exaggerated...

PP, we all are. The old gears may not mesh as quickly as they once did, but they still get the job done.

That is what counts. When they start grinding, I'll worry.

Just an fyi, don't know if anyone else has mentioned it~
Purigen works wonders... I thought my water was clear before, had barely a green tint looking down the side of the entire tank, but still for other purposes as well, got some Purigen.

Within the next couple days what I thought was clear, became even CLEARER...

It's insane the clarity of the water now after a week. It's like looking through air now..

I'll never house another tank without Purigen, it totally works for clarity, let alone a few other things...

And it's rechargeable..
Havn't had to recharge it yet since it's like 100ml per 100 gallons per 6 months? Something like that, either way, on a scale of 1-10 so far, 12 hands down.

Just be sure you don't use any amine based products... Aqueon/Amquel works fine, Prime if you like...

What color is it now? I find it needs recharging about every 6 weeks.

It's a light tan right now, been about 3 weeks... Someone else said on another forum don't recharge it til it's crap brown...
So far though, water clarity is crazy, trates are lowered A LOT.. Tank didn't go through a "mini cycle" like some were wonderin on another forum... I got the big bottle though and only used little over 100ml, had to order more bags though so I can add it to another tank or two, and keep it in when I do a recharge..

How many times have you recharged so far PP? I heard 4-6 from seachem, havn't heard any others experience yet...
Is the stuff new? Didn't seem to be too many personal experiences on the net..

Though I have to disagree with someone who said he noticed a lowered amount of detrius... With my puffs and CC, I havn't noticed a decrease.. I'm actually in the process of getting rid of the CC.. I took a few cupfulls out today, even after rinsing twice in a 5 gallon bucket, 3rd rinse STILL had a ton of crap in it, and clouded the water A LOT lol...

Shoulda researched more on that one...

I'll just jump back in for a second here:

Here is an "eye test pic" I made. Previously there were times when I couldn't make out the back wall my tank was that hazy.

A few things you have to keep in mind:
1) 1.5 inches of glass and 2 feet of water
2) the camera is not as good as your own eyes
3) the internet further degrades the pic

In person I can read down to the size 8 font easily. On the PC I can get to size 11 or 10 (10 is difficult)

This was obtained using the diatom filter rated for 250 gals on a 500 gal tank

To add to J-P's comments. Online a lot depends on your monitor settings and for some of us (the visually handicapped) on the special programs you use. ZoomText for example keeps me semi-functional in the world of the Web.

Size 8 type vanished into blobs long ago. But I can get it up to readability with few clicks. Most forum programs use a variety of type sizes (major PITA) as you have to keep increasing magnification and dropping back down. I can even see most of most of Microsoft's pop-ups now. What an aptly named program group. I long ago though it referred to their brains, but now believe it is simpler - it is just their preferred type sizes and fonts.

RTR, you can also hold down the CTRL button and use the scrolling wheel on your mouse in increase and decrease the text size on websites.

I'm going to start a new thread on this Purigen stuff, it sounds interesting.

When I started this thread, the water in my brackish tank looked a little cloudy to me - but not to non-fish friends. A few days ago I put some ultra fine filter floss in the filter hoping to catch any minute particles. Yesterday I did an extra 12gallon water change - using Prime (I usually use Tetra Aquasafe). As always, I adjusted water temp before adding & mixing the salt & mixed thoroughly. Just got home from work & the water is REALLY cloudy - it looks awful. The puffs are fine & behaving normally. My water parameters are just as they have been since the tank was cycled. Zero amm/nitrite & 10 nitrate. The SG is 1.011.
What could it be? I am at a loss. There are a few live java fern that have now past their best & are turning a little brown - could this cause any probs?
I know I haven't lost any fish or anything serious, but I feel upset that I try & do things right & now the tank looks so awful!
Any suggestions guys?

Seriously yo, just get purigen...
I considered buying those "clear tank" products too because my tank stayed just a little dull, but after seeing how well Purigen works, and it works 24/7 even after WC's, so you don't lose the liquid whatever when you do a WC..
Not to mention it helps keep the trates lower...
I've read some posts where people had 50-80ppm nitrates ALL THE TIME, then after they put purigen in their tank, it reduced em to like 5-10...

Personally mine have stayed ~5, all the time.. not even fluctuating through the week until I do a WC...
Ok, MAYBE they get up to 10 by the end of the week

I would like to know the cause of the problem though. I have removed all the live plants including the moss balls to a FW tank. In doing that, I noticed a couple of patches of really bright green algae. This is a new type of algae to the tank. I went through the usual massive amounts of brown coloured algae when I started the tank, which is now under control. The tank really only has a normal build up of brown algae, this bright green stuff is new - maybe related to the cloudiness??

Totally off-topic. On-topic post will follow, below and separately.

Flutter: Thanks, but I use Zoom Text, a specialized program for the visually handicapped. It is $$$ but worth several times its cost. Unlike Mircosoft's sad built-in magnification technique, my current program can magnify everything - drop-downs, pop-ups, etc., and if you still have issues it can change type/background colors and contrast, or if all else fails it can read to you (totally flat voice of course, but better than nothing). The visually handicapped have it better these techie days. I read books with my CCTV via a nice flat-panel screen, even a bit larger than the one on my computer. It can play all the same games with colors and contrast, but it does not read to you. When it can go to single-words per screen, reading aloud is hardly needed even for quite a few legally blind. Plus there are talking books from the state library without charge or postage and a freebie reader from the Library of Congress (No clumsy tapes these days - it easy-to-use memory drives which cannot be incorrectly jacked in. The controls are a draam to use - button size shape and color all denote function, plus verbally identify them selves - these are dreams, beautifully thought out and tested machines).

Then there are the hand-held portable CCTVs, for shopping - you can read labels and prices,

If I can get the sugar in my cup, there are sonic clip-ons which tell you when to stop pouring. (they works on tanks as well!) If you must become handicapped, this era is the best the world has seen to date.

But I finally have my new lens in, and with luck will be even able to drive again within a couple of moths at the most. I do have weak binocular vision again already (surgery was Tuesday).The rest is just post-op healing and new glasses, with a bit of physical/visual therapy. Then I just have to get the nerve up to re-do the other eye - which will not be immediate, maybe next winter. This one took almost 5 months to date, with over 3 dozen visits to one or the other of my two ophthalmic surgeons, plus several in-office procedures and 3 surgeries. I will not give up a summer off.

Purigen is not good for planted tanks in general, but BW is not planted. Pure mechanical filtration is better IMHO.

Get well soon RTR!

Think I will just have to do daily, small, water changes - perhaps that will dilute it down.

Well, tank still cloudy. All readings are perfect. Have tested for phosphate now, & that is 0.5. Don't know what else to test for? Maybe I should just assume it is a bacteria bloom & it will eventually clear. I hope I don't get any visitors, cos the tank looks awful!