I have been using Seachem Purigen in the filter section of my Fluval Spec 5 aquarium for a few months now.  I recently pulled up the filter material and the Purigen has at present turned a squeamish, dark chocolate-brown patina.  Their instructions have the following to say about when to clean: "Exhaustion is indicated past a pronounced discoloration of the beads to night dark-brown or blackness."  While not yet black, I couldn't assistance myself and decided to have a go at cleaning it.

100ml bag of dirty Seachem Purigen

Being able to clean (regenerate, or recharge) this media and put it back into use is a major positive that I discussed in my Seachem Purigen Review.  Their literature states that it can be regenerated up to 10 times.  Some people are a chip uneasy virtually cleaning it every bit it involves some methodology and materials that could be harmful, namely bleach.

I will rehash Seachem's exact instructions here, and so I volition draw in my own words how to make clean your Purigen.  From their website: [Seachem has updated portions since this article was get-go published and those changes are now included below – I have indicated changes with bold text]

Soak in a 1:1 bleach:h2o solution for 24 hours in a non-metal container in a well ventilated area and abroad from children. Apply regular viii.25% hypochlorite household bleach (not-scented, no dyes, do not apply a splash-less bleach). Rinse well, and so soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 4 tablespoons of Prime number®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well. For freshwater utilise, soak for four hours with a solution containing two tablespoons of buffer per cup of water (Discus Buffer®, Neutral Regulator®). Original color and full activeness should now be restored and Purigen® is ready for reuse. Caution: some slime coat products may permanently foul Purigen® and render regeneration hard. Do not reuse if odor of bleach/chlorine is detectable. In case of doubt, soak beads in small quantity of h2o and examination for balance chlorine with a chlorine exam kit."

Ane notable change Seachem has added over the years is the recommendation to terminal soak in a buffer for 4 hours if the Purigen is being used in a freshwater tank.  I accept never performed this extra pace and I have not experienced whatsoever averse effects.  My step-past-step instructions below forego the buffer soak (as that is what I've had success with) simply practice go on with circumspection and consider complying with their recommendation as a best practise.

Some other change is the dechlorinator soak is now a ratio of 4 tablespoons of Prime number (2 tablespoons used to be their recommendation) per ane loving cup of water.

Supplies Needed to Regenerate Seachem Purigen:

  • Aquarium Safe Tupperware Container. Preferably one that has a footprint that will allow your seachem bag to lay apartment. Past aquarium prophylactic, I hateful one that is for aquarium use only, that has not been washed with soap. Don't use a metallic container as the bleach tin corrode / react with it.
  • Bleach. I choose to use Clorox make as we accept it and it was mentioned (previously) on Seachem'due south website that is what they utilise. (I have some boosted comments on bleach brand and type later on.)
  • Seachem Prime Dechlorinator
  • Tap H2o
  • Your Muddy, Nasty Purigen

bleach and seachem prime for cleaning seachem purigen

Pace One: Remove your bag of Purigen from the filter.  Rinse it nether gentle tap h2o to remove major sediment.  Put the Purigen bag into your Tupperware.

Pace 2: Measure out bleach and tap water into your tupperware in equal parts (in order to make a 1:1 ratio mix).  I wanted to give my Purigen a petty elbow room then I put i-1/2 cups [350 ml] of water and 1-ane/ii cups of Clorox bleach.

measure bleach

soak seachem 100ml bag of perigean in water and bleach mix

Stride Three: Allow this sit down for 24 hours.  Every once and a while I swished the bowl effectually a flake to mix up the contents, trying to become all the contents inside the purse exposed to the bleach.  The smell off this procedure tin be foul – at the terminate of 24 hours, it had a bit of a expressionless fish aroma.  I kept the bowl out in the garage.  I would suggest somewhere outside your home.  If y'all're in an flat, mayhap in the bathroom with the vent fan turned on.  At the cease of 24 hours, the h2o was significantly tinted with junk that had been pulled out of the Purigen.  Looking skillful!

seachem perigean bag in dirty bleach water

Stride Four –Rinse the Purigen:  At this point, yous have a production that has released much of the contaminates stuck to the surface, but it is pond in said junk and coated in bleach, neither of which yous desire dorsum in your aquarium.  I spent a solid 5 minutes rinsing the Purigen handbag under running, cold tap water. Flip the pocketbook over and over to try and go all the pellets exposed to running water.

rinse seachem perigean bag in tap water

Step 5 – Prime Soak:  Rinse out your tupperware container.  Fill with ane cup [237 ml) of tap water and  4 tablespoons [59 ml] of Seachem Prime.  Let that soak for viii hours.  If you are working with a larger handbag, keep the ratio the aforementioned but increase the water to fully submerge the purigen.

soak seachem purigen in tap water and seachem prime

Pace Six: Rinse the Purigen over again nether tapwater.  That is what the instructions said to do, merely so you have chlorinated tap water in your Purigen.  Might exist overkill but . . .

Step 7: Rinse tupperware, fill 1/2 to three/iv with tap water, put Purigen bag in, add two drops of Seachem Prime to remove chlorine.  Let that sit for a few minutes. For marine aquarium use, I substitute RODI water for tap water in this step and would probably forgo the Prime. Tap h2o would probably work OK but I have a hard time finishing with tap water when information technology's for a saltwater tank.

Footstep Eight: Put Purigen dorsum into your aquarium's filter media.

Results:

My 100ml bag of Purigen didn't quite become as snowfall white as I expected from their clarification, but information technology was much, much cleaner after the whole process.

regenerate seachem purigen - after cleaning

After I added information technology back to the aquarium, I had no troubles with any of my fish or shrimp.  Non too much hassle and very nice to have it back to about it's original land.

If I did this a lot and really relied on the production to be at the set up at all times, I would consider having two numberless with one every bit a backup to rotate in while I clean the other.  When you lot shop the product, but make sure to go on it wet; add together a splash of water into a ziplok pocketbook and seal it all upward.

Update – Results for Saltwater Aquarium Utilise:

We now take a nano saltwater tank upwardly and running, and I have had the opportunity to regenerate several 100 ml bags of Purigen in rotation for this tank.

The process is exactly the same for Saltwater as it is for freshwater (agreement that I do not do the buffer soak as Seachem recommends for freshwater use).  The only deviation is one that I mention in the instructions of this article – for saltwater, I give a final rinse and soak in RODI water (as opposed to a final rinse in dechlorinated tap h2o).

It has worked great.  Naught has died.  No averse effects to fish, snails, corals, or annihilation else we discover in this marine system. I had a little chip of trepidation using this process for a more sensitive saltwater arrangement, only it has worked fine.

Having said that, don't skip steps.  Make sure it is fully rinsed with no traces of chlorine left in the Purigen. If you question any part of the regeneration process, it's best to throw the media out and replace with new.In the grand scheme of things (taking into business relationship the loftier cost of even a simple nano reef setup), it's not worth risking a tank total of coral and fish over a $12 pocketbook of Purigen.

I know lots of reefers that volition not regenerate Purigen – they simply throw it out and supercede with new.  Information technology is the safest option and is a decision I understand and tin respect.

Final Word on Bleach Type:

This by regeneration cycle for our Marine Purigen numberless, I looked to come across what the of bleach I used.  I noticed the phrase 'splashless' on the bottle.  A closer look revealed only i.5% of the agile ingredient sodium hypochlorite.  The regen procedure notwithstanding worked ok, but it's best to stick with Seachem's recommendation of around 8.25% sodium hypochlorite.  Having said that, nigh all bleach manufacturers have lowered this to around 6% hypochlorite.

In summary, avoid bleach that uses the phrase "Splashless", check for around half-dozen-viii% sodium hypochlorite, and check the description and ingredients to verify there are no additives (fragrances).