Tropical Fish Forum

Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fishtank Filtration and Cycling => Topic started by: Evolution Stu on June 15, 2016, 03:19:57 PM

Title: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 15, 2016, 03:19:57 PM
Hi folks,
Im new over here and am always keen to add posts of value if I can and thought this data might be of use to someone.

As my blog will later show (when I add it to here), my new 360L Aquaoak aquarium is up and running but the volume of bogwood in there has caused the dreaded tea coloured water.

It wasnt terrible by any means, but looking down the tank end to end it annoyed me as thats the end you were faced with as you enter the room.

Its important to know the filtration in there already as otherwise you cant quite quantify the data as of course I could well be adding it to a tank with inadequate filtration for all you know, so for reference.

For filtration I have:

First Fluval 406 with (in order of flow):
Pre filter of Fluval Foam
Fluval Bio Foam
Fluval G-Nodes
Fluval Biomax
Fluval polishing pad


Second Fluval 406 with (in order of flow):
Pre filter of Fluval Foam
Fluval Bio Foam
Fluval G-Nodes
Seachem Matrix
Fluval polishing pad


Fluval 106 (This powers my UV which needs lower flow)
Pre filter of Fluval Foam
Fluval G-Nodes
Seachem Matrix
Fluval polishing pad


The water, whilst lovely and clear from head on:

(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s2/v4/p1965312874-4.jpg)


Looks like this from the end.

(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v88/p1904622339-4.jpg)

I know its 5foot long so will never look quite like gin, but id like it better. So after some research I decided to take a punt on 2x 100gm pre-bagged packs of Seacem Purigen and put them both into one of the 406s packed as a sandwhich with fluval polishing pads. So I actually added the Purigen and an extra pad after it.

24hrs later.

(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v17/p2078566578-4.jpg)

The curtains were drawn to keep ambient light the same during each end shot. I am astounded to be honest... The water looks amazing, and we are only 24hrs in! Something that actually works as well as it says on the tin!

Ive got another 2 packets on order for the other 406!
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: ColinB on June 15, 2016, 03:27:32 PM
Hello Stu, and welcome to the forum. Good lookin' tank you've got there...... what sort of sea monster lurks in the cave to the left?

p.s. Why isn't there any wine in the wine rack..... that's definitely got to be sorted before anything else!  8)
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Cora on June 15, 2016, 03:54:42 PM
I've seen that tank and stand with the wine-rack in a showroom! Looks amazing. I wish I had room for it in my house.

I've also used Purigen and can testify for the water clarity. I have a wide thin layer in the first tray of my external filter and you can't even see the water.

What convinced me to use Purigen is that it doesn't out-compete the bacteria for ammonia and nitrites - it's just an additional type of filter. But, unlike carbon it doesn't affect trace elements (like ferts) which you'd want kept in the water. It's a bit expensive, but the volume I have should last 6 months, and you can recharge it many times.

It's a no-brainer for me; if you can afford Purigen, get it.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 15, 2016, 03:58:31 PM
Hello Stu, and welcome to the forum. Good lookin' tank you've got there...... what sort of sea monster lurks in the cave to the left?

p.s. Why isn't there any wine in the wine rack..... that's definitely got to be sorted before anything else!  8)

Hi Colin,
Thanks for the welcome and kind words, the wife is on with the wine rack stocking... not my department! LOL

At the moment, the residents of Aqua-oak St are:

11 x Rummy Nose Tetras
2 x Geophagus Tapajos Redheads
2 x Geophagus Abalios

Ive no good pics of the rummy's, but here are the "boys" as my wife likes to call them.

(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v88/p2035944800-4.jpg)


(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s5/v123/p2096080308-4.jpg)

I have hard water problems at the moment and have just instaleld RO. Tonight is chemistry night to try and solve it.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: ColinB on June 15, 2016, 04:02:28 PM
....and another person who can take beautiful piccies of their fish, while all I can manage is an out of focus blur. >:(

Curses!
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Sue on June 15, 2016, 04:10:21 PM
I love those Geophagus. If I had a big enough tank I'd have some but my 107cm long, 188 litre tank is the biggest I'm allowed  :'(
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Robert on June 15, 2016, 05:08:59 PM
Pictures look fantastic - crisp and clear!  :cheers:
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Littlefish on June 15, 2016, 05:53:37 PM
Good lord those are some fantastic photos.  8)

Don't worry Colin, I'm in the fuzzy blur club with you.  :wave:
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 15, 2016, 07:04:45 PM
Brilliant photos. :cheers:

I also used Purigen to remove the tannins from my tank.

I have seen some beautiful Blackwater aquariums where the tannins really add to the look, and the fish love it as it's close to their natural habitat.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: fcmf on June 15, 2016, 07:18:59 PM
Impressive effect of the Seachem Purigen!

Also agree with the others - fantastic photos.

Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Paddyc on June 15, 2016, 08:22:52 PM
(http://i.imgur.com/DpYj47y.gif)

Welcome to ThinkFish, EvolutionStu

Does your name allude to a certain make of Mitsubishi motor or the more traditional use of the word...?

I concur with the guys above, your photography skills match your fish... Simply stunning. I assume using a DSLR? I really need to upgrade from my Bridge. Shutter speed is everything and it just isn't up to the task...

I'm intrigued by this Seachem Purigen.. It comes mostly in 250ml bottles which I gather you pour into a fine mesh and add to the filter media... And 1 litre treats 4000litres for up to 6 months...?? So a 250ml bottle would treat 1000 litres and my piddling little 180 litre tank would need approximately 50ml/grams of the stuff every 6 months? Or am I completely misinterpreting the instructions?

Look forward to following your progress and best of luck with the Science experiment this evening, I enjoy giving the test tubes a rattle every now and then. The missus joked I should wear a white coat  :rotfl:
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 15, 2016, 08:57:50 PM
@Paddyc you can clean and reactivate Purigen.

When it's used up and can no longer adsorb you can clean it to reactivate it.

Quote
Use regular 8.25% hypochlorite household bleach (non-scented, no dyes, do not use a splash-less bleach). Rinse well, then soak for 8 hours with a solution containing 4 tablespoons of Prime®, or equivalent dechlorinator per cup of water. Rinse well.

I've reactivated it twice now.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 15, 2016, 10:02:30 PM
Wow, thanks for all the kind words folks.
Im a self employed motorsport technitian by trade but I also do photography on a quite serious level (mainly landscape - Im a keen hiker) so if anyone wants any advice on such matters please feel free to ask.


Does your name allude to a certain make of Mitsubishi motor or the more traditional use of the word...?

I concur with the guys above, your photography skills match your fish... Simply stunning. I assume using a DSLR? I really need to upgrade from my Bridge. Shutter speed is everything and it just isn't up to the task...

I'm intrigued by this Seachem Purigen.. It comes mostly in 250ml bottles which I gather you pour into a fine mesh and add to the filter media... And 1 litre treats 4000litres for up to 6 months...?? So a 250ml bottle would treat 1000 litres and my piddling little 180 litre tank would need approximately 50ml/grams of the stuff every 6 months? Or am I completely misinterpreting the instructions?

Look forward to following your progress and best of luck with the Science experiment this evening, I enjoy giving the test tubes a rattle every now and then. The missus joked I should wear a white coat  :rotfl:

Its work related really, although I do map a lot of EVO's and once owned a Makkinen 6.

Ref the camera, yes, Canon 5D MK3, lens for these was a 50mm f/1.8 using f2.
Even then, I needed to shoot at about 3200ISO to get the right shutter speed.

The Purigen is rated to 400litres per pack. As far as I could deduce you cant use too much so I threw two in one of the 406's and have another two for the if im wrong, I will let you know. LOL

I would recomend you buy the bagged one as otherwise, the only bag known to retain it is the Seachem "The Bag" as its tiny!
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Cora on June 16, 2016, 09:15:59 AM
To save a bit of money, you don't need to use Seachem's "The Bag" which is £15 for a micron-sized-hole bag. Muslin bags which are also very fine will do just nicely. You can get a bunch off eBay for pennies. They hold my Purigen no problem.

The advantage of The Bag (TM) is it's a sealed unit which some might find more convenient.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 16, 2016, 10:01:00 AM
Thanks Cora, thats very useful info, I googled for a while before I bought it and didnt come across anyone who had sucessfully used anything else.

To save a bit of money, you don't need to use Seachem's "The Bag" which is £15 for a micron-sized-hole bag. Muslin bags which are also very fine will do just nicely. You can get a bunch off eBay for pennies. They hold my Purigen no problem.

The advantage of The Bag (TM) is it's a sealed unit which some might find more convenient.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Cora on June 16, 2016, 04:16:54 PM
I hope this link works. This is to the ones I bought off ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121998214104?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

5 bags for £4.70. The mesh is fine enough to contain Purigen.

One caveat: if you plan to "recharge" purigen I don't know how these cotton bags will react to bleach. As long as the bags don't disintegrate (!) you should be fine.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 16, 2016, 04:20:34 PM
...

Ref the camera, yes, Canon 5D MK3, lens for these was a 50mm f/1.8 using f2.
Even then, I needed to shoot at about 3200ISO to get the right shutter speed.
...

Good info! I've just bought myself a Canon DSLR and have been using auto settings up to now. I'll have to learn how shoot manual and this is at least a starting point.  :cheers:


And re: bags for Purigen, I've used the foot end of a pair of ladies tights.
 As they come in black they hide nicely in the filter too.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Cora on June 16, 2016, 05:07:28 PM
And re: bags for Purigen, I've used the foot end of a pair of ladies tights.
 As they come in black they hide nicely in the filter too.
Sure...you just happened to have them lying around, eh?  :rotfl:
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 16, 2016, 05:13:10 PM
And re: bags for Purigen, I've used the foot end of a pair of ladies tights.
 As they come in black they hide nicely in the filter too.
Sure...you just happened to have them lying around, eh?  :rotfl:

lol well I wasn't wearing them and didn't want them to go to waste.  :rotfl:
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 16, 2016, 07:37:26 PM
...

Ref the camera, yes, Canon 5D MK3, lens for these was a 50mm f/1.8 using f2.
Even then, I needed to shoot at about 3200ISO to get the right shutter speed.
...

Good info! I've just bought myself a Canon DSLR and have been using auto settings up to now. I'll have to learn how shoot manual and this is at least a starting point.  :cheers

If on auto and you have some kind of scene mode, try sports. That favours shutter speed.
If not, try TV which is shutter priority and then bring your shutter speed up to somewhere around 1/250th.
That should get you in the ball park if the camera lens and ISO can match up the exposure triangle to allow it.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 16, 2016, 07:47:04 PM
If on auto and you have some kind of scene mode, try sports. That favours shutter speed.
If not, try TV which is shutter priority and then bring your shutter speed up to somewhere around 1/250th.
That should get you in the ball park if the camera lens and ISO can match up the exposure triangle to allow it.

Thank you. :cheers:
I've used Sport mode alongside manual focus quite successfully.

On my previous cameras it was auto-focus that was giving me the biggest headache, where the focus system couldn't keep up with the movement of the fish.

I do plan on learning how to use the camera without relying on the preset modes so I'll be keeping an eye here and anywhere else I can pick up any tips.  :)
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 16, 2016, 09:40:50 PM
If I can ever help in any way, just ask. I know my way around an SLR.
Same goes for any members on here.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Extreme_One on June 16, 2016, 09:56:59 PM
If I can ever help in any way, just ask. I know my way around an SLR.
Same goes for any members on here.

I have a feeling this could/should be a whole other thread.


I wonder if a 'questions for experts' type of thread might be the best way ... I know there are at least a few members here that consider themselves proficient with a DLSR that might be willing to answer questions.
The problem with this idea is that we learners might not even know the best questions to ask depending on our existing knowledge.


Perhaps a "Tips for aquarium photography" thread started by a member with the relevant knowhow would be a better way forward.

Just throwing ideas out for the time being.
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Evolution Stu on June 16, 2016, 11:00:37 PM
Ref the not knowing what to ask...
The best thing you can do is post up an image thats got problems, along with its EXIF info if you know how to get it.

That way we can see the issue... blur perhaps, and also see all the image data.

If you (or others reading) are not sure what EXIF is:

For this image:
(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s6/v138/p850242446-4.jpg)

The EXIF looks like this:

(http://www.stewartsandersonphotography.co.uk/img/s11/v31/p2125133446-5.jpg)

From this we can determine what went wrong, and what settings you could try to counteract the issue.

If the above image was blurred and we needed to cut down the exposure time, I could for example tell you to set ISO to 800 which would double the shutter speed and it would look exactly the same. (Well, almost,. the exposure was long because the water was choppy and I wanted it smooth)

Or I could suggest setting to f/4 instead of f/8 for the same result, albeit with a little less depth of field.
(Front to back focus)

 
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: ColinB on June 17, 2016, 07:52:25 AM
I like the idea of a photography thread. We've got a decent camera..... but it's cleverer than me and keeps trying to do its own thing. Focussing on the glass is especially annoying. >:(
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Sue on June 17, 2016, 09:26:31 AM
I photography thread is a really good idea, but I can't decide which section it should be in. General Fishkeeping Chat? General Non-fishkeeping Chat?
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Paddyc on June 17, 2016, 12:43:49 PM
I photography thread is a really good idea, but I can't decide which section it should be in. General Fishkeeping Chat? General Non-fishkeeping Chat?

I wonder if @Robert could maybe create a photography board in the same section as Non Fishkeeping GC or even as a sub-forum of GC...
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Robert on June 17, 2016, 12:52:11 PM
I photography thread is a really good idea, but I can't decide which section it should be in. General Fishkeeping Chat? General Non-fishkeeping Chat?

I wonder if @Robert could maybe create a photography board in the same section as Non Fishkeeping GC or even as a sub-forum of GC...


Agreed - for now it sits beneath gallery showcase, let's see how it progresses. :)
Title: Re: Seachem Purigen - My before and after report.
Post by: Paddyc on June 17, 2016, 02:25:17 PM
Great stuff, yip I see it, I concur with it's location too. Cheers Robert