Artificial Filters..

[ElectroTT]

I've read around and it seems alot of people take advantage of manufactured artificial filters !

 

like Chemipure Algone SeaGel ..

 

and PuraPad <-- (can someone give me the actual name ? I can't seem to google this !)

 

but do these things really work ?

 

I was told going all natural is best ! thats why i took bioballs and ceramic rings !!! but now i see people using artificial filters .. whats up guys?

[Fish Stick]

Are you thinking of Seachem Purigen for Purapad? I know alot of people use Polyfilter and that is a pad. If you are asking if they work....yes of course. I will be useing Purigen in my NC. Seachem boasts that it removes organics at a better rate than any other filter media....its made of resins.

[Gwoardnog]

If it ain't broke, why fix it?

 

I for one am keeping away from the filter stuff (chemi/phosban/nitrate thingy mabobs). Doing just fine without them.

[audiocontrol]

yes, if you are needing to add these things, I would seriously consider evaluating where the problem is coming from...ie (bad tap water, over feeding, over-stocked, not enough live-rock). I would think the best goal would be to have a totally balanced ecosystem without the use of carbon, purigen, and other absorbers.

[Fish Stick]

Of course we all want to build perfectly balanced systems. Tough to do in 6 or 12G of water. I am goign to run Purigen in my system because I don't have a skimmer. Also I would rather prevent something from happening rather then deal with it when it becomes a problem.

[ElectroTT]

just purigen or are you going to throw in chemipure etc. ?

 

but if your going to have a fuge like me, the more nitrate i have the better for my macroalgae yes? for it to eat =^)

 

not saying nitrate is a good thing but purigen filters out the nitrates does it not ?

[Fish Stick]

Yeah just purigen maybe some PhosGuard if I need it. Purigen removes organic waste that would eventualy turn into nitrates. It does not starve, if you will, your macro if you are worried about that.

[ElectroTT]

o i c ^^, interesting any reason why your not using the highly praised chemipure ? personal preference ?

[artarmon42]

Chemi-pure = carbon + snake oil

 

Oh, and I'm a big fan of Polyfilter.

It's filter material (every needs that to catch the crap in the water column) that has extra stuff to absorb stuff like ammonia. Sure, your tank can convert ammonia (fish-pee) into nitrates, but why get stuck with extra nitrates in the tank when you can filter out the ammonia before conversion!

 

I also ordered Pura Pad to try, as a substitute for Polyfilter.

Pura apparently also absorbs Phophates.

Phospoates is a typical by-product of decomposition (over feeding, fish-poop, etc), that is hard to get rid of.

[Fish Stick]

You know I bought it once.......and I just didn't like it. I can't say anything bad about it. Like you said just preference I guess.

[ElectroTT]

interesting, if you were to choose though, which ones would you go with !!! from the PhosGuard Algone SeaGel ChemiPure and Polyfilter

 

i was thinking just grabbing some pura pads and purigen ..

 

also how do you pronounce purigen ? (pure a gen) ?

[artarmon42]

interesting, if you were to choose though, which ones would you go with !!! from the PhosGuard Algone SeaGel ChemiPure and Polyfilter

 

i was thinking just grabbing some pura pads and purigen ..

 

also how do you pronounce purigen ? (pure a gen) ?

 

Currently I have phosguard, purigen and polyfilter.

I intend to replace it with purigen and purpad.

I received my order today, and will post a photo of the pura pad later for those who have never seen it before.

 

Purigen is pronounced pew-ri-gen.

At least I say that at the LFS, and no one laughs at me

[Fish Stick]

Currently I have phosguard, purigen and polyfilter.

I intend to replace it with purigen and purpad.

I received my order today, and will post a photo of the pura pad later for those who have never seen it before.

 

I haven't heard of or seen Pura pad yet. I am interested to hear how it works out for you.

 

 

Purigen is pronounced pew-ri-gen.

At least I say that at the LFS, and no one laughs at me

 

 

I thought it was pronounced pure - i - jen (the i sound in in... ) At least that's how I say it in the LFS and no one laughs at me.

[artarmon42]

PURA Filtration Pad

 

Previously I used Polyfilter to filter the crap in the water column.Polyfilter is pretty cool because no only does it serve as filter media, it also absorbs ammonia and other toxins. I don't have a recent picture, but this is what Polyfilter did for my Nano Cube...

 

Anyway, I ran out so I went online to buy more. That's when I came across the PURA Filtration Pad. The description says it is like Polyfilter (as a filter media), but absorbs more chemicals than Polyfilter (although it primarily talks about Phospates only). I figured I'd buy it and try it out...

 

For full disclosure, all I'm doing is documenting my (first) experience with Pura. I have no idea if it's any good, no idea if it will even work. I am not affiliated with PURA in any way, and don't stand to make any money from this post

 

The picture on Marine Depot isn't very clear, but here's a "close up" of the label:

 

First thing I noticed is that this thing promises to absorb alot of stuff (almost everything except the kitchen sink!). If the photo isn't very clear, it says it'll take care of "solids, organics, ammonia, phosphate, medications, lead, copper, silicates". The label shows how the pad is embedded with many "elements" that will absorb all kinds of stuff. "Total Filtration" is printed on the label!

 

You can cut up a piece (like Polyfilter) to fit any space.

 

When you cut it, you can really see all kinds of stuff embedded in the pad. I don't know what they all are, but after I cut it I found alot of carbon dust. It appears that carbon is a major component of this pad.

 

As I moved the pad around, I found alot of this "element" rubble at the bottom of the bag.

 

The instructions say to rinse the pad a few times (run it under water, squeeze dry, repeat). During the cleaning, alot of black (carbon?) dust came out. While I think it's possible to put the pad in the tank without rinsing, it's probably not adviseable (you'll probably get carbon particles in the water column until everything settles in a few days).

 

I put the pad in my tank's "media chamber" (water is forced through this chamber before being pumped back out, so pretty much all the water in my tank will run through the Pura pad).

 

For the first hour or so, I can report that water seems to flow through the Pura reasoanbly well. This is better than Polyfilter, because for the first hour or so, Polyfilter is pretty solid and water tends to flow "around the sides" rather than through it.

 

The instructions say to replace the Pura pad every month. Because of my "media chamber" forcing water through it, I had to replace Polyfilter every 2-3 weeks because it was visibly soiled. We'll see how the Pura pad holds up

 

 

To summarize, I'm looking at the Pura pad to replace:

* Polyfilter (filter media, ammonia & toxin removal)

* Phosguard (phosphate absorber)

 

I will keep using Purigen, which will supposedly remove protiens, nitrites and nitrates.

[ElectroTT]

Oh my gosh, with pictures and everything!

Haha, well that settles it, I guess Pura Pad it is !! hehe

 

By the way, does it say how many of those carbon sheets you need to put in ? or did you just put the whole bag in ? ^_^

[artarmon42]

I cut out a piece around 4" x 6".

It nicely covers my "media chamber" (wall-to-wall), so that water has to pass through the filter to get to the bottom.

 

Filter media, including things such as Purigenm, requires water to flow THROUGH it to be effective.

[ElectroTT]

thanks for giving a newbieeee a helping hand.. appreciate your help sir artarmon42, sir Fish stick, sir Gwoardnog keep up the amazing work guys !