I received the second Aquatop MR-20 Multimedia Reactor an hour ago and set it up with Alan’s 20 gallon tank temporarily housing my animals. I decided to use a few teaspoons of each of the following:

• Aquarium Masters Laboratory Grade Activated Carbon
• ROWA phos
• Seachem Purigen

I put the carbon in the bottom section, which is first, since the water fills the chamber from the bottom. I put both the phosphate remover and Purigen in the middle area and topped it with one of the sponge filters. I then tested the setup with tap water in a bucket. The carbon turned the water dark brown immediately, but after rinsing for a few minutes, it seemed clear.

The Purigen did not stay in the reactor, but it was caught by the screen filter on the output tube. I knew the output was not air tight around the joint, but all the water exited through the Purigen-screen during the test, so I thought it would hold up.

Upon placing the setup in the temporary 20 gallon tank and turning it on, some air got blown through the tubes and the Purigen started spilling into the tank somehow. I was momentarily stunned and did not see where it was coming out, but I am assuming it escaped through the gap between the tube and the black plastic opening on the screen filter cap.

Media reactor return hose with screen holding back Purigen balls from escaping into the tank. Unfortunately the fit around the tube is imperfect and the balls escaped through the gap.

Others have had Purigen escape in their tanks. (purigen balls escaped from bag, 09-16-2012) Seachem tech support responded to a post on their forum (Purigen Escape!, 11-01-2009) with these somewhat reassuring words:

Sorry to hear about the Purigen escaping into your tank. Good news is that there is nothing harmful that will leach out of the Purigen, and it will not re-release anything that it has adsorbed back into your tank. (Good thing for your colleague, right?) Though unsightly, there is no issue in leaving any of the beads that you cannot trap in your aquarium. You may want to try siphon-cleaning and/or adding filter floss into your filter to try and trap some of the beads. Hope this information helps!

I used the circulation pump in a cursory effort to blow the Purigen balls off the live rock and off the animals, and also to stir up the sediment in hopes of capturing some in the protein pump and media reactor I recently turned back on.

Purigen caught in some algae