Only just saw this thread - DOH!
George, I use Purigen on all my plant tanks (hang on - all my tanks ARE plant tanks!!) any way - I love the stuff - not necessarily as a carbon alternative, as I've never used carbon, but It's excellent for pulling organics, tannins etc out of the water.
Initially it came very highly recommended to me, so I tried it on a 80L heavily planted (forest!) tank that had about 18 months worth of mulm in/on the substrate - the water was fairly yellow/brown - not tea coloured, but noticeable in a white bucket when I did my waterchanges. Put the purigen in the filter ( a Aquaclear HOB at the time), and within a day or two, the water was LITERALLY crystal clear. I never had any problems with growth after adding the purigen - so it seems it doesn't pull traces out, If anything the growth was better, as the water was cleaner. And the beauty of it is, the purigen is completely rechargeable - you just bung it in some bleach until all the colour goes out, then rinse it with a really good dose of prime, and away you go again!
Sooo, I guess my short answer would be - Yes tried it, was good, I love it!
Cheers,
Dan.
Rufus.