Chemipure swap 4 months but change carbon every 2 weeks? Huh

[Magicalmidnight]

Hi

I had a quick question. I know chemipure says to change their bags every 4 months. But when i google how often to change out just carbon, it says every week or 2 weeks. So how is it that we can leave a chemipure bag in for 4 months when it also has carbon? I know it has other ingredients in it, but the carbon must expire long before 4 months? Or does it have slow releasing carbon pellets or something?

Thanks

 

[SindoCanales]

Hey. Most chemi pure bags are made from carbon, GFO and some sort of nitrate control. Most people get confused and use them instead of just what they need. For example are you having issues with phosphates Or nitrates ? If not just buy pure carbon and a bag and replace it as usual. What I do is make a chemi bag for what I need. For example my phosphates are usually between 0-.05 so I don’t use GFO and my nitrates don’t climb past 15ppm which is prefect for me so I make a carbon only bag, if something gets out of control that can’t be fixed for example my frag tank has nitrates at 25ppm so my media bag has carbon and nitrate reducer. Comes out el this way in the long run and you can fine tune your own media bag to your needs.

 

[rhostam]

The ratio of compounds used to soak up various things determines the frequency. BRS recipes for GFO/carbon in their reactors provide similar advice in the form of ratios and expected expiry. Even then, it depends also on bioload - with lighter loads exhausting the media more slowly than larger ones.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IMO, 4 months sounds excessively long to me.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi

I had a quick question. I know chemipure says to change their bags every 4 months. But when i google how often to change out just carbon, it says every week or 2 weeks. So how is it that we can leave a chemipure bag in for 4 months when it also has carbon? I know it has other ingredients in it, but the carbon must expire long before 4 months? Or does it have slow releasing carbon pellets or something?

Thanks

Chemipure is AFAIK a mix of Activated Carbon and GFO.

There is quite a bit of discussion about how long carbon remains active in a saltwater tank.

There are some biological processes that appear to actually clean the carbon, thus extending its life, despite the long held wisdom that the carbon pores get clogged up.

I would suggest that the carbon probably lasts as long as the GFO.

I wouldn't expect 4 months for either in a normal tank but 3 months is possible.

I know that in my tank GFO is exhausted after 8 weeks, so I change out both together

 

[Magicalmidnight]

Hey. Most chemi pure bags are made from carbon, GFO and some sort of nitrate control. Most people get confused and use them instead of just what they need. For example are you having issues with phosphates Or nitrates ? If not just buy pure carbon and a bag and replace it as usual. What I do is make a chemi bag for what I need. For example my phosphates are usually between 0-.05 so I don’t use GFO and my nitrates don’t climb past 15ppm which is prefect for me so I make a carbon only bag, if something gets out of control that can’t be fixed for example my frag tank has nitrates at 25ppm so my media bag has carbon and nitrate reducer. Comes out el this way in the long run and you can fine tune your own media bag to your needs.

Thanks for the reply, however it doesnt really answer my question.

 

[Magicalmidnight]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Chrisv.]

Chemipure is AFAIK a mix of Activated Carbon and GFO.

There is quite a bit of discussion about how long carbon remains active in a saltwater tank.

There are some biological processes that appear to actually clean the carbon, thus extending its life, despite the long held wisdom that the carbon pores get clogged up.

I would suggest that the carbon probably lasts as long as the GFO.

I wouldn't expect 4 months for either in a normal tank but 3 months is possible.

I know that in my tank GFO is exhausted after 8 weeks, so I change out both together

I thought there is some purigen in there too...but yes.

 

[Tcook]

The carbon will filter out many compounds including pigments. Maybe what you could do is take a sample of tank water out every few weeks and look at it under bright light in front of a sheet of white paper. When you start to see yellowing then change the carbon.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I thought there is some purigen in there too...but yes.

Yes, I believe you are correct.

I believe there is some polymer adsorber chucked in the bag too.

I also have a cheap clone called Macropore in my sump with the carbon and GFO.

Everything helps keeping that glass box full of salty water stable.
Except maybe vibrant.

 

[Spare time]

I thought there is some purigen in there too...but yes.

In the blue version

 

[Jeffcb]

Hi

I had a quick question. I know chemipure says to change their bags every 4 months. But when i google how often to change out just carbon, it says every week or 2 weeks. So how is it that we can leave a chemipure bag in for 4 months when it also has carbon? I know it has other ingredients in it, but the carbon must expire long before 4 months? Or does it have slow releasing carbon pellets or something?

Thanks

Chemi Pure directions do state every 2-4 months.

Their carbon is a high grade but IMO never go longer than 2 months.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Chemipure is not known to contain the same polymer as Purigen. There are some organic polymers that may or may not have similar properties in Chemipure.

FWIW, some of the Chemipure claims are pure baloney, and some are self contradictory. So use it if you like the results, not because of
claims,

For example, it claims to remove copper but not remove trace elements. Nice trick.

More curious than simple misleading statements like the copper one is this masterpiece in no sense;

“ Chemi-pure does not remove trace elements and is the only filter medium which aids in the natural balance of positive and negative charges, with an emphasis on the beneficial negative ion.”

For folks who may not realize it, water of any type always has an exact balance of positive and negative charges.

The absurdity of these other claims also makes one highly skeptical of the replacement time claims.

 

[Tamberav]

Hi

I had a quick question. I know chemipure says to change their bags every 4 months. But when i google how often to change out just carbon, it says every week or 2 weeks. So how is it that we can leave a chemipure bag in for 4 months when it also has carbon? I know it has other ingredients in it, but the carbon must expire long before 4 months? Or does it have slow releasing carbon pellets or something?

Thanks

because they are selling you a pre packed product at a large mark up and if they told you to change it every 2 weeks then people would question if it is really worth the cost

 

[gbroadbridge]

Chemipure is not known to contain the same polymer as Purigen. There are some organic polymers that may or may not have similar properties in Chemipure.

FWIW, some of the Chemipure claims are pure baloney, and some are self contradictory. So use it if you like the results, not because of
claims,

For example, it claims to remove copper but not remove trace elements. Nice trick.

More curious than simple misleading statements like the copper one is this masterpiece in no sense;

“ Chemi-pure does not remove trace elements and is the only filter medium which aids in the natural balance of positive and negative charges, with an emphasis on the beneficial negative ion.”

For folks who may not realize it, water of any type always has an exact balance of positive and negative charges.

The absurdity of these other claims also makes one highly skeptical of the replacement time claims.

You owe me a new keyboard

I just sprayed the best part of a $5 coffee over mine when I read your post.

Nice trick indeed

 

[doubleshot00]

Imo its only carbon. Thats all its done for my tank. Does nothing for anything else. Its much cleaner imo than other brands of carbon. I like it. Easier to handle and such. Mine stopped working after about 1.5-2months

 

[gbroadbridge]

Imo its only carbon. Thats all its done for my tank. Does nothing for anything else. Its much cleaner imo than other brands of carbon. I like it. Easier to handle and such. Mine stopped working after about 1.5-2months

It's not only activated carbon, it does have GFO as well.

Randy pointed out it also contains an adsorbent polymer resin.

The difference between Purigen and other clones I will leave to Randy as I believe he designs that sort of stuff for a living.

 

[Tamberav]

It's not only activated carbon, it does have GFO as well.

Randy pointed out it also contains an adsorbent polymer resin.

The difference between Purigen and other clones I will leave to Randy as I believe he designs that sort of stuff for a living.

It is different in that is a pre packaged bag of a few things, but I personally found the difference insignificant and the GFO probably exhausts quickly. It was just a convenience item for me. You can toss it in a chamber/sock/reactor in the bag without mess.

 

[gbroadbridge]

It is different in that is a pre packaged bag of a few things, but I personally found the difference insignificant and the GFO probably exhausts quickly. It was just a convenience item for me.

Why do you believe the GFO would exhaust quickly?

Is it any different to any other GFO product out there?
I've found a german manufactured GFO to last longer than a similar product manufactured elsewhere.

What about long life GFO promoted by other vendors?

This is a rabbit hole for sure, but just interested in your overall impression.

 

[Tamberav]

Why do you believe the GFO would exhaust quickly?

Is it any different to any other GFO product out there?
I've found a german manufactured GFO to last longer than a similar product manufactured elsewhere.

What about long life GFO promoted by other vendors?

This is a rabbit hole for sure, but just interested in your overall impression.

I didn't mean it was different GFO but because there is so little in it and they say to change every 2-4 months... so it will likely exhaust before the carbon.