Review on Boyd Enterprises ABE16743 Chemipure 11 74 Ounce by April Boyce

Crystal clear water. This is what you get when you use Chemi-Pure Elite. I believe in using chemical filtration in aquariums. Others may argue that all you need is mechanical and biological filtration. However, I do find that a closed system such as an aquarium benefits greatly from the proper use of quality chemical filter media. I have found that using good quality charcoal leaves the water clear and odorless. The brands I use are Two Little Fishies Hydrokarbon and Seachem Matrix. Both products are excellent at what they do. I am perfectly satisfied that I buy and use these two brands on a regular basis. However, a Youtube video by an amateur named Jay Wilson prompted me to try Chemi-Pure. I knew the original Chemi-Pure but never tried it. Ordinary coals have always done their job. Anyway, Jay Wilson used Chemi-Pure Blue in his African cichlid tank with great results. I prefer soft water tanks and chose Chemi-Pure Elite instead of Blue. 40 gallon breeding tank. The substrate is the beautiful moon sand of the Caribbean. The light is Freshwater + Led from Current USA which is connected to a timer set to run 5 hours per day. The filter is a Fluval 206 attached to a Fluval surface skimmer. The heater is an old Rena Cal Excel. Residents of this tank: 4 livebearers, 1 amano shrimp and 2 olive irises. Two medium sized anubias are attached to a long piece of mopani wood. The tank is understaffed. The water is softer than you would normally keep a livebearer in and the pH is kept neutral with regular use of Seachem's acidity regulator. I use reverse osmosis water. The tank has been in operation for almost three months. At first the water was cloudy brown. Brown by the mopani tree. I didn't use charcoal for the first two months of the aquarium. After two months, about a month ago, I put a sachet of Chemi-Pure Elite in the third basket of Fluval 206. The water gradually became clear. It stayed crystal clear for almost a month. There is no noticeable biological slime in the aquarium. Regular carbons, hydrocarbons and matrix appear to be better at removing tannins from the water. However, Chemi-Pure Elite excels when it comes to keeping water clean and clear. There are no slippery areas in the tank, which tells me there is no biological slime inside. I suspect that the Chemi-Pure formula contains a powerful organic removal medium. As far as I know the formula is proprietary. The literature says it contains high quality carbon, iron oxide and resins. The charcoal inside the bag is not as effective as Two Little Fishies' hydrocarbon brand at removing tannins from mopani wood. However, Chemi-Pure Elite also removes phosphates and silicates from the water. It also removes organic matter. I think the combination of ingredients also helps extend the life of the product. Not sure if it will last 3 months like some reviewers claim, but so far it has lasted 1 month and is still working. I usually replace the Hydrocarbon and Matrix every month. Chemi-Pure Elite is a great product. I have never had such clean water in the aquarium as now. The pool is free of algae. And if a sachet is enough for three months, then it is also a very economical chemical carrier. $11-12 every three months is a small price to pay for crystal clear water, no slime or algae in the tank. My advice to you is follow the instructions. This product is best used with a canister filter. You should carefully filter the water before passing it through Chemi-Pure media. This extends the life of the carrier and prevents premature depletion of the carbon and resin. I have the final stage in Fluval 206. The water runs through a large porous sponge, then a smaller, less porous sponge, several ceramic rings, and then a fine water polishing sponge before reaching the chemi. -Clean. The polishing pad removes even the smallest particles, so Chemi-Pure only comes into contact with clean water. This helps extend the life of the product, just like carbon. Does carbon consumption slow down plant growth? In my experience, plants grow best when the aquarium is slightly neglected. Yes, you read it right. Over the years of my hobby I have found that plants grow faster in aquariums where the water is not changed as often. Perhaps the plants will benefit from the increased nitrate and nutrient content in the aquarium. Charcoal removes tannins and some organic matter from the water. So I've also found that aggressive use of high performance carbon media slows plant growth. But this compromise suits me. The maximum growth rate of plants is usually not my goal. Plants are currently taking a back seat for me. I suspect that Chemi-Pure Elite, with its aggressive resin that removes organic matter, slows the growth of certain plant species. I would use it anyway. The benefits far outweigh any potential reduction in plant growth rate. You have to decide for yourself what is most important to you. As I said, plants are not my priority these days. I didn't notice any difference with slow growing plants like Anubias. One tank has CO2 injection and is filtered by a Fluval C3 with a carbon filter installed. The growth rate of anubias in this aquarium is low. In a Chemi-Pure Elite tank there is no CO2 injection and the Anubias grow slowly too. All Anubias grow at the same slow rate. In other words, I don't give up anything that's important to me to get crystal clear water. Before using Chemi-Pure Elite, adjust the pH to where you need it. If this is a new reservoir, complete the cycle before using Activated Charcoal or Chemi-Pure. Wait for the reservoir to stabilize before adding the chemical medium. Do not open the media pack. Trust Boyd Enterprises and their signature formula. They've been making Chemi-Pure for fifty years. Do not mix this product with other charcoal carriers. As much as I love Two Little Fishies Hydrocarbon, I won't be using them together. If your aquarium has a lot of driftwood that releases tannins into the water, use hydrocarbon or a matrix. In all other situations, use Chemi-Pure Elite. As I wrote above, there are a few things you can do to make the product last longer, up to three months. Ensure that only pre-filtered water enters the Chemi-Pure. Chemi-Pure will not last as long in an overhead power filter as it will in a canister filter. A high performance filter simply does not have the ability to pre-filter water to the level of purity that a canister filter can provide. Remember that the purpose of chemical filtration is to remove dissolved substances from the water, not to remove particles and debris. You must remove them or they will cause Chemi-Pure to clog prematurely. Don't overfill the tank and do weekly water changes. Highly recommended. This is a great excellent product. Yes, it can get expensive if you have an overfilled tank and need to replace the product earlier than every three months. But you know that most products that work really well tend to be more expensive. You get what you pay for. The products that work best also tend to cost more than those that don't. That's more than fair. Chemi-Pure Elite is a high performance product that costs more than mediocre charcoal. It's worth every penny.