ChemiPure (and GAC in general) lifespan?

[sikorskys]

Before you ask, I've watched all BRS videos ever made, so no "yellow water method" please. I don't think "yellow water" is a proper way to measure GAC efficiency.

That said, BRS states that GAC usually works for a week max, becoming highly porous bacteria substrate after that. That makes sense for me, because that's how tank cycling works.

But... Boyd Enterprises claims ChemiPure lifespan to be 4-6 months and "other" (cheap) carbon lasts a month. How is that possible? What makes ChemiPure so special, so it can withstand detritus, algae and bacteria for such a long time?

 

[RMS18]

I'm curious to see what others have to say, following. My GUESS would be the carbon is exhausted sooner than the resins, gfo and purigen depending on what version you buy. Also depending on the bio-load you have would determine how long it lasts for. So the carbon may be exhausted within 1-2 weeks but the other components are not exhausted and can last longer, allowing them to make that claim.

 

[Retro Reefer]

My chemipure directions say to replace monthly depending on bioload

 

[sikorskys]

My GUESS would be the carbon is exhausted sooner than the resins, gfo and purigen depending on what version you buy

ChemiPure (not Elite) does not contain any resins or additives, it's pure GAC. Lasts 6 months though

 

[RMS18]

My chemipure directions say to replace monthly depending on bioload

What version of chemi-pure is that? Their website currently states 4-6 months on Chemi-pure, Elite and blue.

 

[Retro Reefer]

What version of chemi-pure is that? Their website currently states 4-6 months on Chemi-pure, Elite and blue.

It’s the blue just purchased from doctors foster & Smith.. I should note I find Chemi-pure to be effective for approximately 2-3 months in my systems under light/medium bioload and with good tank maintenance.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Any carbon no matter the brand and quality ime is exhausted in as little as a few days and as long as a few weeks tops. It all depends on the quailty of the carbon, amount used and amount of the types of desolved organics that carbon is able to remove in the water. Life of carbon is a highly debated topic with little to no research on its use and life span in the reef aquarium. Might be a good one for BRS Investigates @Ryanbrs. I personally stopped using carbon and gfo a while ago, I only use carbon now in cases like after using Flatworm Exit.

 

[lapin]

+1 above
Anyone that tells you an exact lifespan for carbon is guessing, as each and every tank will have a different composition and volume of waste inside it. In some cases, the carbon might be exhausted within a few days or three or four weeks. Carbon is great at removing phenols (reef tanks) and tannins (more on the fresh water side). Langelier Scaling Index will come into play here. Due to its adsorptive nature, carbon eventually exhausts itself when its entire surface is coated in waste. So pre-filtering will have effect on lifespan.

 

[sikorskys]

My chemipure directions say to replace monthly

That's interesting.

Product page says 4-6 month. Boyd executives (can't find a link ATM) say 6 month. And product packaging says just a month

That's what I wanted to know. Thank you.

 

[Dan_P]

Before you ask, I've watched all BRS videos ever made, so no "yellow water method" please. I don't think "yellow water" is a proper way to measure GAC efficiency.

That said, BRS states that GAC usually works for a week max, becoming highly porous bacteria substrate after that. That makes sense for me, because that's how tank cycling works.

But... Boyd Enterprises claims ChemiPure lifespan to be 4-6 months and "other" (cheap) carbon lasts a month. How is that possible? What makes ChemiPure so special, so it can withstand detritus, algae and bacteria for such a long time?

I use Marineland Black Diamond GAC in a fish only system. I measure the organics in my water and can see them start to increase around 30-45 days but typically chage it around 60 days just to make sure the organics are really increasing. When I change the GAC, the organics drop within 48 hours. I imagine if I didn’t have large fish, the amount of organics being produced might not be so high. I have seen data from public aquarium reef tanks where organics were stable for 6 months after new GAC additions (my link to the article found the page missing)

The GAC life time depends on your system, the amount you use and to some degree the brand. The BRS video was a nice way of objectively comparing the available GAC types. It won’t help you judge when to change it.

 

[sikorskys]

Thank you very much, Dan_P. That was informative.