Phosphates bottoming out, remove carbon?

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

according to link it does remove phosphate

True, and it is wrong, or at least misleading. Don't believe everything you read from manufacturers. Much is demonstrably wrong.

That's a main reason to have a reef chemistry forum with folks who understand products: because so many companies stretch the truth far beyond reality. Boyd, along with a few other companies like Brightwell, is one of the poster children companies for misleading claims.

None of the materials in Chemipure Blue will bind significant phosphate from seawater. The polymer and possibly even the activated carbon may directly bind some phosphate from freshwater, and that may (or may not) be a nugget of truth behind the sweeping claim. It does not do so in seawater.

So, you are probably thinking this guy says it won't and the company says it will. Who to believe?

I have personally designed and synthesized hundreds of novel polymers to find the best ones to bind phosphate, and have been on and/or led teams of other chemists and analytical scientists doing the same thing for more than 20 years. One of the products that I co-invented has likely sold more product than ALL hobby polymer media combined (selling more than a billion dollars worth of sevelamer hydrochloride and sevelamer carbonate each year to treat hyperphosphatemia in people ).

There is just too much competition from sulfate and chloride in seawater for polymers to bind appreciable phosphate at the concentrations reef aquaria typically encounter. To verify this assertion, I took one of the best known known phosphate binders (sevelamer hydrochloride) and tested it in a water sample from my reef tank. It did not bind any significant amount.

 

[Reffetsevla]

Why remove it? it's not the cause of low phosphate.

The minor effects on phosphate by binding organic matter is not a major contributor to excessively low phosphate.

If it was the Chemipure with GFO, yes, remove it. He stated it had the PO4 removing material in it, I didn't go verify.

 

[sixty_reefer]

True, and it is wrong, or at least misleading. Don't believe everything you read from manufacturers. Much is demonstrably wrong.

That's a main reason to have a reef chemistry forum with folks who understand products: because so many companies stretch the truth far beyond reality. Boyd, along with a few other companies like Brightwell, is one of the poster children companies for misleading claims.

None of the materials in Chemipure Blue will bind significant phosphate from seawater. The polymer and possibly even the activated carbon may directly bind some phosphate from freshwater, and that may (or may not) be a nugget of truth behind the sweeping claim. It does not do so in seawater.

So, you are probably thinking this guy says it won't and the company says it will. Who to believe?

I have personally designed and synthesized hundreds of novel polymers to find the best ones to bind phosphate, and have been on and/or led teams of other chemists and analytical scientists doing the same thing for more than 20 years. One of the products that I co-invented has likely sold more product than ALL hobby polymer media combined (selling more than a billion dollars worth of sevelamer hydrochloride and sevelamer carbonate each year to treat hyperphosphatemia in people ).

There is just too much competition from sulfate and chloride in seawater for polymers to bind appreciable phosphate at the concentrations reef aquaria typically encounter. To verify this assertion, I took one of the best known known phosphate binders (sevelamer hydrochloride) and tested it in a water sample from my reef tank. It did not bind any significant amount.

I know what you mean about some company being misleading, although if the tank is limited in phosphate and there’s a media that is not effective, but still removing some nutrients it can be a source of a problem, in my tank this type of media would even make a dint on my phosphate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If it was the Chemipure with GFO, yes, remove it. He stated it had the PO4 removing material in it, I didn't go verify.

Agreed.

 

[dsouth1103]

Thank y’all for the pointers! I ended up removing it, i’ll keep y’all posted on if that helps me retain nutrients

 

[Reaper_Six_Four]

Thank y’all for the pointers! I ended up removing it, i’ll keep y’all posted on if that helps me retain nutrients

Any updates/observations after you removed it?

 

[dsouth1103]

Any updates/observations after you removed it?

After removing it my water got visually less clear so I went to a less potent carbon (some generic brand). I have been able to get nutrients in the tank since then but it is still kind of a struggle sometimes. I think more fish and using this less potent carbon is going to be my total answer. But for those who battle high nutrients I definitely recommend ChemiPure Blue, that stuff definitely works. In my case too much lol