What does Chemi-pure blue actually remove?

[Jcon82]

I'm discussing an issue in my reef tank with another group that has led me to believe that my no3 and po4 is not high enough for my alkalinity level. However, I have quite a few fish in this tank and only a tiny Tidal55 hob. My no3 is never over 2ppm and po4 is always .03ppm. I feed twice a day and corals are fed 3 times a week.

There's a bag of chemi-pure blue in the hob. Is this keeping no3 and po4 so low? Should I take it out or will that cause more issues?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'm discussing an issue in my reef tank with another group that has led me to believe that my no3 and po4 is not high enough for my alkalinity level. However, I have quite a few fish in this tank and only a tiny Tidal55 hob. My no3 is never over 2ppm and po4 is always .03ppm. I feed twice a day and corals are fed 3 times a week.

There's a bag of chemi-pure blue in the hob. Is this keeping no3 and po4 so low? Should I take it out or will that cause more issues?

It binds organics and anything strongly attached t organics, which can include some trace elements such as copper and iron.


It does not bind phosphate or nitrate directly.

 

[Saltyanimals]

It binds organics and anything strongly attached t organics, which can include some trace elements such as copper and iron.


It does not bind phosphate or nitrate directly.

Shut the front door! What do you mean it doesn't bind phosphate or nitrate. The Blue product is advertised to treat Phosphate. lol. Granted it doesn't say nitrate.

Chemi-pure Blue - Chemi-pure Advanced Aquarist Products

chemi-pure.com

I'm looking for an easier to maintain project like dropping in a bag every 1-2 months versions have to mess with refilling a reactor. Problem is I'm running a larger 180g system which seem to be too much water for the standard 11oz packets which were designed for 100g tanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Shut the front door! What do you mean it doesn't bind phosphate or nitrate. The Blue product is advertised to treat Phosphate. lol. Granted it doesn't say nitrate.

Chemi-pure Blue - Chemi-pure Advanced Aquarist Products

chemi-pure.com

I'm looking for an easier to maintain project like dropping in a bag every 1-2 months versions have to mess with refilling a reactor. Problem is I'm running a larger 180g system which seem to be too much water for the standard 11oz packets which were designed for 100g tanks.

Correct, it will not bind phosphate from seawater in useful amounts. In the product description, they conveniently do not distinguish freshwater effects (where any positively charged polymer resin will bind some phosphate) from saltwater effects (where competition from chloride and sulfate is too high to get appreciable binding).

"Chemi-pure Blue uses the finest laboratory grade resin technology to RAPIDLY remove organics and phosphates from your aquarium water while raising redox and helping stabilize pH. "

 

[Reef.]

I tried chemi blue for po4 removal, I used more than the suggested amount, I found it not very affective.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I tried chemi blue for po4 removal, I used more than the suggested amount, I found it not very affective.

Folks who observe an aquarium phosphate effect are seeing binding of organics before they break down (if it is other than test error).

This is also why the put GFO in ChemiPure elite.

Why bother if it binds phosphate without it? Inquiring minds wan to know. lol

 

[Saltyanimals]

Screw it. I decided to buy a dozen 180 micro mini media bags just now from Amazon. Will stop being lazy and load all 12 bags with GFO and give it it a good rinse and just throw them into the sump myself as needed. Thanks for clarifying. That's much cheaper than even Chemipure Blue in bulk bags and it's a one time effort and hopefully last me the 12 months.

Thanks for converting this lazy reefer.

 

[Chrisv.]

@Randy Holmes-Farley are you sure the "blue" version doesn't have a little gfo sprinkled into the mix? There are some small brown gfo size/shape/color granules in there bag with the carbon and the resin.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley are you sure the "blue" version doesn't have a little gfo sprinkled into the mix? There are some small brown gfo size/shape/color granules in there bag with the carbon and the resin.

it certainly doesn’t mention having GFO, and their elite does. If they put it in and do not say so, then yes, it can bind phosphate, but I expect that what you are seeing is something else as an impurity from manufacturing.

 

[Reef.]

it certainly doesn’t mention having GFO, and their elite does. If they put it in and do not say so, then yes, it can bind phosphate, but I expect that what you are seeing is something else as an impurity from manufacturing.

I know when I rinsed mine and even after being in the tank for a while, it didn’t give off the red rusty cloud in the water that rowaphos does.