Crystal clear water. That is what you get when you use Chemi-Pure Elite. I believe in using chemical filtration in fish tanks. Others may argue that all you need are mechanical and biological filtration. However, I am of the opinion that a closed system like an aquarium benefits greatly from the proper use of good quality chemical filtration media. I have found that using good quality carbon keeps the water clear and odorless. The brands that I use are Two Little Fishies Hydrokarbon and Seachem Matrix. Both products are excellent at what they do. I have been thoroughly satisfied to the point that I purchase and use those two brands regularly. However, a Youtube video from a hobbyists named Jay Wilson prompted me to try Chemi-Pure. I have been aware of the original Chemi-Pure but have never tried it. The regular carbons have always done the job. Anyway, Jay Wilson, used Chemi-Pure Blue on his African Cichlid tank and got great results. I prefer soft-water tanks and chose to try Chemi-Pure Elite instead of the Blue. The tank is a 40-gallon breeder. Substrate is Caribsea's beautiful Moonlight Sand. The light is Current USA's Freshwater + Led that is connected to a timer set for 5 hours of on-time per day. The filter is a Fluval 206 connected to a Fluval Surface Extractor. Heater is an old Rena Cal Excel. The residents of that tank are: 4 livebearers, 1 Amano Shrimp, and 2 Olive Nerite Snails. Two medium-sized Anubias are attached to a long piece of Mopani wood. The tank is understocked. The water is softer than what you would normally keep livebearers in and the PH is kept neutral with regular use of Seachem's Acid Regulator. I use reverse osmosis water. The tank has been in operation for almost three months. The water was initially a cloudy brown. Brown, due to the Mopani wood. I did not use carbon during the first two months of the tank. At the end of two months, about one month ago, I dropped a bag of Chemi-Pure Elite in the third basket of the Fluval 206. The water slowly became clear. It has stayed crystal clear for almost one whole month. There are no detectable biological slime inside the tank. The regular carbons, Hydrokarbon and Matrix, seem to do a better job of removing tannins from the water. However, the Chemi-Pure Elite is superior when it comes to keeping the water clean and clear. There are no slippery areas inside the tank, which tells me there is no biological slime inside. I suspect the Chemi-Pure formula includes a strong organic-removing media. As far as I know, the formula is guarded. The literature states it has high-grade carbon, ferric oxide, and resins. The carbon inside the bag is not quite as effective as the Two Little Fishies Hydrokarbon brand at removing the tannins from the Mopani wood. However, the Chemi-Pure Elite also removes phosphates and silicates from the water. And it also removes organics. I think the combination of ingredients also help to extend the life of the product. I am not sure if it will last the three months that some reviewers claim, but it has lasted one month so far and it is still working. I normally replace Hydrokarbon and Matrix every month. Chemi-Pure Elite is an excellent product. I have never had tank water as clear as I do now. The tank is free of algae. And if each bag lasts for three months, it also makes it a very economical chemical media. $11-$12 every three months is a small price to pay to have crystal clear water, no slime, and no algae in your tank. My advice to you is to follow the directions. This product is best used with a canister filter. You will want to filter the water thoroughly before sending it through the Chemi-Pure media. This prolongs the life of the media and prevents the carbon and the resins from premature exhaustion. I have mine as the last stage in the Fluval 206. The water passes through a large, porous sponge, then through a smaller, less-porous sponge, through some ceramic rings, and then through a fine water polishing pad before it reaches the Chemi-Pure. The polishing pad removes even the smallest particles so that only clean water touches the Chemi-Pure. This helps prolong the life of the product as with carbon. Does the use of carbon retard plant growth? In my experience, plants tend to grow best when the tank has been slightly neglected. Yes, you read that right. I have noticed, over many years in the hobby, that plants grow faster in tanks where the water is not changed quite so often. Perhaps the elevated levels of nitrate and nutrients inside the tank benefit the plants. Carbon removes tannins and some organics from the water. As such, I have also noticed that aggressive use of highly-effective carbon media does slow plant growth. But that trade-off is fine with me. Maximum rate of plant growth is not usually my goal. Plants are a distant, secondary consideration for me these days. I suspect that Chemi-Pure Elite, with its aggressive organics-removing resin, will slow down the growth of some plant species. I still would use it though. The benefits far outweigh any potential decrease in the rate of plant growth. You will have to decide for yourself, based on what you value the most. Like I said, plants are not a high priority for me these days. With slow-growing plants like the Anubias, I have not noticed any difference. One tank has CO2 injection and it is filtered by a Fluval C3, with carbon media installed. The growth rate for the Anubias in that tank is slow. The tank with the Chemi-Pure Elite has no CO2 injection and the Anubias also grow slowly. All of the Anubias grow at the same slow rate of growth. In other words, I am not giving up anything that I value to get crystal clear water. Set your PH where you want it, before using Chemi-Pure Elite. If this is a new tank, complete the cycle before using carbon or Chemi-Pure. Wait until the tank has stabilized before adding chemical media. Do not open the media bag. Trust Boyd Enterprises and their proprietary formula. They have been making Chemi-Pure for fifty years. Do not mix this product with other carbon media. As much as I like Two Little Fishies Hydrokarbon carbon, I will not use the two together. If your tank has a lot of driftwood that release tannins in the water, use either the Hydrokarbon or the Matrix. For any other situation, use the Chemi-Pure Elite. As I wrote above, there are some things you can do to make the product last longer, up to three months. Make sure that only pre-filtered water reaches the Chemi-Pure. The Chemi-Pure will not last long in a hang-on-back power filter as it will in a canister filter. The power filter simply does not have the capability to pre-filter the water to the level of cleanliness that a canister filter can. Remember, the purpose of the chemical filtration is to remove dissolved substances from the water, not remove particles and debris. You have to remove those, or else they will cause the Chemi-Pure to clog prematurely. Do not overstock the tank and make your weekly water changes. Highly recommended. This is an excellent, excellent product. Yes, it can get pricey if you have an overcrowded tank and you have to replace the product sooner than the three-month interval. But you know, most products that work really well tend to be priced at the higher-end of the scale. You get what you pay for. The products that perform best tend to also cost more than the ones that do not. That's more than fair. Chemi-Pure Elite is a high-performance product that costs more than mediocre carbon. It is worth every penny.
