Ok, I use Chemi Pure Elite(CPe)It's rather expensive, and i have 3 large tanks with moderate to high bio loads. My 125g tank started to get a bit cloudy, so I decided to clean a couple of filters. I keep shrimp in the tank, and one was actually on a log having babies earlier in the day when I did this whole experiment.
i needed to find a way to recharge this stuff. The challenge seemed to be how to recharge the media portion that is not carbon. To do this, the media had to be separated. There were some recommendations for the non carbon part that involved bleach. Something many aquarists fear due to residue.
Here is what I did and it worked for me.
i boiled the whole bag first.
I got out a kitchen sieve I use to drain water out of pasta and vegetables. It's metal, about 6 inches diameter, and 5 inches deep. It's a fine mesh, like a window screen. I got out a glass bowl(don't want to use more metal than I have to, since the granuals(sp)could react to it) that was just a bit wider than the sieve, and about the same depth. Filled bowl to the 2/3 point. Poured the whole bag of CPe into the sieve, rinsed bag, turned it inside out and emptied the rest of the stuff with it. Then gently swirled the sieve in the water till the non carbon media settled to the bottom of the bowl. Poured the granuals back into the bag, and repeated as needed to separate. Once all the brown dots were back in the bag, I set the carbon aside. Rinsed the bowl, refilled it with tap water, added a decent amount of bleach, and soaked the dots in the bag for about an hour. I rinsed the bag and dots really well filled the bowl with fresh water, added a lot of dechlor, and rinsed the bag again. Did that twice. Then I added the carbon to the bag, squished and mixed it all back together. To be on the safe side, I boiled the whole bag again. I was going to bake it on low to dry, but decided not to for many reasons. We boil water to remove a lot of the stuff the water company puts in it, so I figured it was safe, plus it's how we activate carbon. I put the bag back in the filter.
all is well hours later. No casualties, shrimp babies are still buzzing around, adults are active. The tank is also crystal clear again. It amazes me well well Chemi Pure works. I thought it was hype when I first started to hear about it. Now I know it's true.
If your not as patient and diligent in the washing and rinsing part of this, don't try this.
Do not skimp on your dechlor, but you can use regular dechlor. Don't waste the Prime or such, and since the CP elite reacts to metal, I think I might avoid the Amquel at this step too. Cheap dechlor worked fine for me.
Otherwise, go DIYers!
I took about an hour from start to finish. I already had the water boiling....
i needed to find a way to recharge this stuff. The challenge seemed to be how to recharge the media portion that is not carbon. To do this, the media had to be separated. There were some recommendations for the non carbon part that involved bleach. Something many aquarists fear due to residue.
Here is what I did and it worked for me.
i boiled the whole bag first.
I got out a kitchen sieve I use to drain water out of pasta and vegetables. It's metal, about 6 inches diameter, and 5 inches deep. It's a fine mesh, like a window screen. I got out a glass bowl(don't want to use more metal than I have to, since the granuals(sp)could react to it) that was just a bit wider than the sieve, and about the same depth. Filled bowl to the 2/3 point. Poured the whole bag of CPe into the sieve, rinsed bag, turned it inside out and emptied the rest of the stuff with it. Then gently swirled the sieve in the water till the non carbon media settled to the bottom of the bowl. Poured the granuals back into the bag, and repeated as needed to separate. Once all the brown dots were back in the bag, I set the carbon aside. Rinsed the bowl, refilled it with tap water, added a decent amount of bleach, and soaked the dots in the bag for about an hour. I rinsed the bag and dots really well filled the bowl with fresh water, added a lot of dechlor, and rinsed the bag again. Did that twice. Then I added the carbon to the bag, squished and mixed it all back together. To be on the safe side, I boiled the whole bag again. I was going to bake it on low to dry, but decided not to for many reasons. We boil water to remove a lot of the stuff the water company puts in it, so I figured it was safe, plus it's how we activate carbon. I put the bag back in the filter.
all is well hours later. No casualties, shrimp babies are still buzzing around, adults are active. The tank is also crystal clear again. It amazes me well well Chemi Pure works. I thought it was hype when I first started to hear about it. Now I know it's true.
If your not as patient and diligent in the washing and rinsing part of this, don't try this.
Do not skimp on your dechlor, but you can use regular dechlor. Don't waste the Prime or such, and since the CP elite reacts to metal, I think I might avoid the Amquel at this step too. Cheap dechlor worked fine for me.
Otherwise, go DIYers!
I took about an hour from start to finish. I already had the water boiling....
