Marineland Black Diamond Premium Activated Carbon 22 Ounces, Filter Media For Aquariums

works as advertised! great value and quality.

I always incorporate a bag of carbon in my filter media system for my reef aquarium. For the last year I’ve been using this activated carbon because it’s a good price and it’s a trusted brand. The carbon is an essential component of filtration because it’s so great at removing excess organic compounds from the water column. I’ve noticed it keeps the water clear, removes odors, cuts down phosphates, and it helps prevent chemical warfare between corals.I have approximately 40-50 different corals at any given time in my aquarium and most of them are steadily growing. So far I attribute a portion of my success due to running carbon as part of my aquarium maintenance schedule. I replace it about once a month because it does begin to lose effectiveness at around that time.While running carbon is just one small piece of the puzzle in successfully keeping a reef aquarium, I would say it’s an important one to stay on top of.

Been using this carbon product for the last 20 years and both my freshwater and saltwater aquariums water is very clear. Never had an issue. I replace it about once per month but that will vary depending on how much activity you have going on in your aquarium.They also fill the carbon right up to the top of the container. So no empty space as you get a full container filled to the top which is nice!

Big size, big save.

Updated 6/8/20 - I've been meaning to go back and change my review on this for a long time. MarineLand Diamond Media Premium Activated Carbon, Blacks & Grays, 40-Ounce (PA0373) has officially gone back to being my go-to active carbon for my 160 gallon mixed reef. Ounce for ounce and ounce per dollar, short of buying in LARGE bulk from one of the dedicated online fish stores, this product has provided consistent results at the right price point. I'll take off one star for it being so dusty. It feels like I've wasted a lot of water rinsing this stuff before putting it in my tank.Per my earlier reviews, I do still occasionally find it lodged in impellers but you could reasonably argue the fact that the carbon is getting in my impellers is my fault.Since my original review, BRS has done some good videos outlining the pros and cons of the various styles of active-carbon. I'm not sure if it was BRS, but somebody also did an excellent video showing a series of tanks all being cleaned with the assorted "flavors/sizes" of carbon over a period of time. After becoming more educated on how and why active carbon works, I've tried the high end stuff, the bulk eBay pond stuff, the boutique stuff, and ultimately I always come back to the 40oz bottle of MarineLand Diamond Media Premium Activated Carbon.So, I apologize to the good people at MarineLand who make the product. It amazes me that I've been in this hobby for almost 20 years and I feel like I'm still constantly learning new things. Knowledge is power, folks. Learn on!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I decided to try this stuff instead of my usual product ChemiPure. I use a Phosban Reactor 550 for carbon filtration on my 125 gallon reef. A couple weeks after putting this new stuff in my reactor, I noticed that my reef octopus BH-2000 skimmer was making strange noises. I also noticed a lot of the new activated carbon floating on the surface of my tank. I discovered that the carbon was getting stuck in the finger impeller on the skimmer's pump. The image was taken 24 hours after cleaning the impeller.Also - I normally see a huge improvement in water quality 24 hours after using ChemiPure. I didn't see any improvements with this stuff.I've ordered a new batch of ChemiPure. The marineland product is going in the trash.

Activated carbon is basically the stuff in the aquarium filters and water filters you buy. It's also good in maintaining a healthy terrarium.I don't use it to refill my filters, but I do use this in creating terrariums. The basic idea is that activated carbon filters impurities in water. It doesn't last forever, as we would never change our filters, but it does last a while before needing to be replaced.When making a terrarium, it's not feasible to constantly replace the carbon, but having a layer in your soil is better than nothing in keeping the soil clean and odor-free for a time. How I make my terrariums is I layer things in this order:1) Decorative rocks2) Layer of sphagnum moss3) Fiberglass screen cut to slightly less than width of container (to prevent soil from falling into the rocks and ruining the aesthetics)4) Layer of activated carbon (which won't fall through to the rocks either)5) Potting soil6) Plants7) Optional soil topper like pebbles or sand or decorationsThe logic of my layering is that everything will look good and function well this way. The fiberglass screen prevents the soil or carbon from mixing in with the rock layer. When you water your terrarium, the water will flow through the soil, then through the activated carbon, so by the time the water settles at the bottom (to be drawn up later by the plants and evaporation), the water is cleaner of impurities and won't stagnate at the bottom. It will prevent any possible smells, and it will be healthier for your plant roots.I use activated carbon in all my terrariums. It's not required, but it does help. If you create a lot of terrariums, I suggest you get the biggest container of carbon as it can run out pretty fast. Recommended.

Works as expected