This Marineland Activated Carbon is among the best quality on the market, yet sells for a lower price than the "designer" carbon brands that are actually not better, or not much better, yet sell for more, sometimes much more. You have to be careful also because there are also other brands of low-cost carbon that are inferior in quality. You can save by purchasing the larger 40 oz. size or we also sell a 10 oz. size for the small aquarium.

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The manufacturer and industry tests we have seen online by professionals doing demonstrations, that sort of thing, have found this carbon to be phosphate free; an important consideration for some marine coral reef systems. It is fine enough quality for reefs and most sensitive organisms. The only time we use a more sophisticated product, such as ChemiPure brand or otherwise, is if we have a very sick or stressed organism/s of high value and sensitivity to water quality. For average day-to-day needs, we find this Marineland Activated Carbon to work great!

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We recommend changing the carbon every two-weeks for high density or sensitive organisms and every four weeks (or once per month) for medium to low densities or average organisms. We do not recommend allowing the carbon to go more than a month, especially not more than two months (if you get behind on maintenance) due to buildup of organic matter in the carbon, that will eventually become toxic and risk for disease & parasites. We do not believe that carbon fines cause hole in the head or lateral line disease in saltwater fish. We believe that old particle filters & old dirty carbon media filters are contributing factors. Floss filters, filter pads and carbon media should always be kept clean & fresh. As they age for more than a month, they start to become foul and unhealthy.

 

Similar to something going foul in the refrigerator, you don't want to leave it there or eat it, once it smells or looks bad. The same way with your water filters, you want to keep them cleaned regularly so that the water does not become polluting to the fish and other organisms.

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 The carbon will cause the water to become crystal clear clean.

If discoloration of the water occurs, this is also an indicator that it is time to change the carbon.