For aquaria, carbon can be sourced from animal bones, peat, coconut shells, wood and bituminous or lignite coal. For filters, it’s generally accepted that carbon made from bituminous coal is far and away much superior. In fact, it’s the first choice for human drinking water purifiers the world over. Coral Essentials Activated Carbon is made purely from Bituminous coal and far superior to all other carbon.
Activated carbon is excellent at removing organic chemicals from the water. The two chemicals that carbon excels at pulling from tanks are phenols and tannins. These are produced from a variety of sources, including the metabolic waste of fish and coral, the breakdown and decomposition of faeces, plants and uneaten food, and many more. It is also excellent at the removal of chlorine, chloramine and some heavy metals.