Most of the negative reviews I’ve read here concern dust, cloudiness, etc.I bought two 7.7 lb bags on separate occasions, and found that, just like ANY substrate, you simply rinse as much as you need to be able to see the gravel clearly at the bottom of the rinse bucket through a few inches of water. Combining water & substrate GENTLY is common sense.And why wouldn’t one also use at least SOMETHING that has fine particle removal? Diatom filter, micron pad cut to hang over the output of your hang-on-tank filter, an air driven box filter with floss, pre-filter intake sponge, or even a wad of floss anywhere in the water flow. Just how lazy does one want to be and still expect to get desired results?The natural looking dark brown dirt-like color, and the size of the gravel is just to my liking. It does not affect pH or KH like calcium or aragonite. I understand this to have some of the plant friendly elements of clay, but I also use ferts, CO2, lighting, and twice the filtration needed for the tank to remain clear & algae free.

Five stars. This substrate is beautiful in my 5-gallon planted betta tank. It's a rich, dark tree bark colour that complements the greenery and offers a subtle, elegant, and most importantly, natural look to my betta's home. It also helps my cherry shrimp stand out so I can keep a better eye on them than when I had reddish-tinged river pebbles as substrate.To the people complaining that it isn't black: the bag itself does not advertise to be although the listing title of the item is incorrectly called "black dark". This is called "dark" on the bag, and it is. If you're looking for black gravel, Seachem has one specifically named that.To the other people complaining about dust and debris: one very thorough rinse through a cheesecloth lined strainer and careful addition of water to the tank so as not to disturb the substrate overmuch, and I had next to no clouding - any particles that did float up settled in less than a minute. I will say that simply rinsing it in the bag as advertised isn't enough, but taking the time to rinse it manually will pay off in tidy water and a beautiful result in the tank.Love this product, and will be using it exclusively for as long as it is available.

La bolsa es de 3,5kg (7,7 libras) y el vendedor niega solucionar el problema.

Perfect for a planted aquarium

Looks good in the tank, easy to clean unlike the sand and not sharp like the sand is.Well I just bought my second bag and it’s COMPLETELY different. My first bag was round black pellets and this one is flat brown jagged pieces. Maybe they changed the formula? This new one is messier, not ad pretty but more natural looking. I checked and according to Amazon this is the same product as I bought 3 months ago but its clearly different.