I have been using pinky filters for several years now and I find them to be a crucial part of my aquarium care. I use them just upstream of my filter socks which allows me to double my filter sock effectiveness and time of use before cleaning by swapping out the pinky filter a couple of times before needing to swap and clean my filter socks. I also use them aft of the refugium, prior to Purigen packs to catch sump particulates that would otherwise enter the return pump system. In both cases, I cut to size crosswise of the roll to widths appropriate for each location. I have tried other filter material; but, nothing works better than the pinky filters.