No more filter socks.....?????

[Mr Hyde]

I much prefer socks, and change mine out every other day after my evening feeding.

I use 120 micron nylon mesh socks instead of the fabric ones. I can rinse, and scrub (if need be) them in my utility sink in less than a minute after flipping them inside out.

Without them, uneaten food would end up in the bottom of my sump which I really, really hated cleaning. I often put it off much longer than I should have, whereas switching socks takes seconds, and if pressed for time, I can always clean them later.

They also helped with microbubbles in the display, and made the sump area quieter.

 

[NYreefNoob]

i havent used them for over 2 years on my tank

 

[JT101]

Strangely, I would much rather plan for a longer, more tedious task that I only have to do once in a while instead of sticking to a very rigorous regimen of doing something every 2-3 days. If I'm off by a couple of days on the sump cleaning, it's only a fraction of the total time span that has passed. However, if I'm supposed to change my filter socks every 3 days, and skip until the 4th, well, I've just gone 33% past the "service interval".

Update:

Phosphates: 0

Nitrates: 1 (they were 1 a week before I took the socks out)

So far so good.

Again, I will definitely go back to filter socks if I see a negative trend but I'll have to wait and see.

 

[JT101]

i havent used them for over 2 years on my tank

Cool! Do you see any improvement, have things gotten worse or have they stayed the same?

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I use filter socks on both of my tanks. I recently decided to increase the times I swap them out. It is easy enough, takes all of 5 seconds, then I turn them inside out and wash two or three at a time in the washing machine with hot water and a cup of unscented clorox (NOTE: Residential washing machines keep some water in them from the previous use, I recommend running the machine in the rinse cycle before you wash your filter socks to get rid of any phosphate laden detergents!)

My big problem? I CAN NO LONGER FIND THE FILTER SOCKS I USE!!! The have "disappeared". Not on BRS, not on Dr. Fosters... Used to be able to get them cheap, now they only have the "round" socks with plastic. I need the socks with wide necks and the draw string (I hang them from a screw in my stand and my return hoses go straight into the sock)

Anyway, anyone have a good source for these? I just did a google search and had no luck (how I found this older thread)

Alfred

 

[edd]

alfredo, brs has draw string socks in 4x8, 4x14, 7x16. just saw them

 

[lnevo]

I've been contemplating going sock-less or at least switching to the mesh type socks. I try and rinse them in the sink, but only the outside hose with the jet spray works to get most of the gunk out. I do wash them in the washer and even with a ton of bleach they don't go back to white. If I don't swap them out by day 4, the sock is overflowing.

I like the idea of the mesh because they would be easier to clean. Sounds like the arguments to going sock-less though are good. I can relate to the idea of keeping things in suspension vs letting the skimmer take them out completely. I have my skimmer in the drain compartment of my sump and the next chamber is a refugium, there is so much flow from the skimmer output and the water coming in, I can't see there being much accumulation. On the other hand, when I went to remove my sock yesterday, it was so full of water it ended up spilling out in my fuge chamber and introducing a ton of gunk in that section, and for the first time I noticed a ton of pods crawling all over the sock that ended up getting pulled out of my tank in the process...

Aside from those who have managed to make sock changing part of their routine and who are happy with this... has anyone else lost the sock and been happy, seen any adverse or positive results?

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Inevo- You have to use a lot of bleach and wash it on the longest cycle with hot water. I have never had a problem, even a sock from a system which had not been changed in over a year came out sparkling white.

Alfred

 

[ducati335i]

love my socks, change them out every three days or so.. very beneficial imo

 

[ducati335i]

I use filter socks on both of my tanks. I recently decided to increase the times I swap them out. It is easy enough, takes all of 5 seconds, then I turn them inside out and wash two or three at a time in the washing machine with hot water and a cup of unscented clorox (NOTE: Residential washing machines keep some water in them from the previous use, I recommend running the machine in the rinse cycle before you wash your filter socks to get rid of any phosphate laden detergents!)

My big problem? I CAN NO LONGER FIND THE FILTER SOCKS I USE!!! The have "disappeared". Not on BRS, not on Dr. Fosters... Used to be able to get them cheap, now they only have the "round" socks with plastic. I need the socks with wide necks and the draw string (I hang them from a screw in my stand and my return hoses go straight into the sock)

Anyway, anyone have a good source for these? I just did a google search and had no luck (how I found this older thread)

Alfred

i buy velcro straps from HD them wrap it around the plastic innner loops and hang them

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

Tim of Tim's Aquatics was able to track them down for me... (I called him) Will have six of them next week! That way I can have one for every day.

Alfred

 

[selkoner]

I use filter socks on my zero edge my sump holds a 8" sock and inside the 8" I put a smaller sock 4" and inside the 4" sock I have a cemi-pure elite in it and my exit hose leading into the 4" sock ..... So the water hose goes threw the cemi-pure before it hit the bigger sock .... And it work great !! No problems ...

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I put a media bag with activation carbon in my filter sock.

I just went in and hit all of my rocks with a turkey baster and will swap out my filter sock in an hour...

Alfred

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Filter socks = too much work for me

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

In two days my filter socks turn DARK brown with lots of ditritus, plus I get a good cup of skim mate. I can't imagine NOT using them... Unless I went back to a monster downdraft skimmer.

Alfred

 

[mqur1963]

sock

i agree with Awibrandy i do same and i prefer to do that then cleaning 240 gal and 90 gal every week 2 sock 7x16 " every 4 days i change them and my 40 gal QT i use same method and change sock every 10 days

 

[selkoner]

I put a media bag with activation carbon in my filter sock.

I just went in and hit all of my rocks with a turkey baster and will swap out my filter sock in an hour...

Alfred

In the big filter sock I also put that that bs seacam filter beads

 

[MikeC]

I change my sock everyday it takes about 3 minutes.
I keep 2 or 3 dirty ones in a bucket and when I get and extra 10 min I wash them out by hand and hang them outside to dry.

 

[selkoner]

I change my sock everyday it takes about 3 minutes.
I keep 2 or 3 dirty ones in a bucket and when I get and extra 10 min I wash them out by hand and hang them outside to dry.

I change mine every 2 weeks never have a problem ... My water stay clean and clear ... How do you get the filter socks clean in a bucket ? I try that and they still look dirty ...

 

[Alfredo De La Fe]

I'm too lazy to wash them by hand... Why do that when I have a perfectly good washing machine and clorox is cheap?

I have increased how often I swap filter socks and I am seeing a BIG difference. Now that I have been doing it every day things actually look better!

Alfred