Sockless for a week :)

[Cibo]

I took the sock out of my sump about a week ago! I dont think my water has been clearer! I think as stuff build up in the sock the water pressure builds up in the sock it force the ditrus into smaller particles and they go back into the tank!!

After a week of no sock I think I will stay sockless...

Do otheres have the same results!!

 

[Reef Reaper]

I got rid on mine months ago! I also hated cleaning those stupid things!

 

[jerl77]

Never ran them here only time I use them is when I clean the tank

 

[Dre]

I think they do more harm than good on a reef tank. FWLR yes, reef no..

 

[CHEMCHEF]

I am having the oppositte exp. I just started running a sok abou 1.5 weeks ago and dont think I will ever go back.
I started my tank on thanksgiving day. In the 2.5 months I had tank running. The sump was ugly. I mean Ugly. To the point of taking the entire sump out to clean the sludge out of it.
I always had floating particles and now the tank is crystal clear.
Params seem good.
I am changing it every 7 days.

 

[ecchybridLE]

I run them on and off.Water clear either way. My skimmer will pull just as much with or without. I think with the small amount of flow running through my sump it's beneficial because other wise my sump would be a trap for detritus.

 

[reefman]

i only use them as needed. never more than a few hours.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

All good points but I run my sock from the skimmer so without I would get splashing water back into the sump.

 

[Zuska]

I been running my tanks with socks for years now, but im about to take it all off and see what my results are.

 

[44santababy]

every 3-4 days i remove both of my socks and look inside...they must stay!!

 

[SIReefer]

I change out my filter sock every 4-5 days & there's tons of crap in it. I use felt socks but when I am away from home for extended periods Ill use the mesh ones. I find that they trap only the large debris but then the sump gets pretty dirty. Without any type of pad or sock I think my nitrates would spike.

 

[Dre]

I change out my filter sock every 4-5 days & there's tons of crap in it. I use felt socks but when I am away from home for extended periods Ill use the mesh ones. I find that they trap only the large debris but then the sump gets pretty dirty. Without any type of pad or sock I think my nitrates would spike.

What is crap to you is beneficial to others. Your sand bed if you have one is full of crap so do you clean it?

 

[44santababy]

dre...are you saying what is being collected in a sock could be beneficial for the tank and should not be removed?

 

[MatthewScars]

ive never ran one and never had an issue.

 

[rbtwo4]

i ran one before and it was filthy! as im starting my build i dont know if i should or shouldnt.

 

[SIReefer]

Dre - I have a 1" sand bed - only for aesthetics not a DSB so I dont manually clean it but w/the PHs & CUC it stays pretty clean. The sump on the other hand has no CUC (I wouldnt want any snails or crabs jamming my pumps). W/no mechanical filtration the cheato & LR in my fuge would get clogged w/debris. If I had no fuge maybe I would go sockless & see what happens. Its just my preference.

 

[Jzhou]

I had the opposite experience, when I switched to using fliter socks, my water became a lot clearer. I also change mine out twice a week. I like how it takes the larger crap out while my skimmer takes out the smaller stuff.

 

[ocholoco]

hey

Best way to do it in my opinion is to not use a filter sock but use koralias so that your sump doesnt take a beating.

 

[Dre]

Fellows i'm not telling you all what to do, i'm sure you all have beautifull tanks with thriving corals and healthy fish. So do i. I use to use 1-5 micron filter pads on my reef and a sponge in the refugium before the pump and i've noticed time and time again is that there are many if not hundreds of tiny dead animals trapped in them in a short time. I have a big skimmer and i try not to over feed. The water that leave the tank runs through a 12x8 compartment of fine crushed coral and rubble which i clean out once a year. On the other hand when i had my FOWLR i used filter pads exclusively. There are many ways to have success you don't have to go by the book. Come up with your own idea, use your imagination for a change and don't be scared to experiment...

 

[albano]

Best way to do it in my opinion is to not use a filter sock but use koralias so that your sump doesnt take a beating.

not sure, what that means?

I change the socks EVERY day! With 80 fish in the DT, getting 'overfed' 3X a day, I want to remove as much of the 'crap' ASAP!