filter socks

[Jc lover]

How important is it to have a filter sock do we all use them? We all know they are a pain in the *** to use after cleaning and cleaning. Please give me your feedback on this filter sock why to use them and if you don't what do you use??

 

[vio]

I try many ,many times to got rid of filter socks, I find up ,is a must for me, is almost impossible to remove the large Detritus (responsible for PO4 ,Nitrate =bad Algae) unless clean up the sump every day, the longer detritus stay in your sump , the worst is coming , if u have rocks, Macro algae, detritus hide every were, very true, pain in the neck, but my sump never look clean w/out filter socks. Now, if u have 2-3 fish and 3-4 corals ,no need.

 

[edd]

i use them. being that they clog up in 3-4 days, i would say they are needed.

 

[Reef lover24]

I also use them and find them a great help. Every week I swap them out though. To clean the dirty ones I rinse in non scented bleach, then rinse normal, and then clean them in ro water and leave them in the sun to dry out. Once no more bleach smell they are good to go. They cAn be washed several times before they need to be replaced all together so I always have two pairs of socks ok hand ready to go.

 

[arnaldolex]

i use them have like 12 socks when they all dirty i throw them in the washer super easy and clean sump

 

[under10minutes]

I stopped using them 6-9 months ago. I've seen no reason to go back.


I don't use anything. Water from the DT drains to the skimmer and from the skimmer to the sump and back up to the DT.


I like to keep it simple.

 

[evoIX_Reefer]

I use them to keep as much detritus contained. It is quite annoying to swap it out every x days when they begin to back up.

It's preference.

Where does the detritus land if you don't have a filter sock?

 

[Jc lover]

I.would think.that the skimmer would.pick this up.I.mean on.the ocean there's no filter socks.I.had to ask cause kmow.of.people.that don't use them.and have great tanks I.mean these people.have tons of rocks the sumps.. And having tons of snails

 

[PhoenixOne]

I stopped using socks all together for a about a year and I ended up having a lot of "silt" build up in my sump. Not easy for me to clean because of a bad knee. I then started using mesh filter socks. They don't catch as much as the felt socks but they work fine. Much easier to clean and now my sump doesn't build up heavy silt anymore.

 

[jackson6745]

i use them have like 12 socks when they all dirty i throw them in the washer super easy and clean sump

+1

 

[shauns220]

USE socks or ur just turning crap around ..IMO

 

[Dan_P]

I made a 100 micron box shaped filter (my wife sewed it for me) once I realized home much detritus was accumulating in the sump. The filter becomes totally clogged by the second day at which point water overflows directly into the sump.

I agree it is no pleasant chore, but I stay motivated to maintain it seeing the brown junk that washes out into the sink.

I assume I collect so much stuff because I have fish and I am using a 100 micron filter instead of a 200 micron filter sock. I wondered how much detritus I would collect if I had only coral.

 

[under10minutes]

I stopped using them 6-9 months ago. I've seen no reason to go back.


I don't use anything. Water from the DT drains to the skimmer and from the skimmer to the sump and back up to the DT.


I like to keep it simple.

...quoting myself, shesh. But I just thought of this and thought it might be helpful.


The reason I didn't notice a difference is because my water flows directly from the tank to my external skimmer. The skimmer filtered the detritus and then emptied out into the sock. A little bit backwards but works. And in this case saves a little bit of maintenance.

 

[reefer4eva]

Can't imagine NOT using them..just think if they are dirty,brown then they are definitely doing the job(the cleaner the water the healthier the corals)

 

[Waleedwale1]

can't imagine not using them..just think if they are dirty,brown then they are definitely doing the job(the cleaner the water the healthier the corals)

+1

 

[vio]

+1

+1 , if i compare , washing the filter socks to , cleaning my sump, deal w/PO4 ,Nitrate , Algae , more clean tank, etc. i prefer to deal w/ filter socks. I find up ( over the years ) 200 micro works , just fine, also the one feel like plastic (ESHOPPS) clog fast, i like the one feel like wool (soft).

 

[ducati335i]

I use socks all the time they are awesome. I notice they stay cleaner as the tank gets more n more mature.. I change them twice a week and they don't get "too dirty"

Small waste still passes through.. 2 are in an upper sump area that I could prob vacuum twice a yr if needed

 

[Weicowireman]

I change my sock once a week. Typically it starts to overflow like Friday sat so I change it on Sunday. I used to use a drip tray with a filter pad which was a lot easier to clean but I switched sumps so I can no longer use the tray.

 

[pecan2phat]

I've used 100 micron socks for the past 10 years and tried to go sock less recently. Test period was roughly about 2 months and while I loved not having to wrestle full socks out of tight quarters, I have to say that I won't go without them again.
The water in the display never looked clear without the socks in place and I'm quite confident that it was not micro bubbles plus I started seeing detritus build up on the bottom of the sump.

 

[lnevo]

At the price tom sells them for you can get a ton. I have about 30 socks now that get changed about once a week. When they're all dirty into the wash they go.