to sock or not to sock!

[Zuska]

I love them, they trap all the left over food that you feed. the food doesnt go through all your pumps in the sump and makes it easier to have a cleaner tank. I also use a 7in sock and once a week i clean it.

 

[64Ivy]

My sump is designed to utilize 4 36" filter socks which I have done for several years now [100-200 micron, btw].

I change them out every 2-3 days and wash them with bleach, no detergent, and simply let them air dry. Never had any problems and it's only a pain if my iPOD is upstairs or there's nothing good is on ESPN radio or The Fan at the time.

 

[Jzhou]

I think it depends how you do it. I have 16 of them and I wash them with water only in the washing machine every 2 weeks. IMO, they're the best thing ever

 

[ryangrieder]

64 ivy...holy crap! What tank size did that go on!?

 

[NYreefNoob]

i havent used them in over a year and i have about 15 or so of them and my water is crystal clear

 

[SanmanReefer]

I love them. Would not go without them. I have about ten of them and changed them every three days or so. I personally like the 4 inch because the waste does not stay in contact with the water too long, even though my skimmer pump is right under the sock. Thats just my opinion. Once I have two or three clean ones left I run them in the washer inside out with very hot water. You can use bleach if you like them clean but I only use a drop or two of detergent. Hope this helps.

 

[Alex]

64ivy, that is a good design on the sump. I'm with ryan, give us a thread on the tank this is on or is going on.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Think im in love with that sump

 

[Alex]

I'm on the using bandwagon, using socks is great. I have about 16 which I rotate two at a time and wash when I have 8 socks to clean. I simply put in washing machine with bleach and give it an extra rinse when done. After I'm done using the washing machine I then put it on a clean cycle and its ready for clothes again.

 

[Alex]

Think im in love with that sump

You would be, Sicko

 

[mqur1963]

yes it is the only filter i use

 

[jscarlata]

I found some at filtersfast.com for only $5 each, and the more you buy the cheapest they get...I was just rinsing them inside out and reusing once, then toss em...
Someone on reefcentral had found a supply place for milk production, they had boxes by the hundreds for like $8/box. Not sure what happened or if he tried them...would be worth a look, I could t find any info on the micron rating, but the size was right.

 

[64Ivy]

64 ivy...holy crap! What tank size did that go on!?

The sump was designed and built for me about 5 years ago by Barr Aquatic Systems.

http://www.barraquatic.com/

It is approx 125g and was designed for my existing 500g SPS dominant reef. As the tank itself is nearly 15 years old now, there is no build thread. I DID have a website up for several years but after a crash and subsequent rebuild in '07, I have not maintained it (working on it though). But to stay on point, two of the socks handle the discharge from the upper corner overflows while a third filters the discharge from a set of lower intakes. The fourth simply helps disperse microbubbles emitted from the skimmer.

Later today, I will post a FTS in the tank threads section. Thanks for the inquiries.

 

[KathyC]

I love them. Would not go without them. I have about ten of them and changed them every three days or so. I personally like the 4 inch because the waste does not stay in contact with the water too long, even though my skimmer pump is right under the sock. Thats just my opinion. Once I have two or three clean ones left I run them in the washer inside out with very hot water. You can use bleach if you like them clean but I only use a drop or two of detergent. Hope this helps.

This is an extremely poor idea.


Nothing that is washed using soap should ever be in contact with a SW tank, nor should it be necessary to clean your filter socks this way.

Simply using hot water & bleach and then air drying the filter socks is the safest way to clean them.

 

[ed4]

Nothing that is washed using soap should ever be in contact with a SW tank, nor should it be necessary to clean your filter socks this way.

Simply using hot water & bleach and then air drying the filter socks is the safest way to clean them.

Good advice IMO.

Laundry detergents, largely, are ridiculously high in phosphates. Could be bad, if it's not thoroughly rinsed.

I used to let my bleach-washed filter socks sit in RO water w/ a little dechlorinator, then air dry.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

+1 never use detergent/soap on anything that goes in the tank. There is almost always residue or potentially harmful chemicals. You use bleach because it evaporates cleanly.

I always use socks they just make it easier to polish the water and remove whatever food or other particles get pulled into the overflow.