mrx66699
New member
Let me know if you need any help
Built a new drip tray for my sump.....
- Thread starter mrx66699
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Let me know if you need any help
Rogger Castells
New member
Are you using the filter pad directly on top of the drip tray, if so, from my experience you will find that the filter pad will clog faster in the areas were the holes are because most of the water is rushing out only through the hole, however, I resolved that problem by adding an eggcrate piece cut to size between the drip tray and the filter pad, in this way the fi;ted pad gets elevated and the water filters through the entire pad evenly and last longer because it has more filter area. Cheers
props4you
Member
jimbo78
Premium Member
How much more cost effective. My new sump is set up for socks, I just ordered 5 100 micron socks for $24 shipped. A sheet of floss at any lfs is like $7.50/8.50 over time considering I will only use one sock at a time would it be worth the cost of changing the sump.
mlivvy
em-lee-vee
I ditched the socks a few years ago. Such a pain to frequently change them and the washing. An easy way to do the conversion for smaller tanks is to get a container like this..
Cut and replace the bottom with an eggcrate to hold the filter floss. Just have the drain dump the water in there and that's it.. I changed the floss every couple of days by throwing it away and cutting a new piece. I buy these big sheets at the lfs for like $2.
Cut and replace the bottom with an eggcrate to hold the filter floss. Just have the drain dump the water in there and that's it.. I changed the floss every couple of days by throwing it away and cutting a new piece. I buy these big sheets at the lfs for like $2.
mrx66699
New member
I ditched the socks a few years ago. Such a pain to frequently change them and the washing. An easy way to do the conversion for smaller tanks is to get a container like this..
Cut and replace the bottom with an eggcrate to hold the filter floss. Just have the drain dump the water in there and that's it.. I changed the floss every couple of days by throwing it away and cutting a new piece. I buy these big sheets at the lfs for like $2.
way more cost effective for around $50 as stated above you can buy like a 75'roll and just cut what you need one thing dont purchase at an LFS thats like buying electronics at Radio Shack way inflated..... it last me a year and im processing a 700gal setup running 2x reeflow supergold darts bout 7000gph going threw it ....which im sure would last you even longer and I change mine out every other day and sometimes everyday.......
socks = cost
1. purchase price
2. electricity to wash
3. water to wash
4. bleach to wash
5. time for the whole changing and cleaning process is way more than 30sec to replace the floss and throw the old away
filter floss = cost
1. purchase price
2. 30 sec or so to change out
Effectiveness/sparkling clean water derived from a 10 micron sock VS a 100 micron pad=priceless
I can see your point, I agree that socks are a PITA, but they are, IMO, far superior at removing particulate and no filter pad is going to work for Lanthanum Chloride dosing.
mrx66699
New member
you absolutely can dose lanthium without the sock .....10 micron filter pad ......dose into the skimmer ozone input and anything not picked up in the skimmer gets taken out on the 10 micron pad that is in the last chamber before the returns ....that is where this drip tray is placed ....only bad thing is that can not purchase 10 micron filter pad local only online or you just take one of the socks and cut it out into a flat square that fits the tray ....if you need to clean during the drip as it starts to clog all you have to do is shut off the drip take the pad over to the sink and rinse and put back and then start things up again.....you will need a good tray though with nice sides ...I do agree the sock for dripping is nice but the same can be done with a tray properly placed, most prolly dont have the tray properly placed though so the sock would be the only option
I dripped all day today and used a sock as I didnt have the pad and the sock clogged 3 times and had to stop and wash it out, now mind you my po4 was high and its 700gals of volume needing processing. I dont even think I could use socks on this setup if I wanted to. I think the volume passing through them would overflow within minutes. I have over 7000gph going through the sump....I would need like 4 of them I think.
I dripped all day today and used a sock as I didnt have the pad and the sock clogged 3 times and had to stop and wash it out, now mind you my po4 was high and its 700gals of volume needing processing. I dont even think I could use socks on this setup if I wanted to. I think the volume passing through them would overflow within minutes. I have over 7000gph going through the sump....I would need like 4 of them I think.
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Not trying to start an angry debate. I have to go online for my filter socks, too. There's no place local to get 10 micron socks.
Under normal conditions, Lanthanum or not, I have 3 socks in service at all times. Only one of them is in the flow of Lanthanum, and when I use it, that sock needs daily changing, at least. without Lanthanum, I generally use just 50 micron socks and I get a week or so out of them before they need washing.
During the nicer weather, I take the socks outside and blast them with my garden hose as a pre cleaning. Doing so makes for a better end result when I machine wash them, and I notice a day or two longer service than I get at this time of year. Currently, I remove the sock, turn it inside out and hand wash in the "fish sink" then soak in a styro box with a few capfulls of bleach. When I have 10 or 12, I put them in the washer with bleach and washing soda.
But.... all of this is really taking your thread into a place that you probably did not intend. I stopped by to comment on how good your drip tray looks. I didn't intend to tell you that you should use something else.
Under normal conditions, Lanthanum or not, I have 3 socks in service at all times. Only one of them is in the flow of Lanthanum, and when I use it, that sock needs daily changing, at least. without Lanthanum, I generally use just 50 micron socks and I get a week or so out of them before they need washing.
During the nicer weather, I take the socks outside and blast them with my garden hose as a pre cleaning. Doing so makes for a better end result when I machine wash them, and I notice a day or two longer service than I get at this time of year. Currently, I remove the sock, turn it inside out and hand wash in the "fish sink" then soak in a styro box with a few capfulls of bleach. When I have 10 or 12, I put them in the washer with bleach and washing soda.
But.... all of this is really taking your thread into a place that you probably did not intend. I stopped by to comment on how good your drip tray looks. I didn't intend to tell you that you should use something else.
Biggar
New member
Matt, your high Po4 is clogging the 7" sock that im letting you use. Also, if you feed during the Lanthum dose, it will clog faster.
I just ran the same sock over night for 12 hours, dripping lanthum in it, one drip every 2-3 seconds. One liter worth. My sock was not even close to full. Get your po4 down near .1 and it will last way longer.
Same thing happens with my pool filter. When I dose pool perfect. I clog the crap out of my filter and it look perfectly clean.
I just ran the same sock over night for 12 hours, dripping lanthum in it, one drip every 2-3 seconds. One liter worth. My sock was not even close to full. Get your po4 down near .1 and it will last way longer.
Same thing happens with my pool filter. When I dose pool perfect. I clog the crap out of my filter and it look perfectly clean.
mrx66699
New member
Dgenr8 thanks for the discussion its all good I have a question for you though am I correctly understanding you use the lanthanum on a regular basis to control the po4 not just when it gets high......mine were high as I just switched up my direction from just a very lg fish only system where it wasn't much of an issue ....so I'm suspecting when its very low the lanthanum will not be a daily thing ....are you dripping every once in a while or a few drops regularly ...
Once you get your Phosphate below .1 or so, Lanthanum becomes much less effective/more dangerous to your inhabitants. When there isn't enough PO4 to bond with, the Lanthanum doesn't get caught in your socks/pads, it continues to spread throughout your system.
This is not my information, I'm just repeating what I learned here
This is not my information, I'm just repeating what I learned here
Biggar
New member
First time I heard of that.
I have used it to get mine under .1 with no problems. But I have never used it when po4 was already under .1
thanks for pointing that out
mrx66699
New member
Been reading that thread... a lot of good info with lots of history....now another question dgenr8 if it shouldn't be used once below .1 how are you getting it in the .03 or under range ...large frequent water changes ....in my case gfo can maintain but with the water volume using it to lower po4 is just like smoking your burning up $'s
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