Filter sock has been so much cleaner....and I do not know why

[RioReefr]

A few months back, I had started using a 200-micron filter sock and had made my water quality much better. The downside was that I would have to change it out every 3-4 days. It would get very grimey, literally coated with crap. I would have to take it out, reverse it, take a brush to it and wash under running water. It would smell like...well, crap.

Now most recently when I pull it out, there is almost nothing. There is some stuff but not at all coated. I left it in there and now a week later it is still relatively "clean". I really do not understand this (???)

My water quality looks good, same as before. Water parameters are good. My feeding schedule did not change one bit.

These are the changes I had made over the past few weeks, can any of them attribute to a cleaner tank??:

Added Triadna Clam 4 weeks ago
Added Tisbe Copepods 3 weeks ago
Added 2 small pieces (size of the palm of my hand) of coralline-encrusted live-rock same time as the clam. Needed to get the clam off the SB.
Adding 1-capful of phytoplankton daily, same time as Copepods.
Added a new batch of highly-diluted kalkwasser (5g for 20 Liters) water to my ATO reservoir, same time as replacing the filter-sock now a week ago.

 

[RobZilla04]

How old is the tank overall?

Likely the smaller micron sock has essentially removed all of the smaller particles which hadn't been captured by the previous size. Once that crap is out, if you aren't adding anything that would cause it to continue (nor are you disturbing the sand bed) it's gone.

 

[RioReefr]

I have had the tank for 7 months, but made a lot of changes over that time. Back on Jan. 1, I replaced bigger substrate with fine-particle oolithe live-sand.
I struggled with a lot of green hair algae, but by using NoPox that solved my problem. I would say I started using the filter-sock 2 months and consistently I would have to change it out 3-4 days out because of the muck that would accumulate. Just more recently the water looks clearer and the filter sock does not get mucked up.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. Just curious what could made the tank more clean.
In general, I don't see much detritus on the SB anymore either.

 

[Crooked Reef]

Just a guess without knowing more about your tank age and inhabitants, but perhaps your pod and micro brittle star population surged and they are eating more detritus. Less. That is their job.

 

[tthouston]

You are right, it can't be clean after a week. Something weird....My 2 filter socks 150 microns always pretty dirty after 2 days. Is your water drain normal, right?
My friend is LFS owner, he said the saltwater always dirty even we see it clear.

 

[Trigger Tough]

My guess is that the pods and clam are taking a lot of crap out of the tank