Filter socks or live rock? (I've searched)

[beanman]

I am getting ready to change my sump over to my new sump and am wanting to use live rock for maintenance reasons but I am worried about it being a nitrate factory. The way I have it setup it will have decent flow through the rocks and there is a shelf so the rocks will sit above the bottom of the sump a couple of inches. The flow will then go under a baffle so the rocks will all have decent flow from top to bottom.

If this won't work then I also built it so I can run 4 smaller filter socks, I just know that I have to change them every couple of days.

Any opinions would be great.

 

[bearpeidog]

This is my experience...mileage may vary....I feel I have to run filter socks - I recently switched over to 7 " socks. For me, removing the big particles is important and the sock serves that purpose.

Thankfully, I'm on the back side of fighting hair algea, and the filter socks have been instrumental in algea removal. My socks come out filthy which to me means they are doing their job. My tank is fairly young having converted from a 90 to the 180.

I do change socks every other day which is a pain...but it works for me and the benefit I see far exceeds the negatives of socks.

 

[hypnoj]

Filter socks and live rock compliment each other, one filters larger particles, the other hosts bacteria for nitrate/nitrite control.

 

[reefgeezer]

I know it's outside the scope of the OP's question, but IMO, the best thing I ever did was taking all mechanical filtration out of the system and emptying the fuge. That said, I suggest not using filter socks regularly and having only BIG pieces of live rock in the sump to limit detritus trapping crevices.

 

[the2ndtinman]

I use live rock all the time and a filter sock for a couple of days after water changes

 

[hypnoj]

I know it's outside the scope of the OP's question, but IMO, the best thing I ever did was taking all mechanical filtration out of the system and emptying the fuge. That said, I suggest not using filter socks regularly and having only BIG pieces of live rock in the sump to limit detritus trapping crevices.

Assuming you have enough live rock in your DT to host the needed number of beneficial bacteria to make nitrite 0, what is the purpose of having more live rock? The only think live rock does for a system is increase surface area for bacteria. It is a rate limiting step, having more and more live rock doesn't necessarily make a cleaner tank.

 

[reefgeezer]

Assuming you have enough live rock in your DT to host the needed number of beneficial bacteria to make nitrite 0, what is the purpose of having more live rock? The only think live rock does for a system is increase surface area for bacteria. It is a rate limiting step, having more and more live rock doesn't necessarily make a cleaner tank.

I agree. I just wanted to reply to the OP's "either-or question". I only have about 45 lbs of rock in my DT with no fuge or any mechanical filtration in the sump. Carbon dosing and a decent skimmer do the rest of the job.

 

[beanman]

Thanks for the replies. My main concern is having a way to keep the floating particles out of the DT. It almost sounds like I might need to try all of these different ideas and see what works.

 

[the2ndtinman]

That will be your best bet, figure out what you like best.

 

[Linkfalcon]

Use both

 

[Snausy]

Filter Socks are good for 3 hours every water change imho. That is it.

For me after years of trying different things I too have removed any mechanical filtration on a permanent basis. Imho they become nitrate factories very quickly and are too labor intensive for me. I might've had enough time to clean filter socks every two days once upon a time but my two year old changed all that. Now the lazier I can be with my tank the better(without dropping the standards too low).

As for the live rock I don't understand the context here. Live rock and filter socks do completely different things. If you mean adding some "rubble" as a bubble-trap then I get it. Bottom line, have enough live-rock to support your system.


I have a bare-bottom tank with decent flow on the bottom and over the rocks so the only crap that gets trapped is in the rocks, a couple dead areas on the bottom of the DT and the bottom of the sump.


My water-change routine is this:

Install filter-socks.

Suck up any "crap piles" in dead areas of the bottom of the DT first so it doesn't just blow up in the water when blowing off the rocks.

Grab the Koralia Mag 8 that is already right there and use it to blow off all the rocks in the DT. The filter socks are now there to help trap all that crap you just blew up into the water column and when you siphon your water out it will have more crap in it.

Do your water-change(including cleaning the sump) and leave the socks installed until everything is settled and the socks are no longer really doing that much. For me this is a few hours until I remember to take them off.


Then enjoy your tank for a month or however long until the next change.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I am getting ready to change my sump over to my new sump and am wanting to use live rock for maintenance reasons but I am worried about it being a nitrate factory.

submerged live rock (anaerobic bacteria) will NOT become a nitrate factory. It sounds like you are confusing this with bio media (bioballs/aerobic bacteria) in a wet/dry filter.

IMO/IME it's a good idea to use the filter sock AND LR in sump