polyester felt filter bag

[victor90]

Guys i bought some polyester 200 micron bags from filterbags.com I put them in my sump and my skimmer goes crazy. Has anybody else had the same problem?
thanks

 

[DarG]

Something about them when they are new. I made the same mistake and put them in without washing first. No harm to the critters just a bunch of bubble bath looking foam and a skimmer going crazy.

Wash the rest of them first.

 

[victor90]

OK
It was so crazy i think skimmer companies should use them when there demoing their skimmers
thanks

 

[victor90]

its been two days and the skimmer still goes crazy so i can't turn it on

 

[DarG]

Wash all the others first. Remove the ones you have in there and replace them with washed ones. Use some carbon for a few days to help take out whatever it is that the bag has left in your aquarium. If you already are running carbon, replace it with some new carbon.


I would also try and readjust your skimmer if possible so that it can help pull out whatever is left in the tank.
My skimmer only went nuts for a few minutes then it was fine. Never did it again after I added new, washed bags.
Possibly the bags you got have a different substance or more of whatever it is that causes the mass overskimming.
As long as your creatures are doing ok, i wouldnt worry too much about it. Some carbon should help. Maybe do a good water change too.

 

[victor90]

No everything looks fine. I added 30 oz of carbon and 8 ounces of phosban. Remove old sock with new ones that i rinsed outside on the garden hose for 5 minutes. still have problem with skimmer going crazy. I emailed filterbag.com still no reply.
thanks

 

[EQCM2B]

I bought one of those once and had the same problem. Turns out I did not find the little desicant baggy inside the sock. Once I found that and washed the sock it was good to go.

 

[victor90]

I went home to double check about the desicant and no it wasn't in there but my deltec is ok now skims again. But the 200 micron sures clogs fast. What micron do you guys use

 

[DarG]

I use 100 Micron and yes, they do clog fairly quickly. I change mine about every 3 days. If I let it go for 5 it would be overflowing. But I'm really consistent about swapping them out atleast 2 X per week. Dont want to give them a chance to contribute to any nitrate issues so change them frequently whether they are clogged or not.

 

[raddogz]

100 micron is about normal.

I wash all of mine in a bleach solution (in the washing machine), and let air dry for 24hrs before placing in the sump.

I rotate the filter socks out every two days or so or until it's done cleaning/polishing the water.

 

[victor90]

i'm using 200 microns was thinking about 300 is that to big?