Socks or no socks?
- Thread starter reefslugs
- Start date
Schplitter
New member
I bough 20 socks and change them out twice per week. Once I have 15 of them dirty I just toss them in the laundry with bleach. One cycle to clean them and then one to rinse them out with nothing but water.
They are a pain but they work. I love how clear my water is and how little detritus ends up in my sump. For me it’s with it.
They are a pain but they work. I love how clear my water is and how little detritus ends up in my sump. For me it’s with it.
Lance A. Lot
SLASH Member
every 2 days seems excessive. I can hardly manage to change mine weekly. Is there a way to add a "sock bank" to distribute the load between a few socks at a time? Then maybe they wouldn't have to be changed as often?
clevername
New member
Check out a BRS video on socks. Basically after 3 days the proteins start to break down into nitrates which if not removed, defeats the whole purpose of a "filter".
But to answer the OP, i do have socks and have about 15 of them. Trade them out every 4ish days and once done, wash them all at once. Some times i dont use them if i know im having a busy week.
clevername
New member
Check out a BRS video on socks. Basically after 3 days the proteins start to break down into nitrates which if not removed, defeats the whole purpose of a "filter".
But to answer the OP, i do have socks and have about 15 of them. Trade them out every 4ish days and once done, wash them all at once. Some times i dont use them if i know im having a busy week.
clevername
New member
Ultimately my goal is to get this
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto...n7YjmEnd1qZyiMT7labKGm1Jkhif1O5AaAtQ-EALw_wcB
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/auto...n7YjmEnd1qZyiMT7labKGm1Jkhif1O5AaAtQ-EALw_wcB
jjencek
New member
This might be a silly question ...
Let's say I clean the sock every 7 days. If the proteins start breaking down into nitrates after 3 days, I have the first 4 days already broken down, but I still have the last 3 days not broken down. Would it still be worth it?
clevername
New member
I ran my 29g nano with high flow and no filtration media, only flow and a skimmer. I never had nitrate problems. The only place for detritus to settle was in the rear chamber of the tank (and still in the sand to some degree). That worked very well for me, and my tank was very happy and healthy until I removed the sandbed and nuked the tank.
My new tank I went with the 20 socks option (when they were finally on sale). I really like swapping them out easily. I do feel that I'm removing a lot of the biological filtration (my old tank as FULL of feather dusters, now I see a LOT of feather dusters in my filter socks and NONE in my skimmer or sump). It's nice having a (mostly) clean sump and not having to worry about buildup and siphoning down there. The nano had a raised rear chamber, so it was easy to siphon from. An almost-on-the-floor sump is a lot harder to siphon from (though I do siphon to the basement, so it's not that bad).
You can't go wrong either way. If you want to be one of these new-school neat-freaks, then go with socks. If you're and old-schooler who likes a nice big sand bed and doesn't mind vacuuming it and the sump to remove detritus, then don't run socks. I'm convinced that detritus is coral food. Maybe once my tank matures and I have enough corals to eat out of the water column I'll consider removing the filter socks. But the tank is just fish pooping and filter socks removing it at this point.
My new tank I went with the 20 socks option (when they were finally on sale). I really like swapping them out easily. I do feel that I'm removing a lot of the biological filtration (my old tank as FULL of feather dusters, now I see a LOT of feather dusters in my filter socks and NONE in my skimmer or sump). It's nice having a (mostly) clean sump and not having to worry about buildup and siphoning down there. The nano had a raised rear chamber, so it was easy to siphon from. An almost-on-the-floor sump is a lot harder to siphon from (though I do siphon to the basement, so it's not that bad).
You can't go wrong either way. If you want to be one of these new-school neat-freaks, then go with socks. If you're and old-schooler who likes a nice big sand bed and doesn't mind vacuuming it and the sump to remove detritus, then don't run socks. I'm convinced that detritus is coral food. Maybe once my tank matures and I have enough corals to eat out of the water column I'll consider removing the filter socks. But the tank is just fish pooping and filter socks removing it at this point.
jjencek
New member
Thank you. That was very good.
Last edited:
Pife
Active member
I ran them for a year or two. I used to run 3 4 inch socks and change them out daily. I have over 40 of them and they became to much hassle when my son arrived. With my setup the did little to make the water more clear. I do t think they are needed but if you want to get out some more crap then use them.
jd371
New member
I had been using the felt filter socks but switched to the mesh kind and not going back. Much easier to clean, I needed to use the garden hose to get off all the gunk from the felt socks. With the mesh all I need to do is turn it inside out run it under the laundry sink and scrub a little with a scrubbing brush and that's it, dries in a few hours too unlike the felt ones that took a day or two. I usually would replace the felt socks in 4-5 days before they overflowed, but with the mesh I can go longer if needed without them flooding, but switch them out every 6 days.
clevername
New member
For those willing to put in the work for filter socks, get yourself a good system down. Heres mine:
-Buy a bunch of socks
-Have a 5 gallon bucket dedicated to the dirty ones.
-After the bucket is full, i then fill it up with water and some bleach
-Let soak for 48hr+ plus
-Then dump the whole bucket into the washing machine.
-Double wash, adding no extra bleach
If you have enough socks 20+ this will last you a couple months.
-Buy a bunch of socks
-Have a 5 gallon bucket dedicated to the dirty ones.
-After the bucket is full, i then fill it up with water and some bleach
-Let soak for 48hr+ plus
-Then dump the whole bucket into the washing machine.
-Double wash, adding no extra bleach
If you have enough socks 20+ this will last you a couple months.
jd371
New member
Exactly what I did with 10 socks before switching to the mesh ones, only difference was I'd hose them off first before going into the bucket. They do come out very clean doing it this way.
