Socks & Sponges

[Railhouse]

How do you guys feel about these items? I have 1 cylindrical sponge on my overflow, into a filter sock, and the 2 sponges in-between my baffles of my sump. My tank has been running 7 days, and I've cleaned the filter sock twice.

First hand experience is welcome.

 

[JoelA7]

Suggest you eliminate the socks. Only use very coarse sponge and clean regularly. Less is more.

 

[oakengineer]

I was having problems with my filter socks and took them out briefly. I was amazed how much cloudier my water got after just a day or two. Needless to say i fixed my problem and put them back.

 

[JoelA7]

Hi oak engineer. Don't know what to think. Other than something else is going on. My tank is just crystal and I think that's the norm even without socks.

 

[Dan_P]

Mechanical filtration is still important. If filter media aren't cleaned regularly, there isn't much point in removing solid waste from the aquarium and then letting it rot in the filter. If your filter media is not collecting much solid waste, it might not be so important for water purity.

 

[oakengineer]

I think my problem might have been microbubbles, not particulate. Regardless, its much clearer with the sock. Ditto on changing them.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Yes frequent cleaning is a must but socks and sponges serve a purpose

 

[Donkeykong]

I have a very open sponge that prevents macro algae from leaving the Fuge, it doesnt gather much so I only have to give it a quick rinse about once a month. I like to keep maintenance needs down to a minimum, so having a sock that has to be changed out every week to a few days is not something I like to run.