To Sock, or not to Sock

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by payyourtoll
exactly what I do, except I do NOT use detergent in 1st wash cycle, just bleach and water

I questioned the use of detergent but a buddy of mine attended a seminar in Buffalo--from the company that makes these. He advocated using soap in the wash. I was really leery at first but I have not had any increase in phosphates to date.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by KAiNE
I do not use a sock for 2 reasons - 1) nitrates 2) I don't want to filter food/fauna from the water.

I still use one when i am doing a "blow out" and a water change to catch the stuff i stir up.

1. never had a problem with nitrates--but I change the socks every other day if not every day.

2. I'm really curious about this statement. When I asked this on another thread they said that if you use the micron 100's then the inverts in the water can pass through?? Correct me if I am wrong because I have a dedicated fuge to putting food back into the main tank. I'm willing to put up with small debris in the water in order to preserve the variety of inverts etc in it.

[KAiNE]

Originally posted by capn_hylinur
1. never had a problem with nitrates--but I change the socks every other day if not every day.

2. I'm really curious about this statement. When I asked this on another thread they said that if you use the micron 100's then the inverts in the water can pass through?? Correct me if I am wrong because I have a dedicated fuge to putting food back into the main tank. I'm willing to put up with small debris in the water in order to preserve the variety of inverts etc in it.

If you are changing them everyday.... you are eliminating the possible trate problems I would think... some of us are a bit lazy...lol

100micron is still pretty small..... i see MANY living things in my water that would get caught by that sock, not to mention the fact that as it gets used it would start catching things smaller than 100micron.

I think more than anything its a choice. I have run my tanks with socks and all was fine. I have run them without and all is fine. I don't really want the hassle of changing and washing socks and i don't want to remove ANY critter if i don't have to.
Water clarity wasn't really impacted when i stopped using them but I am sure everyones set up is different. If clarity was impacted I "might" still use one.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by KAiNE
If you are changing them everyday.... you are eliminating the possible trate problems I would think... some of us are a bit lazy...lol

100micron is still pretty small..... i see MANY living things in my water that would get caught by that sock, not to mention the fact that as it gets used it would start catching things smaller than 100micron.

I think more than anything its a choice. I have run my tanks with socks and all was fine. I have run them without and all is fine. I don't really want the hassle of changing and washing socks and i don't want to remove ANY critter if i don't have to.
Water clarity wasn't really impacted when i stopped using them but I am sure everyones set up is different. If clarity was impacted I "might" still use one.

thanks for the input----are you dumping straight into the sump and then proteins skimmer or passing through a fuge first?

[KAiNE]

I dont have a partitioned sump so to speak. My fuges are totally independent from the sump. One is fed from the main overflows and the other is fed by the return. One returns directly to the main tank and the other returns to the sump. If i used a sock, one would still get unfiltered water.
My skimmer is external and pulls directly from where the drains empty into the sump.
I am lucky enough to have a sump/equipment area in the room behind the tank allowing me to expand the system. My fowlr isnt so lucky... truthfully i dont see how people can get all the equipment and sump under the stand!

When you pull your sock to clean... do you see any living critters in there? I always did.... worms of different sorts and serpent stars by the tons. There is no telling what was there that i couldnt see.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by KAiNE
I dont have a partitioned sump so to speak. My fuges are totally independent from the sump. One is fed from the main overflows and the other is fed by the return. One returns directly to the main tank and the other returns to the sump. If i used a sock, one would still get unfiltered water.
My skimmer is external and pulls directly from where the drains empty into the sump.
I am lucky enough to have a sump/equipment area in the room behind the tank allowing me to expand the system. My fowlr isnt so lucky... truthfully i dont see how people can get all the equipment and sump under the stand!

When you pull your sock to clean... do you see any living critters in there? I always did.... worms of different sorts and serpent stars by the tons. There is no telling what was there that i couldnt see.

Yes I have seen worms but its the microscopic inverts that I worry about being trapped in there


My fuge is also separate from the sump---the pics of the components are on the first page of this thread but here is the overall:
I am really interested in what you posted. I would like to add a second refugium in place of the filter sock. I was thinking of lowering the sump to a bottom shelf and adding a mud/mangrove fuge on the shelf where the sump is now. This would still allow gravity feed from both fuges.


If I did this do you think it would eliminate the need for the filter sock??

[KAiNE]

I don't see a reason you couldn't do that.
I wonder if the particulate matter you saw after removing your sock came from stuff being stirred up by the force of the water since the sock is dampening that some.
How long did you go without sock?
I am guessing from your pic that you have 2 overflows in your tank.. one flows into the fuge with no sock and the other flows to the sump with sock.. or do you have a sock in the fuge too?

For me... the sock was more for controlling microbubbles than anything else.. I changed some things (whole other story) totally eliminated the microbubble problem and pulled the sock.
To me, my water clarity is excellent but thats "in the eye of the beholder" if you get what i mean.

nice to not be constrained by the tank stand, isnt it!

[01saleen]

i use the sock

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by KAiNE
I don't see a reason you couldn't do that.
I wonder if the particulate matter you saw after removing your sock came from stuff being stirred up by the force of the water since the sock is dampening that some.
How long did you go without sock?
I am guessing from your pic that you have 2 overflows in your tank.. one flows into the fuge with no sock and the other flows to the sump with sock.. or do you have a sock in the fuge too?

For me... the sock was more for controlling microbubbles than anything else.. I changed some things (whole other story) totally eliminated the microbubble problem and pulled the sock.
To me, my water clarity is excellent but thats "in the eye of the beholder" if you get what i mean.

nice to not be constrained by the tank stand, isnt it!

in my case it was a temp problem due to halides under a wooden canopy that caused me first to move the electrical and ballast downstairs under the tank. The filtration system followed shortly after that.
I recommend anyone that can, move their stuff out from under the tank.


in my case the sock is draining into the shell of an old trickle filter so it baffles the microbubbles so I don't have a problem running the sock or not.

[hugodboss]

I went from a fish only tank and decided to add live rock. Now i still have the sump with the bioballs. I removed them so im thinking of adding a piece of live rock and a sock any suggestions and can this be done or do i have to get a new sump?

[usmc121581]

After reading this thread earlier I removed my sock just to see what is gonna happen. My corals seemed happy before. So I will see what they will be like now.

[usmc121581]

After reading this thread earlier I removed my sock just to see what is gonna happen. My corals seemed happy before. So I will see what they will be like now.

[tcwayne]

hugodboss go back to the last page and look at the left side of my sump. You can see the uneven edges because that was where the top had plexi and held the trickle type tray and held bioballs beneath it. I busted that plexi out with a hammer, before I did I removed the balls slowly, and then I was able to put in the sock and fit the skimmer in the sump. Now I added more rock and cheato. Works great for me. Without seeing a pic of your sump, I would guess from my experience you do not need to buy a new sump.

[Aquarist007]

I had my sock off all week--last night I had to take the skimmer apart--the air venturi and base were plugged with inverts---LOL

this is ok for me--actually prefered because I wanted to increase the inverts in my main tank.