To sock or not to sock...that is the ?

[wbdevers]

I'm building a sump and I am wondering if I should use a filter sock on the drain coming in from the tank. Due to space restrictions my sump will not be very deep so one of my concerns is that the filter will just sit in water, thus releasing crap into the water (probably would anyway). Also I gather they are a PITA to clean. Should I just skip it and let the water come in on some LR rubble instead?

Thanks

[snulma1]

I ran a filter sock on all of my tanks for years. The trick is to buy enough of them that you can change them frequently. But I would have about 8 of them (1 on each drain) and then when I was on the last 2, I would throw the rest in the washing machine with a small dose of bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then let them air dry and good as new!

[Woodybass]

You've got to clean them almost daily or you end up with the nitrate factory effect.

[jeffscustomcage]

I have a 125 gal tank with a sock on each drain and i change them once a week. Was them in my utility sink once i tank them out of the tank and let them dry. I would recommend them only my opion keeps the sump cleaner.

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[celamb89]

I run a filter sock and really like it.. because when some detritus is disturbed or something starts floating around sooner or later it will end up in my sock and out of the tank ... I have to replace my sock every 3 days and put a backup on and throw the dirty one in the washing machine just like snulma1 said:

I was on the last 2, I would throw the rest in the washing machine with a small dose of bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then let them air dry and good as new!

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by Woodybass

You've got to clean them almost daily or you end up with the nitrate factory effect.

Weekly or even twice a month is just fine. To make nitrate, the filter socks need to establish the necessary aerobic bacteria, which surely doesn't happen in a few days or even a week.

[newtank]

This debate has been covered adnauseum, there is a ton of good info already out there on why and how they should be used. Try it your self, run a 100 micron sock ensure that that there is some type of tension or preventative measure ensuring that water is forced through the sock and not just around it etc. Let it work it's passive magic for 3 days then pull it out and rinse into a large bucket and you will be amazed at what you just removed from your tank. Then think about not using them and the pounds of garbage that you will be depending on microbes alone to remove / convert over the life of your tank. There is a small weekly investment in changing /cleaning, but the return on water quality is well worth it.

I double bag each drain with 100 micron socks, change them every three days, feed heavy and run no skimmer, nitrates <2 consistently

[Midnightsun]

I had the same dilemma and decided to go with a sock in my setup right from the get go and 10 months later I am sure I made the right decision. One thing I learned is those darn socks are a pita to wash out, way to much trouble IMHO. I started using the 100 micron mesh type and man what a difference. 100 micron is 100 micron but the mesh type can be rised out in a matter of minutes and be used immediately without washing or bleach. I wash/rinse it out once a week and have yet to measure any nitrate. Here is the style I am using. http://cgi.ebay.com/AQUARIUM-LIVE-CO...#ht_2048wt_907

[unionredskin22]

I have 2 socks and a spare pair so I can just switch them out and clean the dirty ones later. They catch a lot of stuff for me

[cubsFAN]

I don't use em. All my detritus accumulates on one side of my sump where my skimmer and reactor do work. on a water change I just siphon water from the sump and suck up all the muck. I can see the advantage in the socks, but I know that I would personally get lazy when it comes to changing them. I also have to leave for work with no notice sometimes as long as 21 days. I don't want the good man who refills my ato and feeds my fish to have any more to deal with.

[wbdevers]

Thanks everyone. I kind of felt that was the way to go, but I wanted to hear from those with experience in using them.

[cloak]

Only for a few hours. Just to polish. (water change)

Nori stinks given time. I can't imagine that stuff staying in a filter sock for days on end. Let it circulate until something else can use it.

[Mr.Maska]

i sock! i swap socks once a week. good for putting carbon in or whatever else plus micro bubble deterant

[JTL]

I use one when I clean the dt and distrub all of the detritus. They do collect a lot of crap but I don't run them 24/7. The mesh is easier to clean and I don't worry about trying to make them sterile when I clean them. Like someone else said I doubt if you are going to create much in the form of nitrates if you just rinse them out every few days. I don't have any nitrates anyway so no problem.

[d0ughb0y]

Originally Posted by Woodybass

You've got to clean them almost daily or you end up with the nitrate factory effect.

if you don't have a sock to catch the detritus, does it mean detritus is not present? not. it means your detritus is just somewhere in your sump acting as a nitrate factory. sure, some will get skimmed, but I can guarantee it will not be 100%. even if you change the sock once a week, it is still better than having the detritus present in your sump. it is one heck of a lot easier to wash a sock than to clean a sump, return pump, skimmer pump, etc.

[JTL]

Originally Posted by d0ughb0y

if you don't have a sock to catch the detritus, does it mean detritus is not present? not. it means your detritus is just somewhere in your sump acting as a nitrate factory. sure, some will get skimmed, but I can guarantee it will not be 100%. even if you change the sock once a week, it is still better than having the detritus present in your sump. it is one heck of a lot easier to wash a sock than to clean a sump, return pump, skimmer pump, etc.

True, but then there is the argument that for those of us that want pods that the sock will filter them out. I am somewhere in between. I like a clean DT and sump, but i want pods. I think a balance is to use the sock when you stir up the DT, that is where the detritus gets into the sump.

[wbdevers]

Again, thanks for all of the replies. I felt it was better to catch junk coming down the line than letting it float around etc. I already do maintenance of some sort daily anyway, so one small thing else can't be bad.

Thanks.

[d0ughb0y]

Originally Posted by JTL

True, but then there is the argument that for those of us that want pods that the sock will filter them out. I am somewhere in between. I like a clean DT and sump, but i want pods. I think a balance is to use the sock when you stir up the DT, that is where the detritus gets into the sump.

pods are supposed to stay in your liverock, they don't circulate around in your water column. the occasional pod you see in the sock should be minimal compared to what is there in your LR (otherwise you got bigger problems to worry about). I see pods in my LR at night when I shine a flashlight in the DT, but I never see any pod in my filter sock, well maybe just a few but certainly not in any significant number.

FWIW, I did try running without a filter sock for two months to see for myself how it compares to using sock.
first problem I ran into is I now get microbubbles in my display, so I had to fix my reverse durso in the sump with a larger and longer pipe.

I certainly see more skimmate, as particles that used to be caught in the sock now end up in the skimmer collection cup.
the downside of this is, the skimmer neck gets really dirty very quickly, and I assume this affects the performance of the skimmer.
as to the argument not everything will get sucked in to the skimmer, I was advised to run some powerheads in the sump to keep detritus in suspension. that helped some, but still, there will be some that will never get in to the skimmer, and this just continues to build up in time.
I also got a lot of sand now in the sump, where previously they will be caught in the sock.

after two months, I noticed my sump was so dirty, I did a major clean up and see the return pump, skimmer pump dirtier in 2 months than when I did my maintenance with sock after 6 months, it probably can go another 6 months and still be cleaner than the two months without sock.

As someone mentioned, there is no such thing as a nitrate factory for a filter sock, as there will not be enough nitrifying bacteria present in the sock and there will be no time to build up since you will be replacing the sock with a new one. I actually started getting nitrates reading when I took off the sock. I have tried it both ways, and I have since put the filter sock back.

[Sitaga]

some pods use the outside of the sock as a breeding media, but as doughboy said, it should be minimal compared to your overall pod population.

[seapug]

Originally Posted by JTL

True, but then there is the argument that for those of us that want pods that the sock will filter them out. I am somewhere in between. I like a clean DT and sump, but i want pods. I think a balance is to use the sock when you stir up the DT, that is where the detritus gets into the sump.

+1. I run my tank and refugium with no inline socks or filters so the pods can have free run of the system, and they are everywhere- micropods, amphipods, mysids, snails, etc. Detritus settles in the skimmer chamber of the refugium where it can be easily siphoned out during water changes. Yes, the detritus is still "in the system", but a settling chamber doesn't act like a detritus "tea bag" that has the entire volume of water forced through it multiple times/hour. The water is kept clear by using Carbon and GFO run in reactors.

If you have a huge tank with large fish that make a huge mess or have some sort of crazy microbubble problem, then I can see the sense in using them all the time, apart from that I'd recommend only using them when you're doing maintenance or some other task that's kicked up a lot of junk.

Don't get me wrong, I know many experienced people run very successful tanks with filter socks 24/7, but I just find it easier not to use them on my system.

[d0ughb0y]

I actually tested running sockless for 3 months.
this is the post that got me to try going sockless

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...4#post17713034

unfortunately, it did not work out for me. (I still cannot see how switching out a sock is more work than vacuuming the sump ). so op can try both and see what works.

[saleen2881]

when i pull my sock out to clean every 4-5 day it is almost black more like brown, dont see why i wouldent use a sock