To Filter Sock or Not to Filter Sock - Page 2

Gary Majchrzak · 02/18/2009, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by R.W.
I am in the process for redoing my sump to fit in some new equipment. I am wondering if I should put a filter sock on my drain pipe. The only thing in my sump with be my skimmer calc reactor and zeo reactor. What do you guys think? Pros/Cons? Those of you with socks how do you like them?

Thanks.
R.W.

mechanical filters- I've experimented with them over many years.
I vote to use one on your LPS/SPS system. I run a 10 micron sock on my system and I clean it out in a washbasin when it gets clogged up and overflows (usually every day).

Gary Majchrzak · 02/18/2009, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cpllongjk
Pluses to Filter socks:

No debree in skimmer
No debree in sump
Clearer water
Able to put some activated carbon in there without buying a reactor

debree = debris

never place carbon in a filter sock.
It will get pulverized and the fines can cause HILLE and scarring in sensitive fishes such as Tangs and Angelfishes.

Plato · 02/18/2009, 10:53 PM

Yes, use the filter sock but keep it clean/changed reguarly. I got sick and tired of having to change mine all the time so I up graded to an automated detritus removal system. Automated vaccum controled. It is the cylinder on top of the sump half filled with water, just befor activating the system to auto self clean the screen.

scaryperson27 · 02/18/2009, 11:49 PM

I like filter socks. I just hand wash them for about 2 min every week. They do get filled up quickly though.

jhoff · 02/19/2009, 01:23 PM

How much bleach do you guys use to clean your socks? Do you put them in the dryer or just let them dry out

OneReef · 02/19/2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jhoff
How much bleach do you guys use to clean your socks? Do you put them in the dryer or just let them dry out

i put a cup of bleach in with mine to soak. I then wash them in water only in the delicate cycle of the washer, then air dry

JRaquatics · 02/19/2009, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Plato
Yes, use the filter sock but keep it clean/changed reguarly. I got sick and tired of having to change mine all the time so I up graded to an automated detritus removal system. Automated vaccum controled. It is the cylinder on top of the sump half filled with water, just befor activating the system to auto self clean the screen.

Can you please explain your automatic detritus removal system a little more. I am interested to see how this works.

kc350twin · 02/19/2009, 04:24 PM

http://www.seavisions.com/CADS%20PAGE.htm

This is the system I believe....

Kc3

Plato · 02/19/2009, 06:12 PM

JRaquatics, kc350twin gets the prize. It is one of Gerry's CADS. Seavisions web sigh has all the information even a video of one opperating. I have another one on order for a 275 with should ship next week.

kc350twin · 02/19/2009, 09:23 PM

Plato

Is the system loud?

Looks to be to a quality system with a steep price tag. I don't mind paying though if the system works. I don't think there will be many others with experience with this set up. Your the first I've seen.

Kc3

Plato · 02/19/2009, 09:40 PM

No, very quiet. The water enters into the sealed top chamber. However when the system cycles to clean the vacuum cleaner comes on for aprox one minute. The cleaning cycle happes any where from two or three times a day or more depending on what is going on with the tank; feeding, cleaning the acrylic, or pressure washing. My cabnet is closed so the vacuume is not as noticable as a open back stand . Yes, it is on the pricer side but when you under stand what is envolved in the system to me it is so worth it.

Plato · 02/19/2009, 09:50 PM

Here is from the other side.

alanscott · 02/19/2009, 09:56 PM

I got tired of constantly having to change them out and wash them on my previous tanks so I do not use them any more. I now just vaccuum the detritus that accumulates in the sump once a week before I do water changes. I luckily have a large sump, so micro bubbles are not a problem. As far as water clarity goes, I notice NO difference what-so-ever.

kc350twin · 02/19/2009, 09:58 PM

Yeah I was just thinking that. It being completely enclosed must cut down on noise a bit. What is your tank stock? Fish, Coral, SPS, LPS Softies? do tell.

Sorry a little off the topic.

Kc3

binyang · 02/20/2009, 12:24 AM

i use filter sock it is good to remove the big junk before go to the skimmer

hairyman1 · 02/21/2009, 07:51 PM

Plato, that is one sophisticated looking system. Almost intimidating LOL. One can only dream. I thought I was looking at the back end of a commercial system.

67belvedere · 02/21/2009, 08:12 PM

100 mic 24/7 here

Plato · 02/21/2009, 08:45 PM

The system is a 44" diamiter by 78" tall cylinder. Unfortunatly due to it's height it is limited to a fish only system.

sunsetSPS · 02/21/2009, 10:39 PM

I personally think the amount of waste filtered by sock easily be 30% or more of the skimmer. Just see how dirty the sock after couple days compared to amount of skimmate produced by your skimmer. Should run one and change as often as you can. Mine are DIY and only cost less than 75cents per sock (I have well more than 30 of them)

stargazer=2 · 02/22/2009, 06:58 AM

i use one change it once a week after i blow the rocks out it catches a lot of junk my skimmer would not get.

kc350twin · 02/22/2009, 01:04 PM

Sunsetsps---Tell us about your DIY Socks.

sjm817 · 02/22/2009, 02:25 PM

I've run them for about 4 years and stopped running them a couple of weeks ago to see how things go. There are legitimate opinions on running your system either way.

My setup is a 180G with a 75G basement sump and a separate 65G fuge. I used a pair of large 100 micron socks and changed them weekly. With the socks, the sump was always very clean. No detritus to speak of. In the last 2 weeks, yeah, its certainly there.

So the question is...detritus in the sump, or detritus in the socks? As I just posted, I changed the socks out weekly, so you could say the detritus stayed in the system for 1 week. I do large monthly water changes at which time, I will clean out the detritus accumulation (most of it anyway), so here we can say the detritus stays in the system for 1 month instead of 1 week. If I was a good boy and did weekly water changes, it would be the same.

But what happens to that detritus in that time? In the sump, it just kind of sits on the bottom. In the filter sock, it is constantly getting water forced through it. Is that detritus constantly being broken down, forced into the filter material and into the water column? If so, is that good or bad? Will the skimmer pull it out anyway? Is it better to let it just sit on the bottom of the sump?

IME with the filter socks, when I emptied the skimmer and changed the socks, the skimming was less with the fresh socks, and increased toward the end of the week when they were dirty.

So obviously, I dont have the do or do not answer. Just bringing up some points to consider. It may well just depend on your system setup and personal husbandry preferences. I'm going to try it for awhile and if my tank seems healthy, I may continue to run sockless. One less thing to clean.

sunsetSPS · 02/22/2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kc350twin
Sunsetsps---Tell us about your DIY Socks.

I followed this thread:

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/di...ifference.html

zachtos · 02/24/2009, 02:00 PM

I too got sick of changing the socks for my 240G frequently... My main concern was the fact that I have a 75G refugium upstairs and a 50G refugium downstairs. I saw tons of copepods in the socks and thought... well, can any pods even make it upstairs to the display if I'm filtering them out all the time???

hebygb · 02/24/2009, 02:29 PM

I use them in all my tanks... I have 10 socks. It takes about... 3.5 seconds to change a sock... I take all of my dirty socks and soak them in diluted bleach for a couple of days.... rinse thoroughly which means let water run in bucket unattended for about 10 minutes..... swish around.... til water runs clear... add some aquasafe, let sit over night... they are ready to use. When you check your skimmer, check or change your sock... simple. If an overflowing sock causes water to leave your sump, you have it setup wrong... Do I lose pods when i change a sock... sure... the ones in my rock will make more.

having clean sump, no bubbles, and all of the large stuff out of my setup is really worth the couple of minutes a week I spend swapping them out.

02/18/2009, 10:53 PM	#28
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	Yes, use the filter sock but keep it clean/changed reguarly. I got sick and tired of having to change mine all the time so I up graded to an automated detritus removal system. Automated vaccum controled. It is the cylinder on top of the sump half filled with water, just befor activating the system to auto self clean the screen. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/19/2009, 04:24 PM	#33
kc350twin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Severn, MD Posts: 1,579	http://www.seavisions.com/CADS%20PAGE.htm This is the system I believe.... Kc3 __________________ 112g Cube 36x36x20= Custom 12x39wPower Module (Par Monster)= Neptune Apex=ATB 840v2=BM Doser= 2 MP-40's

02/19/2009, 06:12 PM	#34
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	JRaquatics, kc350twin gets the prize. It is one of Gerry's CADS. Seavisions web sigh has all the information even a video of one opperating. I have another one on order for a 275 with should ship next week. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/19/2009, 09:23 PM	#35
kc350twin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Severn, MD Posts: 1,579	Plato Is the system loud? Looks to be to a quality system with a steep price tag. I don't mind paying though if the system works. I don't think there will be many others with experience with this set up. Your the first I've seen. Kc3 __________________ 112g Cube 36x36x20= Custom 12x39wPower Module (Par Monster)= Neptune Apex=ATB 840v2=BM Doser= 2 MP-40's

02/19/2009, 09:40 PM	#36
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	No, very quiet. The water enters into the sealed top chamber. However when the system cycles to clean the vacuum cleaner comes on for aprox one minute. The cleaning cycle happes any where from two or three times a day or more depending on what is going on with the tank; feeding, cleaning the acrylic, or pressure washing. My cabnet is closed so the vacuume is not as noticable as a open back stand . Yes, it is on the pricer side but when you under stand what is envolved in the system to me it is so worth it. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/18/2009, 11:49 PM	#29
scaryperson27 Moved On Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cape Coral, F.L. Posts: 2,106	I like filter socks. I just hand wash them for about 2 min every week. They do get filled up quickly though.

02/19/2009, 01:23 PM	#30
jhoff Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Edison New Jersey Posts: 1,082	How much bleach do you guys use to clean your socks? Do you put them in the dryer or just let them dry out

02/19/2009, 09:50 PM	#37
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	Here is from the other side. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/19/2009, 09:56 PM	#38
alanscott Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Fresno, Calif Posts: 155	I got tired of constantly having to change them out and wash them on my previous tanks so I do not use them any more. I now just vaccuum the detritus that accumulates in the sump once a week before I do water changes. I luckily have a large sump, so micro bubbles are not a problem. As far as water clarity goes, I notice NO difference what-so-ever.

02/19/2009, 09:58 PM	#39
kc350twin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Severn, MD Posts: 1,579	Yeah I was just thinking that. It being completely enclosed must cut down on noise a bit. What is your tank stock? Fish, Coral, SPS, LPS Softies? do tell. Sorry a little off the topic. Kc3 __________________ 112g Cube 36x36x20= Custom 12x39wPower Module (Par Monster)= Neptune Apex=ATB 840v2=BM Doser= 2 MP-40's

02/20/2009, 12:24 AM	#40
binyang Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 113	i use filter sock it is good to remove the big junk before go to the skimmer

02/21/2009, 07:51 PM	#41
hairyman1 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 271	Plato, that is one sophisticated looking system. Almost intimidating LOL. One can only dream. I thought I was looking at the back end of a commercial system.

02/21/2009, 08:12 PM	#42
67belvedere Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chepachet RI Posts: 25	100 mic 24/7 here

02/21/2009, 08:45 PM	#43
Plato Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: NC Posts: 638	The system is a 44" diamiter by 78" tall cylinder. Unfortunatly due to it's height it is limited to a fish only system. __________________ Genesis 2:28 God blessed them and said to them,"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Current Tank Info: 275 starphire, 3 x 400 watt MH + 4 x 80 watt T5's, 2 x MP 60 + 2 x MP 40, Orca 250 skimmer, CADS filter head (SeaVisions), ProCal Ca reactor, GHL controlled.

02/21/2009, 10:39 PM	#44
sunsetSPS Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 355	I personally think the amount of waste filtered by sock easily be 30% or more of the skimmer. Just see how dirty the sock after couple days compared to amount of skimmate produced by your skimmer. Should run one and change as often as you can. Mine are DIY and only cost less than 75cents per sock (I have well more than 30 of them)

02/22/2009, 06:58 AM	#45
stargazer=2 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: n.e. PA. Posts: 445	i use one change it once a week after i blow the rocks out it catches a lot of junk my skimmer would not get.

02/22/2009, 01:04 PM	#46
kc350twin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Severn, MD Posts: 1,579	Sunsetsps---Tell us about your DIY Socks. __________________ 112g Cube 36x36x20= Custom 12x39wPower Module (Par Monster)= Neptune Apex=ATB 840v2=BM Doser= 2 MP-40's

02/22/2009, 02:25 PM	#47
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	I've run them for about 4 years and stopped running them a couple of weeks ago to see how things go. There are legitimate opinions on running your system either way. My setup is a 180G with a 75G basement sump and a separate 65G fuge. I used a pair of large 100 micron socks and changed them weekly. With the socks, the sump was always very clean. No detritus to speak of. In the last 2 weeks, yeah, its certainly there. So the question is...detritus in the sump, or detritus in the socks? As I just posted, I changed the socks out weekly, so you could say the detritus stayed in the system for 1 week. I do large monthly water changes at which time, I will clean out the detritus accumulation (most of it anyway), so here we can say the detritus stays in the system for 1 month instead of 1 week. If I was a good boy and did weekly water changes, it would be the same. But what happens to that detritus in that time? In the sump, it just kind of sits on the bottom. In the filter sock, it is constantly getting water forced through it. Is that detritus constantly being broken down, forced into the filter material and into the water column? If so, is that good or bad? Will the skimmer pull it out anyway? Is it better to let it just sit on the bottom of the sump? IME with the filter socks, when I emptied the skimmer and changed the socks, the skimming was less with the fresh socks, and increased toward the end of the week when they were dirty. So obviously, I dont have the do or do not answer. Just bringing up some points to consider. It may well just depend on your system setup and personal husbandry preferences. I'm going to try it for awhile and if my tank seems healthy, I may continue to run sockless. One less thing to clean. __________________ - Scott

02/24/2009, 02:00 PM	#49
zachtos Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 1,161	I too got sick of changing the socks for my 240G frequently... My main concern was the fact that I have a 75G refugium upstairs and a 50G refugium downstairs. I saw tons of copepods in the socks and thought... well, can any pods even make it upstairs to the display if I'm filtering them out all the time??? __________________ 300G SPS reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 300G reef under construction

02/24/2009, 02:29 PM	#50
hebygb Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Elmhurst, IL Posts: 2,207	I use them in all my tanks... I have 10 socks. It takes about... 3.5 seconds to change a sock... I take all of my dirty socks and soak them in diluted bleach for a couple of days.... rinse thoroughly which means let water run in bucket unattended for about 10 minutes..... swish around.... til water runs clear... add some aquasafe, let sit over night... they are ready to use. When you check your skimmer, check or change your sock... simple. If an overflowing sock causes water to leave your sump, you have it setup wrong... Do I lose pods when i change a sock... sure... the ones in my rock will make more. having clean sump, no bubbles, and all of the large stuff out of my setup is really worth the couple of minutes a week I spend swapping them out.