Sharkey18 December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 Is there a good alternative? Pros: Catch detritus, reduce bubbles, water appears much cleaner. Cons: They get gross really fast, I don't change them often enough, washing them in a pain the butt. Right now I am running without filter socks, but I would love the cleaner look of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 Any "alternative" will be some sort of filter which will likely have the same pros/cons, unless you're thinking outside the box with this, ie ozone, etc. Honestly, feed less and your filter socks won't need to be changed more than once per week. I used to change my socks (or at least realized I should have as water was flowing over the top!) every 3-5 days. Since I've changed my feeding habits (due to high nitrate issues), I have had no overflowing socks and just wash them once a week with my water change. This of course may be a huge issue for you if you change your water once a month of course, but this is my experience and regimen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankieGee December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 i had 7 socks that i changed out every 3 days. i washed them in the washing machine twice when i was on my last one. it wasn't a pain at all. i used them to reduce the bubbles from the drain but since a friend built me a bubble trap, i don't use the socks anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 +1 on the friend building you a bubble trap. No noise, no splashing, no bubbles, no socks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 you can always use the mesh socks instead of the felt which won't clog but you don't want to leave detritus in there very long either so if you're going to use filter socks, use them and change them out appropriately to maximize their effectiveness. what about washing them is a pain in the butt? i have a bunch of them. i use 30-40 at a time stuffing them into a bucket after they are removed from the sump used. once they are all used i toss the lot into the washer with a bit of bleach and start using the 30-40 other fresh ones. i do one toss with a bit of bleach then two more with just a rinse cycle. that way you're not constantly doing a load and quickly can use fresh ones and it's less of a burden of a task because you can wait to do the cleaning cycle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridetheducati December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 Get a great skimmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 you can always use the mesh socks instead of the felt which won't clog but you don't want to leave detritus in there very long either so if you're going to use filter socks, use them and change them out appropriately to maximize their effectiveness. what about washing them is a pain in the butt? i have a bunch of them. i use 30-40 at a time stuffing them into a bucket after they are removed from the sump used. once they are all used i toss the lot into the washer with a bit of bleach and start using the 30-40 other fresh ones. i do one toss with a bit of bleach then two more with just a rinse cycle. that way you're not constantly doing a load and quickly can use fresh ones and it's less of a burden of a task because you can wait to do the cleaning cycle. Do you flip them inside out to wash them? I find that to be the biggest pain. I have a lot of socks too. I like to host them down so I stocked up to make it through the winter...we have a vendor on MR that sells 4" socks for like $3 I used to clog in 3 days, as my tanks matured, I now can go over a week without them clogging. So I have close to 8-16 weeks of socks left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 Do you flip them inside out to wash them? I find that to be the biggest pain. I have a lot of socks too. I like to host them down so I stocked up to make it through the winter...we have a vendor on MR that sells 4" socks for like $3 I used to clog in 3 days, as my tanks matured, I now can go over a week without them clogging. So I have close to 8-16 weeks of socks left mmmm, sometimes i flip them if they start to get especially grimy after a lot of uses but my washer does a pretty good job by the second rinse of getting a lot of that gunk outta there. with mesh socks it's easy peezy. flipping felt (which i prefer) isn't fun like you said. yeah, when saltysupply had them for $1.90 each and their free shipping promo over black friday i grabbed a ton, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djplus1 December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 You guys are disgusting or crazy.... I have three or four socks in my rotation, max. There is no way I would have a bucket of 5-10+ socks sitting around waiting to get cleaned. I usually have two waiting to get cleaned as I rotate out the last sock. I clean two socks a week at the same time (seems a bit of a waste, but at least I don't need to smell a ton of socks in a pile for 3 weeks straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 yeah, the waste and constant cleaning is what makes it unfeasible of a maintenance item for me to be trying to do a load every 2-5 socks. i'd rather have a larger grouping of them stored in a bucket (yes, with a sealed lid or a carbon superlocker so there's no smells) so i dont have to clean them often, waste less water, and i have more in rotation so they last much longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lnevo December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 My socks really don't smell. If they did then I would definitely do something...but anyway they sit in a corner in the basement in a small foam cooler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 December 15, 2013 Author Share December 15, 2013 Yeah, I have the felt socks. I have the "wide mouth" ones and I cut out the plastic loop to make them easier to turn inside out. Do the mesh ones do as good of a job? I also let them accumulate in a bucket and then wash once I have a bunch. I don't have much smell either. My concern is that if I forget to remove them after a few days…. was hoping for an easier solution. But I forgot. This is reef keeping. There are no easy solutions. So does a bubble trap catch detritus as well or just stop the bubbles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 I always feel like i have to remove every single pod stuck in them so it takes me forever lol but the water is much clearer using them Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 December 15, 2013 Author Share December 15, 2013 OMG Jenn, Me too! That what takes so long. Between the pods and the serpent stars that choose to live there. I even tried giving them a sock in the sump that would stay there… but NO…. they all want the flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDRDATA December 15, 2013 Share December 15, 2013 Do the mesh ones do as good of a job? So does a bubble trap catch detritus as well or just stop the bubbles? In my experience, the mesh ones are a little less efficient but take 3-4 times as long to clog before you have to change them. They turn inside out in a snap, and I can wash them out in the sink inside of about five minutes. As to the bubble trap - to the extent it slows the flow, some of the detritus will settle out, but probably only the biggest/heaviest stuff. Of course, the very fine, very light stuff probably can also serve as food for filter feeders as well, so it's something of a trade-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lutz123 December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 I always feel like i have to remove every single pod stuck in them so it takes me forever lol but the water is much clearer using themSent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk OMG Jenn, Me too! That what takes so long. Between the pods and the serpent stars that choose to live there. I even tried giving them a sock in the sump that would stay there… but NO…. they all want the flow. Me too! Must be a girl thing. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyPapa December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 Anything that decides to take up residence in my filter socks better get oughta Dodge or they get a date with bleach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 Anything that decides to take up residence in my filter socks better get oughta Dodge or they get a date with bleach! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 I am glad this thread came along. I got some, but couldnt figure out what to do with them since the felt one clogs and is a pain to take out and fills up with pods and the mesh one doesnt do too much. In other news, my biopellet reactor is somehow filling up with pods and tubeworms. I will definitely want to flush it out into the sump if. I clean it to increase the flow back up because i would like to keep the critters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sachabballi reef December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 Me too! Must be a girl thing. ;-)Lol i think so!I feel crazy guilt if i miss one and see it as i rinse out the sock ABD it heads down the drain.... Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattiejay6 December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 Haha you 2 had me cracking up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainRon December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 I'm a mass murderer. If one happens to get on my hand as I'm turning the sock inside out, back in the tank it goes. Otherwise, they're getting washed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wangspeed December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 I use a cheap thin nylon mesh sock. Washed once every 3-4 days. I only want big stuff to get caught by the mesh. The rest should be dealt with by the skimmer and fuge. I have another sock, but it only takes me a minute to flip it and rinse it out, so I just stick with one. -- Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 I gave up on filter socks. I was too busy to wash them and the wife hated the smelling things sitting in a bucket or the idea of them going into the new washing machine. I do use a filter mat on the return pump suction to polish off the water. It is quilt batting cut into squares and I just throw it away every three days when i replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanM December 16, 2013 Share December 16, 2013 For those of you that toss your dirty socks into a bucket. Don't they mold if you're holding them for weeks at a time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now