Messy Filter Socks...

[GMGQ]

Does anyone have any suggestions on maybe an alternative to filter socks?

I used to use one, but it would get gunked up so fast with nasty crap, and it was a PAIN to clean it... and I cant justify throwing it in the washing machine...

???

[DiverDude]

... and I cant justify throwing it in the washing machine...

???

Errr....why not ?

I have about a dozen socks. I change them out at least once a week and then dump them in a bucket full of water with a little bleach in it. When I'm down to a few clean socks, I pull the dirty ones from the bucket and run a load in the washing machine with nothing (no soap or bleach) and an extra rinse cycle.

Nice and clean.

[Lampshade]

I've been running no socks on my new tank, waters not as crystal clear as it used to be, but nitrates are near 0 which they wheren't with socks on. Also... not cleaning those things is GREAT!

[GMGQ]

...cuz I've got like... 2 :P


Errr....why not ?

I have about a dozen socks. I change them out at least once a week and then dump them in a bucket full of water with a little bleach in it. When I'm down to a few clean socks, I pull the dirty ones from the bucket and run a load in the washing machine with nothing (no soap or bleach) and an extra rinse cycle.

Nice and clean.

[ponokareefer]

...cuz I've got like... 2 :P

Then buy a couple more, store the dirty ones in a plastic bag and do them all at once when they are all dirty. That is what I do.

[GMGQ]

OK, well I'm not going to go out to buy a whack of filter socks just so that I can justify throwing them in the washing machine. I'm looking for a way to make life easier, not create more laundry :S

I guess the next logical question would be, is it even worth it to run filter socks? As Lampshade has suggested, these socks can tend to be bags of nitrates.

[lastlight]

I stopped using my socks as well. Might be my imagination but my polyp extension seems to be better since removing them.

The downside is more particulate matter in the water column and throughout the sump. I imagine the skimmer gets more stuff to take out and there's less rotting in the sock. My nutrients may have gone down some I'm not sure but I do know the liverock compartment of my sump (where I do waterchanges from as well) has a lot more crap settling in it now. I can't easily access this area to suction it out so I may remove this rock from the system. Food for thought maybe...

[Delphinus]

I run my filter sock by itself in the washing machine. I get all a giddy if I can do 2 or 3 but for the most part it's an empty machine. You wouldn't really want anything else in with them.

It works amazingly well. Just a splash of bleach and away we go. I tried just rinsing them by hand really well between uses but that was no good, the smell even after rinsing was too much. Washing machine is the only way to go I think.

I went to 4" socks on my new tank and it's annoying as heck that I have to change them out every 3-4 days or so now though. I'm OK with once a week but more is too much. I am excited to try out some mesh socks as an alternative, just got them in from BRS yesterday. They are a nylon or something similar material, looks like they should just hose off clean and clog far less often. Might be something you want to look into if you're not comfortable with cleaning yours in the washing machine.

[Zoaelite]

BRS sells them super cheap, I bought 10 and just rotate them out. When all 10 are dirty they go threw two wash cycles, a sani cycle and then an extra long hot wash.

[lastlight]

These mesh ones don't filter to the same micron level tho do they?

[whatcaneyedo]

If you don't want to run them then don't. I personally feel that I need to use them because of my poorly designed overflow which creates a massive amount of micro bubbles.

[mws]

BRS sells them super cheap, I bought 10 and just rotate them out. When all 10 are dirty they go threw two wash cycles, a sani cycle and then an extra long hot wash.

How are the mash once for catching microbubbles?
And other staff?

[staceyd72]

... I am excited to try out some mesh socks as an alternative, just got them in from BRS yesterday. They are a nylon or something similar material, looks like they should just hose off clean and clog far less often. Might be something you want to look into if you're not comfortable with cleaning yours in the washing machine.

Hey Tony,

Please keep us updated on these, I was looking at them also but have not found any feedback on them. Did you get the ones with the plastic ring or draw string?

I change my filter socks out every two days, it only takes a couple of minutes for me and I actually don't find it much of an inconvenience. Tossing them in the washing machine is probably the easiest and most convenient way to clean them.

[Delphinus]

They arrived about a week ago but I waited a few days to rotate them in since I had just put on clean felt socks the day before they came.

They are 200 micron (actually it looks like BRS doesn't sell anything BUT 200 micron) so they definitely last longer. The material feels like a sort of stiff nylon.

I have a bit of a cyano thing going on so they got clogged once already but I all I needed was to rinse them off and they were fully clean so I just put them back in instead of rotating in different ones.

Definitely getting longer between cleans, the felts I was using are 100 micron and I'd only get 2-3 days before the water was overflowing from the top.

I have sock holders in the sump so I got the ones with the plastic ring.

[Raven34]

Go to walmart. They sell the same material that the socks are made from and stitch them up with fishing line. Im getting better and maybe takes 15mins. 3$ a sock in the end.

[jon.smolders]

I heard that washing filter socks in the washing machine can be a source of phosphates? Even if you don't use soap, it could pick up soap residue from inside the machine. Anybody have issues with this? I turn mine inside out and clean it in the bathtub, but then again, I don't have much of a bioload right now so they're not that dirty. It is a pain though.

I like the nylon bag idea... Maybe even just a media bag would work... Or double or triple them up if they're not fine enough.

[jon.smolders]

Go to walmart. They sell the same material that the socks are made from and stitch them up with fishing line. Im getting better and maybe takes 15mins. 3$ a sock in the end.

I like that idea. What is that material called?

And hey, if you don't like cleaning your filter socks you could just toss them and sew new ones (at 3 bucks a week). :biggrin: ... I'm too cheap for that though.

[Milad]

Why hasn't anyone suggested filter floss material? Since i switched to the filter floss, I find it better than the filter socks (water seems clearer)
I think i spent 6 bucks a couple months ago on the filter floss and still have tons left. I dont reuse, i just throw them away

[Funky_Fish14]

I heard that washing filter socks in the washing machine can be a source of phosphates? Even if you don't use soap, it could pick up soap residue from inside the machine.

Not totally sure on this... or the complete details of it... but im pretty sure that some regulations came out many years ago banning the use of phosphorous entirely from detergents?

Cheers

Chris

[Raven34]

I like that idea. What is that material called?

And hey, if you don't like cleaning your filter socks you could just toss them and sew new ones (at 3 bucks a week). :biggrin: ... I'm too cheap for that though.

Its in the bedding department but forget what it called, its in a plastic clear bag. Then i go steal a shoe lace out of a pair of her shoes and make a loop. 2ply is what ive been doing. Then into the wash with bleach when all 20 are dirty.

[tidal_waters]

Why hasn't anyone suggested filter floss material? Since i switched to the filter floss, I find it better than the filter socks (water seems clearer)
I think i spent 6 bucks a couple months ago on the filter floss and still have tons left. I dont reuse, i just throw them away

Same here, a filter sock wasn't an option and wasn't really thought about during my build. So a drain guard follow by a trip to Micheals to grab that knitting stuff, fill it in with floss and voila! So far so good, I change it out every few days and toss it!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y241/lklive/IMGP0384.jpg

[staceyd72]

They arrived about a week ago but I waited a few days to rotate them in since I had just put on clean felt socks the day before they came.

They are 200 micron (actually it looks like BRS doesn't sell anything BUT 200 micron) so they definitely last longer. The material feels like a sort of stiff nylon.

I have a bit of a cyano thing going on so they got clogged once already but I all I needed was to rinse them off and they were fully clean so I just put them back in instead of rotating in different ones.

Definitely getting longer between cleans, the felts I was using are 100 micron and I'd only get 2-3 days before the water was overflowing from the top.

I have sock holders in the sump so I got the ones with the plastic ring.

Thanks Tony,

I used the 100 micron felts also, but I noticed that I really had to change them at day two, the water would overflow them, whereas the 200 felts don't really need to be replaced sooner(I just do it to reduce the likelihood of NO3 buildup).

I have also found that the plastic ring breaks off from the felt over time, and the seams split, I think this may be a result of using too much bleach during the wash which is making the materials weaker; I'll have to reduce the quantity of bleach on the new ones.

Good luck with the cyano battle.

[es355lucille]

I only use a filter sock when I am cleaning my tank. I find that when I am dirtying things up during the cleaning, then I throw a sock on for a day. Same thing I clean my socks in the washing machine. I was told not to.....but I could not get it clean at all by rinsing it off.

[Stones]

How much bleach are you guys using when washing the filter socks in a washing machine? I've always just washed in hot water but all my filter socks are now a pleasant shade of gray and it is difficult to tell when they are dirty or clean unless the water is already overflowing out the top of the sock.

[Coleus]

I used the mesh sock and don't have to replace in months but then it is not doing a good job of trapping particles so i have to switch back to felt sock

[Delphinus]

How much bleach are you guys using when washing the filter socks in a washing machine? I've always just washed in hot water but all my filter socks are now a pleasant shade of gray and it is difficult to tell when they are dirty or clean unless the water is already overflowing out the top of the sock.

I just use a "generous splash" of bleach (ie., I pour for about a second or so). In my old washing machine I'd run the cycle twice, once with bleach, once with nothing just to make sure it would rinse all out. My new washing machine is a front-loader and just has a setting for "whitest whites" and I set it to that and I have a section where you add detergent that's just for bleach, I just put the bleach in there and call it done. No detergent, just a bit of bleach and that's good enough.

[mws]

Why hasn't anyone suggested filter floss material? Since i switched to the filter floss, I find it better than the filter socks (water seems clearer)
I think i spent 6 bucks a couple months ago on the filter floss and still have tons left. I dont reuse, i just throw them away

I will try this. Do you buy it from the fish store?
Big Al's sell it for 15$ a big bag in Calgary.

[Stones]

I just use a "generous splash" of bleach (ie., I pour for about a second or so). In my old washing machine I'd run the cycle twice, once with bleach, once with nothing just to make sure it would rinse all out. My new washing machine is a front-loader and just has a setting for "whitest whites" and I set it to that and I have a section where you add detergent that's just for bleach, I just put the bleach in there and call it done. No detergent, just a bit of bleach and that's good enough.

Thanks Tony, I'll give bleach a shot the next time my filter socks are up for cleaning.

[DiverDude]

I heard that washing filter socks in the washing machine can be a source of phosphates? Even if you don't use soap, it could pick up soap residue from inside the machine. Anybody have issues with this?

My skimmer would go nuts every time I put in a clean sock (even though I run no soap, no bleach and do a second rinse cycle). Now, I rinse each sock thoroughly with tap water and then RO before it goes back in the sump.

No problems now.

[staceyd72]

For anyone interested in the mesh socks, I found some on the BWI website (http://www.bwiplumbing.com/products/Mesh-Filter-Bags-%252d-Sewn-Construction-with-PP-Snap-Ring-.html), same price as BRS; I just ordered a couple myself, hopefully they're more durable than the felt ones.

[Funky_Fish14]

So I like the clarity im getting from my (felt) filter socks... have about... 10-14? Put them in the wash, heavy duty mode, super cycle, HOT water, big 'splash' of bleach, extra rinse.... and out they come, with all the gunk that was in them inside the inner seams. Now, I pretty much feel like all the crud that was in them was washed around and condensed into the seam of each sock. The main body of the socks are clean but they are all full of gunk in the bottoms/side seam. What did I mess up? I would feel ridiculous throwing out socks all the time and just buying more.

Do the mesh socks clean out much easier?

[whatcaneyedo]

You also need to turn them inside out.

[Delphinus]

Do the mesh socks clean out much easier?

They do. I just rinse them at the sink. I'm not sure they clean the water as nice as the felt though, despite the same micron size. So it's a tradeoff but a small one.

[cwatkins]

When I switch out dirty socks, they sit in a small bucket of water until I run them in the laundry machine. Then I use a generous splash of bleach, and then run an extra rinse cycle.

Then the socks sit in RO water with Prime until they're used. At which point I just rinse them before putting them in the sump.

[Coleus]

I have both. felt sock will clean lost of small particle while mesh won't. I can have my mesh in for a month without getting it clog up. For mesh, only last 4 days

[christyf5]

You also need to turn them inside out.


I do this too, works great :biggrin:

[marie]

All this talk of extra laundry, bleach, sewing and attempting to turn filthy filter socks inside out just convinces me to carry on going barefoot.....er I mean sockless on my sump :lol:

[mark]

I have 4 socks, each will last about a week. Takes maybe 3 minutes to rinse them in the laundry sink, then I place in a pail. When I have 3 to wash, make sure the washing machine's soap and softener trays are clean then in with a little with bleach on regular cycle.

As I'm not sitting there watching the machine go around, that's maybe a extra 15 minutes a month on my tank to have socks.

[Leah]

All this talk of extra laundry, bleach, sewing and attempting to turn filthy filter socks inside out just convinces me to carry on going barefoot.....er I mean sockless on my sump :lol:

LMAO! :wink: +1

I also wear my socks more then once :biggrin:

[Funky_Fish14]

Hmm, the plastic ring around the ones I have also have little handles on the inside, makes it a pain to flip them inside out. Maybe i'll cut the handles out and try it again.

Letting them soak while I pile up enough for a laundry also sounds like a good idea. Thanks folks!