Mechanical filtration??

[hillegom]

filter pad washed every 3-4 days

[gregzz4]

3 filter socks in a holder and swapped weekly (3 spares that dry for a week)
I don't mind washing them and find they work better for me than pads, at least in my setup

[Aquattro]

Filter sock changed every 2 or 3 days. Couldn't send floss to the landfill every week.

[emerald crab]

I don't use mechanical filtration, but I use an algae scrubber, that does bio filtration and does to a lesser extent mechanical (like an organic floss).

[kien]

I only put on a sock if I have stirred up the sand or blasted my rocks and kicked up a detritus storm. I don't normally run mechanical filtration otherwise. I really don't like washing filter socks and ya, throwing out filter floss on a regular basis is definitely not in my cards either. This is a great question because this is another one of those personal preference kind of things.

[Madreefer]

I use nothing.
I took off my filter socks a year ago and couldn't be happier.
I get very little detritus and every so often I'll vacum it up.
IMO with the right setup it's not needed