Filter sock... Yes or no?

[paddyob]

With my crash comes mods to my system. Time to change the "wrongs".

I have never used filter socks. I always felt it was a build up of crap. And honestly after doing maintenance for AI in the past, I always hated cleaning them. Half the crud spills back when you take the sock out. Having to launder them and so on.

So now I wonder, should I or not? I was also considering just adding a foam block in the 1st chamber of my sump to trap everything at least there instead of anywhere. But then detritus builds in that chamber that is hard to remove.

Please tell me why you chose to or not. It will help me decide.

Thanks

[Proteus]

I would go without. Less crap for the skimmer to pic up

[kien]

My answer is Yes and No. I put a sock on only after i've done some more aggressive cleaning of the tank, like blowing/scrubbing off rocks or stirring the sand bed. I use the sock to help catch the debris but after that (24 hours or so) I'll take the sock off and won't use one again until I do another one of those cleanings.

I hate cleaning the socks too.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Titus99

I would go without. Less crap for the skimmer to pic up

I don't follow your logic.

I would say with a sock or sponge Would reduce crud to the skimmer. in my case anyhow.

[Seriak]

Originally Posted by Titus99

I would go without. Less crap for the skimmer to pic up

Wouldn't not using a sock mean there is more crap for the skimmer to pick up?

Anyways,

I like the look of a clean sump and as I don't want to siphon out my sump on a regular basis I use a sock. I don't find anything spilling back into the sump when I change them. Once a week I pull out the old one and pop in the new one. Once every 2 months I do a load of laundry for all the old ones.

[Delphinus]

I'd go with a sock over a sponge, any day.

I'm sort of on the fence otherwise though. I've been using 4" socks after having used the larger ones for years. I was hoping the smaller ones would be easier to clean and thus I would do it more, but it hasn't really worked out that way.

My take on this is if you want to go with socks, make it so that it's ridiculously easy to replace them. What I wish I had done with my sump was rather than having the pipe exit into the sock, have the pipe enter a chamber with a tall dam/baffle and have the sock on a horizontal baffle so that water has to pass over the sock. Then when this part overflows (into the next chamber in the sump) then 1) you'd know it was time to take the sock out and clean it, and 2) no need to undo pipes to get the sock(s) in our out.

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by kien

My answer is Yes and No. I put a sock on only after i've done some more aggressive cleaning of the tank, like blowing/scrubbing off rocks or stirring the sand bed. I use the sock to help catch the debris but after that (24 hours or so) I'll take the sock off and won't use one again until I do another one of those cleanings.

I hate cleaning the socks too.

I'm moving towards this practice myself on my tanks. I'm going to have them onhand and use them for maybe 1 day after a water change or otherwise needed like stirring up detritus or something. Otherwise though, no socks.

(And just recognize that I have to vacuum out detritus buildup in the sump more often...)

[sphelps]

I don't think whether you need them or not is the question as you really don't need them. I've never used them and my tanks have always done well. The question is do YOU want them, not sure a poll will answer that for you.

[kien]

Originally Posted by paddyob

Time to change the "wrongs".

Originally Posted by sphelps

I don't think whether you need them or not is the question as you really don't need them. I've never used them and my tanks have always done well. The question is do YOU want them, not sure a poll will answer that for you.

^agreed. I don't think it is "wrong" to use them or not use them. It's just a choice.

[bkelly]

It must let more nutrients back into the tank, I have started not using one and my LPS/anems are really full/ not sure how itll be on the SPS. I like the idea of using one for a short while after stirring up the nutrients. My Brains/acans etc always recede while my SPS flourished using socks i just thought that its very low nutrient system that way if changed regularly. So hoping to see better results . Probably get some differences in the SPS though.