Anyone else use no mechanical filtration?

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Ironically I just pulled my filter roller two weeks ago. Interestingly, my nitrates dropped a smidge while my phosphate has remained constant. I would have thought that both would have gone up noticeably. I’ve struggled with low nutrients all along with this hype based, bare bottom, dry rock, filter roller setup. My previous setup was a wet/dry bio ball with ceramic media instead of the plastic. No filter fleece, live Fiji rock, sand bed, with a small skimmer and power compact lighting for most it’s life and those old mechanical relay timers with the plastic pins to set on/off times. About 20 years, one move, and zero issues…This new tank, ugh…plenty of issues the first two years really. It’s been solid for awhile now though.

 

[Potatohead]

Nothing for several years now. I did used to use socks during maintenance and left them in for about 24 hours after, but I even stopped doing that maybe a year ago. All I use is a skimmer and come carbon that gets changed infrequently. Water changes of about 10% (ok more like 12-14%) every two weeks.

 

[mh0ward]

I’m a complete newb - never kept any fish or other aquatic life whatsoever including freshwater, but I have done a lot of research over the past 6 months or so. I’ve been putting together a 20 gal shallow tank and am around 2 months in with only rock, sand, a heater and wave maker. I do currently perform a weekly water change, but that’s pretty easy given that it’s only about 2 gallons. So far it’s been working well, not sure how that might change once I start adding corals and testing other parameters though.

 

[Slocke]

I’m a complete newb - never kept any fish or other aquatic life whatsoever including freshwater, but I have done a lot of research over the past 6 months or so. I’ve been putting together a 20 gal shallow tank and am around 2 months in with only rock, sand, a heater and wave maker. I do currently perform a weekly water change, but that’s pretty easy given that it’s only about 2 gallons. So far it’s been working well, not sure how that might change once I start adding corals and testing other parameters though.

You will get a build up of surface grime so you may want to use some sort of skimmer. Even if is just a sponge on the surface that gets good flow.

 

[BeanAnimal]

For me, a hang on skimmer such as IceCap K1 would be my preference

If you remember, I had a DIY 6’ tall skimmer. I took it offline years ago and went skimmeless. I do think there is a benefit, so I got a Reef Octopus Regal 150-EXT and love it.

I am on the fence with mechanical media. I WILL NOT deal with the hassle of socks or a canister. Roller filter is the only consideration and I just don’t know if I want to deal with that either.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Hypothetically thinking I would imagine you lose a ton of bacteria and nutrients since the roller strips the water of heavy particulate and doesn’t give the tank any time to process it.. I feel it’s one of the main factors in the dino explosion of the last few years. That’s my thoughts anyways..

I don’t disagree and if I put one on, it would be partial bypass for that reason.

 

[vetteguy53081]

If you remember, I had a DIY 6’ tall skimmer. I took it offline years ago and went skimmeless. I do think there is a benefit, so I got a Reef Octopus Regal 150-EXT and love it.

I am on the fence with mechanical media. I WILL NOT deal with the hassle of socks or a canister. Roller filter is the only consideration and I just don’t know if I want to deal with that either.

I had a 4.5 ft unit and they can pull the gunk endlessly

 

[BeanAnimal]

I started out with needle wheel, but retrofitted it for larger ceramic airstones and a big Alita linear air pump. It worked well, but took up space and needed more optimization which I was unwilling to spend time doing. This Reef Octopus regal just works.

 

[AquaLogic]

I dislike filter socks and rollers. Dirty, stinky, hard to manage. I love filter floss. Super effective, cheap, easy to just pull, throw out, and replace. Keeps water crystal clear. I have run with no mechanical filtration in the past, but I prefer floss out of everything I have tried.

 

[JoJosReef]

I ran a sock for all of one week. Nope. That hassle would kill the hobby for me. I'm thinking about ditching the floss, too. No skimmer. UV only when there looks like a reason for it. And I run carbon because of the leathers and the nems. Otherwise I wouldn't feel to bad about just having rocks, circulation and my animals as filtration!

 

[JayM]

In my experience, filter socks are ineffective for nutrient prevention. I use it for 3 reasons:

1) Removes particles in a reef tank
2) Prevents a mud from forming in the sump
3) quiets the overflow into the sump compartment

1) Agreed.
2) Mine hasn't prevented mud. I don't have but a couple of small patches, but it's only been up & running about 8 months. Maybe there'd be a lot more with no sock.
3) I've run a day or two at times when I don't have any clean socks to swap and haven't noticed any difference in noise. Maybe because my drain line is submerged an inch or so?

 

[mboley]

I dislike filter socks and rollers. Dirty, stinky, hard to manage. I love filter floss. Super effective, cheap, easy to just pull, throw out, and replace. Keeps water crystal clear. I have run with no mechanical filtration in the past, but I prefer floss out of everything I have tried.

How do you have it set up using floss? Flowing through a filter basket?

 

[Rocky Mountain Reef]

I love this thread. I'm totally onboard with no socks and filtration of the mechanical kind. (I do believe in carbon dosing (NP Bacto Balance) and a good skimmer). Been doing it for 4 months and there is no difference from having them in. Bought and Used two of the Klir Di 4 units and now bypass them. I've found that my new Mutiny ozone reactor does more than anything else in maintaining clear water and an apparently sound biosphere in the aquarium.

 

[twentyleagues]

No mech on my new system. Just a big ole skimmer. Last system I only had a sock coming out of the display fuge to catch any errant algae pieces.

 

[vlangel]

Nothing for filtration except rock, sand, macroalgae, carbon and water changes. I let biology do my heavy lifting. Equipment and socks are more things to clean and/or break.

 

[biophilia]

I use socks mostly as a way to manage micro-bubbles in sumps that don't have baffles, and don't really care about them in a nutrient export sense. I'd prefer to go without them if it means more plankton in the water column.

That being said, there are definite advantages to socks in certain scenarios. I use 10 micron socks on a system that I use for pelagic egg collection because there are hydroids in the pipes and sump that I try to avoid feeding and spreading to the broodstock tanks. They can also help avoid inadvertently feeding aiptasia and majano growth in sumps that are connected to heavily fed tanks (like NPS tanks) which lowers the overall population of pest anemones in those systems.

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

I have no mechanical filtration of any kind. Or chemical, for that matter. Just an empty sump with nothing in it but detritus, and a return pump.

 

[ca1ore]

Many kinds of filtration have a mechanical element (skimmers, carbon canisters, GFO, etc.) even if it is not their primary purpose. I personally have not used anything for which mechanical removal is it’s primary purpose. No socks, floss, rollers, etc. Never really saw the point. Cloudy or excessively particulate heavy water is symptomatic of bigger problems.

 

[MBruun]

My only filtration in the sump is a skimmer and layer 5cm of porous media (like Seachem Matrix and Fuval Bio-FX). Copepods and bacteria handle the detritus.
Easy and simple and the corals love it.

 

[Slocke]

Asking whether I’m the one weirdo and finding out that almost everyone does the same

Thanks everyone for your answers!!