Doing the dirty work: Have you used filter rollers with your reef?

[o2manyfish]

I have a bigger system - 750g display part of a 1500g system. The slew of hobbyist roller mats just wasn't a cost effective option to handle a true 4000gph flow back from the different tanks.

I was impressed when I was visiting Unique Corals and saw them using the MRC Roller Mat on their giant coral raceways. It was a big unit - about the size of a 15g tank. So you need a sizeable sump to hold it. But it's rated at 5000gph+ of flow.

I ordered one and installed it back in September. It's been a great add on to the system. The first filter roll lasted 6 months! During that 6 months I had to remove the filter roll 2x and reseat the uptake roll. But other than that it was 6 months of maintenance free clear water.

I have outdoor frag tanks and when I algae wipe the glass it dumps a lot of crap into the water column. But the filter mat just pulls it out and keeps the system looking clean and clear.

Dave B

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

Set up a new tank with a fleece roller. It kept my tank so clean… too clean and I could never figure out why it wouldn’t stabilize. Had to remove all filters for a month to allow things to come to life. After a while I put it back in to maintain stability

 

[joekidwell]

In my 60 cube I am sock and roller free, no mechanical filtration at all except for my shop vac I use every other month in the sump. With a good refugium and 8 fish my phosphates are .05, nitrate at 8, I'll throw some carbon in whenever I want to polish the water but I'm happy with the results.

 

[Borat]

Roller filters are for little girls scared of fish poo!!

 

[Zach B]

Clarisea sk5000 on two systems would never go back

 

[Gumbies R Us]

In the future I will end up getting one, but for now I don't need it.

 

[Baka Mop]

I will never go back to socks or fleece. I have one in my 15g aio. Coming back into the hobby after so long, I think ATOs and roller mats are the best innovation in this hobby since led lights.
I'm looking to get a red sea 425 or 525 with the reefmat and small skimmer in the future. These things are complete game changers for me, cause now I can do all maintenance during my weekly or biweekly water change sessions and don't have to touch the tank in between those times.

 

[Treefer32]

I use 1 red sea reefmat 1200 on my 340 gallon display 75 gallon sump with a skimmer rated for 300-400 gallons at high bioload 500 gallons at low bioload, and an Algae turf scrubber, plus a cannister filter filled with matrix rock and a pellet reactor both for denitrification. That said, with all that. my phosphates still test out at between .05 and .15 ppm (weekly) and nitrates have tested at 20.5 ppm (weekly).

I go through approximately 80 - 100 Inches per day (Around 7 to 8 ft per day). Which lasts up to 15 days for me per roll.

At $60 a month I can buy a lot of filter socks. The rolls come out solid brown in color and I feel like my skimmer's job has been reduced to oxygenating the water. If anything I wish there was options around 200 micron or 500 micron to allow the skimmer some stuff to skim out. But, that said, I am no where near bottoming out nutrients. I'm hoping the roller mat doesn't need as much paper the longer it goes, but, seems to be a consistent thing month over month right now. been running it at this pace for about 6 months.

 

[Roli's Reef Ranch]

I'm one month into a Clarisea 5k gen 3. I'm just blown away by the ease of use and zero maintenance. The rolls are crazy dirty and i would never go back to socks/no socks strategy.

just wait until you have to replace the roll. I've been using one since they came out, and will get rid of mine once I'm out of rolls. What a PITA.

 

[ahopki1]

Has anyone tried the filter sock replacement-> Rocky Mountain Fish Filters?

I have one on my tank now. It's only been 2 weeks so no opinion yet

 

[Drewsifer]

Small filter socks last a day. 7inch last 3-4 days.. I'm looking for a redsea 1200 now

 

[ahopki1]

I'm one month into a Clarisea 5k gen 3. I'm just blown away by the ease of use and zero maintenance. The rolls are crazy dirty and i would never go back to socks/no socks strategy.

I have the Clarissa 3000 2nd gen for two years now. I love it. Can't even imagine having to remember to change/clean even more socks. I have a union on mine so I can easily remove from my sump and clean and change the roll.

 

[vabben]

They look fantastic, but I'm not about to modify my sump. If Fiji Cube comes out with a roller for their big sumps, I'm in. Until then I'll stick with changing out my Pinkys filter floss every couple of days when they start to clog.

 

[I never finish anythi]

That it I'm getting the refmat 500 might be single after it but #*&# it .

 

[design.maddie]

I want free flow of pods and other micro organisms in my system. Enough said.

 

[Dburr1014]

I think my tank is to clean.
I don't use the roller, only use socks if I have an issue and need them, and haven't used gac some time.
I do have a refuge with all kinds of pods and worms.

 

[FishTruck]

I use two of the big ones from Sea visions. If I run the water at full capacity, they roll prematurely and burn through the rolls to fast to be cost effective. Right now... I also use four socks to take the extra flow and I can get about two months out of each roll. I dread changing the stinky rolls.

IMO they have a role (get it) - but still not quite at hassle free mechanical filtration.

 

[realwizer]

Reefmat 500, and love it.

I think its another thing that helps to add stability, as you are not letting waste build up before cleaning a filter sock. Automation helps with consistency, and the more I can do in that regard the better IMO.

 

[klavmaister]

bought red sea reef mate 500 together with the new g2 system, the system is now 3 months old. have a deltec 600i, but don't see the point in starting this yet, it doesn't drive anything out of the system at the moment. everything ends up in the filter roller. set and forget system

 

[klavmaister]

bought red sea reef mate 500 together with the new g2 system, the system is now 3 months old. have a deltec 600i, but don't see the point in starting this yet, it doesn't drive anything out of the system at the moment. everything ends up in the filter roller. set and forget system

the only drawback is that the motor that drives the roller forward is a bit loud (everything else is silent) it also changes the water level in the sump, the more that builds up, the more the delay in the roller feed increases, but when it rolls over to a new fleece, it releases some water out, which increases the water level