filter sock messing up ato, need some advice

[calreefer7]

i have a 25 gallon all in one, I really need an ato as I'm not home all the time and cant top off the tank constantly, but my filter sock is the main means of waste export. even if i clean the dang thing daily, it still reduces flow to the last chamber by the end of the day, and the ATO is pumping more water than it should. i was thinking of getting a media basket and filling it will filter floss and just changing that out periodically. would that work, is there something I'm missing here?

 

[Redfoxtang]

That’s what I did as I’m not a huge fan of filter socks. I’ll use them to polish the water really good if I’m stirring up the tank after a deep clean. But basically what I did in my AIO is cut up some egg crate and made it a snug fit where the sock goes and cut up pieces of floss to set on top of the egg crate. Easier to throw away and replace than to clean those socks.

 

[Cell]

I daresay most AIO owners ditch the filter sock and go with a basket.

 

[Daddy-o]

No filter socks here. If you cant keep up on top off, you are going to really fluctuate the salinity.

 

[Midrats]

You can use a small media reactor with mechanical media inside, or a powerhead with a perforated tube wrapped in floss as used in the DSR method. Neither will alter the water level in your back chambers.

 

[Reef.]

Could be you have the return turned up to much for the overflow to cope with, a slight bit of debris is the sock tips it over the edge and you get an empty last chamber, A 25g shouldn’t be producing enough waste in 1 day to cause issues, filter wool I would think would not help as that would block too if it’s not a return pump issue, floss is better imo tho so either way I would change to floss and look for the issue as I don think it’s what you think.

 

[Uncle99]

Socks should just overflow into the chamber, should not change level at all.

 

[Reef.]

Socks should just overflow into the chamber, should not change level at all.

depends on the design of the aio tank.

 

[Uncle99]

Your right, but clogged socks should not cause other issues
Glad mine don’t do that.

 

[Reef.]

Your right, but clogged socks should not cause other issues
Glad mine don’t do that.

you’re right it shouldn’t, well not in 1 day.

I sometimes add filter felt instead of floss, the felt is enough to slow the flow which sets of the ato, as said sounds more a too much flow issue to me.

 

[R.Weller]

We have always used a very slow gravity drip for top off as the evaporation rate is constant & adjusted seasonally. This worked for a few years with our 60gal using a 1/2 gal container switched nightly & scales to our 300gal using a 20gal Brute as the top off that we fill weekly.

As a bonus, there is nothing mechanical to fail so it will never flood the tank. You have lots of options.