Fleece rollers worth the hype

[gatorbait01]

For you that have gone the fleece roller route, do you find it justifies the overall cost? I understand socks are pain, but I use media baskets and stick some floss in the cups. I change them out every 3-4 days. I buy the floss in bulk and the only real inconvenience is I have to cut up the floss into usable squares. Not that big of a deal really. Having to only worry about it maybe once a month sounds desirable (not really sure of thr duration) but then I think of the cost of the fleece could add up and then there's another piece of equipment that could fail. If I traveled a lot maybe it makes sense to get one, otherwise are they worthwhile?

 

[squirrelbaffler]

I made my own with two cheap plastic colanders, and buy the high loft poly at Walmart. I also have to cut my own poly into squares. The colanders fit perfectly on the rim of my 20 long sump. Cut emergency overflow holes just in case it gets clogged.

 

[Reef Diaper]

Our 4" disposable filter socks are another great option. They are very simple to change and you get a perfectly clean filter every time. The flange assembly is reused and only the lightweight filter element is thrown away. There are no moving parts or electronics to fail and they don't require additional space in your sump. You can follow the link below for more info. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[Bfragale]

I have heard a lot of people are having troubling sourcing the replacement rolls- due to the current supply chain issues. Just food for thought.

 

[Joeg]

I have a Klir roller and absolutely love it. I hated changing socks and tried floss in cups but still disliked that it had to be changed every few days or the water level in the sump would rise. I use a roll of fleece every 2-3 months so it's affordable.

The problem I'm facing at the moment is that I'm considering downsizing my tank because our electric company doubled the delivery rates which added another $65 to my monthly bill. An obvious way to reduce some power consumption would be to move to an all-in-one aquarium like the IM lagoon tanks which would eliminate the sump and most of what lives under my current tank (larger circulation pump). The thing that's holding me back from that move is that I can't use the Klir roller in an all-in-one tank and I hate the idea of changing socks or fleece every few days. I like the Klir that much

 

[brentlee6969]

I have a Klir roller and absolutely love it. I hated changing socks and tried floss in cups but still disliked that it had to be changed every few days or the water level in the sump would rise. I use a roll of fleece every 2-3 months so it's affordable.

The problem I'm facing at the moment is that I'm considering downsizing my tank because our electric company doubled the delivery rates which added another $65 to my monthly bill. An obvious way to reduce some power consumption would be to move to an all-in-one aquarium like the IM lagoon tanks which would eliminate the sump and most of what lives under my current tank (larger circulation pump). The thing that's holding me back from that move is that I can't use the Klir roller in an all-in-one tank and I hate the idea of changing socks or fleece every few days. I like the Klir that much

I also own a klir. Bought it after getting tired of changing my filter socks daily. Tbh I'll never go without one again if I can fit one in any build.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I'm using two bubble magus rollers on two different tanks (120g and 180g) . I'll never use felt socks again. For me, it's worth the cost. Once you dial it in, you shouldn't have to touch the roller between 6-10 weeks (in my case anyway).

It's funny that the OP mentioned travel, that was the main reason I purchased a filter roller. Socks and skimmers are the biggest limiting factors to be away from a tank... I can now not touch my tank for 10-14 days if necessary between the roller and the remote skimmer waste canister.

 

[Joeg]

I'll also add, that the Klir does such a good job on my setup that I removed my skimmer. This might not work for many people with SPS dominant tanks but for my mixed reef, it helped dial in nitrate levels which would frequently bottom out with the skimmer and Klir running together.

Several times a day I hear the brief whirr of the motor advancing the fleece so I know it's working plus it's a good reminder of why I'm glad I bought it

 

[Sleepingtiger]

I personally don't have either socks or fleece roller. I only have a oversized skimmer and water is clear.

If I had to choose between a fleece roller and socks, it would be the fleece roller. I am a big fan of pods and socks will remove them from your system. At least with the fleece roller, the pods can escape.

I will never use filter socks again. Cleaning them is a huge mess. For those who throw them in the washer, can you guarantee me that your washer is free from detergents that wasn't trapped from the previous cycles? As much as we go through the trouble of achieving optimal water chemistry, I feel filter socks in washer throws a huge wrench in it. Just an example, I have a front load washer, the area where we add detergent has a huge build up of old dried up detergent. Of course I can wash that area, but what about the build up of detergent where I can get access to that I don't know about? On top of that, these washers have water saving features that really leaves our clothes with small amounts of detergent in them after washes. Hence the skin allergies and stuff like that. I Unless I have a washer dedicated to washing filter socks, I wont do it.

 

[DWill]

I have a Klir roller and absolutely love it. I hated changing socks and tried floss in cups but still disliked that it had to be changed every few days or the water level in the sump would rise. I use a roll of fleece every 2-3 months so it's affordable.

The problem I'm facing at the moment is that I'm considering downsizing my tank because our electric company doubled the delivery rates which added another $65 to my monthly bill. An obvious way to reduce some power consumption would be to move to an all-in-one aquarium like the IM lagoon tanks which would eliminate the sump and most of what lives under my current tank (larger circulation pump). The thing that's holding me back from that move is that I can't use the Klir roller in an all-in-one tank and I hate the idea of changing socks or fleece every few days. I like the Klir that much

I run a KLIR and love it. I originally bought it for vacations but after I set it up I’ve never taken it down. I use a roll about every 9 weeks.

Consider switching as much as you can to DC. I switched everything except of course my heaters to DC, that took my electric bill down considerably. I didn’t calculate the drop but I’d guess 15%.
A month ago I build a battery bank and put in solar panels to run all the DC gear (return and flow pumps,skimmer and KLIR filter) I run the heaters off of AC power. My electric bill is near zero for the reef now.

Because e berthing is DC I was able to use two fairly small inexpensive solar panels. The system solar all day has the capacity to charge the batteries from overnight use. If I run out of batteries and there’s not enough sun the controller will switch to house power. That infrequently of it’s raining or overcast.

I only have about $1,800.00 tied up in the solar. Most of that is in batteries and the controller. I have the ability to run things like the refrigerator and/or a couple lights if I need to, but I don’t currently have battery capacity or the solar capacity to do that for long. But I didn’t build it for that.

 

[PeterEde]

I made my own with two cheap plastic colanders, and buy the high loft poly at Walmart. I also have to cut my own poly into squares. The colanders fit perfectly on the rim of my 20 long sump. Cut emergency overflow holes just in case it gets clogged.

I like that idea. I wish I had thought of it

 

[PeterEde]

I have a Klir roller and absolutely love it. I hated changing socks and tried floss in cups but still disliked that it had to be changed every few days or the water level in the sump would rise. I use a roll of fleece every 2-3 months so it's affordable.

The problem I'm facing at the moment is that I'm considering downsizing my tank because our electric company doubled the delivery rates which added another $65 to my monthly bill. An obvious way to reduce some power consumption would be to move to an all-in-one aquarium like the IM lagoon tanks which would eliminate the sump and most of what lives under my current tank (larger circulation pump). The thing that's holding me back from that move is that I can't use the Klir roller in an all-in-one tank and I hate the idea of changing socks or fleece every few days. I like the Klir that much

I run a KLIR and love it. I originally bought it for vacations but after I set it up I’ve never taken it down. I use a roll about every 9 weeks.

Consider switching as much as you can to DC. I switched everything except of course my heaters to DC, that took my electric bill down considerably. I didn’t calculate the drop but I’d guess 15%.
A month ago I build a battery bank and put in solar panels to run all the DC gear (return and flow pumps,skimmer and KLIR filter) I run the heaters off of AC power. My electric bill is near zero for the reef now.

Because e berthing is DC I was able to use two fairly small inexpensive solar panels. The system solar all day has the capacity to charge the batteries from overnight use. If I run out of batteries and there’s not enough sun the controller will switch to house power. That infrequently of it’s raining or overcast.

I only have about $1,800.00 tied up in the solar. Most of that is in batteries and the controller. I have the ability to run things like the refrigerator and/or a couple lights if I need to, but I don’t currently have battery capacity or the solar capacity to do that for long. But I didn’t build it for that.

There's ways to circumvent the increase in "free" power

 

[Tiki_Reef]

I have the Redsea Reefmat 500 and it has been great so far as I have noticed a huge difference in water clarity and organic export seems like my skimmer is pulling out less than before as well no complaints.

 

[SD-Reefer]

Long time lurker, but finally joined the forum! I just added a Reefmat 500 a couple of months ago to my Reefer 350 G2 and I can say with 100% certainty that I will never use filter socks again.

 

[pecan2phat]

Fleece rollers are great except when you have breeding snails like Trochus or Stometella. They are constantly ripping the fleece roll which results in a lot of undue maintenance on your part.

 

[Tsquared]

I loved mine at first. I had to make some tweaks to retrofit an older sump, but ended up buying the adjustable stand. The older sumps have a lip around the top. The width of the arms used to hang the filter are not wide enough. I hade issues with the float switch and then the motor failed just after 90 days. It was the Bubble Magus Small size. I also had issues with the plastic screws backing out also. Not too happy with the quality.

Back to filter socks for me. I have been using a layering them to use a high micron count tucked inside the felt to get more time between cleaning.

 

[Enderg60]

Depends now much money you have. Seriously.

Socks, or home made floss trays work amazingly well, but require attention 2-3 times a week. And in the case of socks, washing time as well.

Rollers just automate the process for a cost. You can make your own relatively cheap if youre into DIY. Or just buy one.

If youre lazy and like toys like me, yes its totally worth it.

 

[Smoke-Town]

I absolutely love my rollermat... I have 5 tanks in my house.3 are smaller aio tanks so I can't fit one of these... and the other large system is my gf and she prefers the socks... if I had it my way I'd put a rollermat on every single tank. Definitely worth the money imo. It's is equivalent to changing out your filter socks every single day.

If you are a light feeder or have a nano or all in one, then it probably isnt for you... but any tank with a sump... ill never design one without a roller

 

[Saltysav96]

i added a reefmat 1200 to my system and i think it was worth the money. my skimmer is pulling less. less detritus build up in the sump. water clarity has improved. i used floss and cups prior too and could never remember to change out the floss every couple days.

 

[Smoke-Town]

i added a reefmat 1200 to my system and i think it was worth the money. my skimmer is pulling less. less detritus build up in the sump. water clarity has improved. i used floss and cups prior too and could never remember to change out the floss every couple days.

That's another good point I never thought about before... but on this system, my sump is always clean. No piles of gray matter in the corners and nothing ever building up on the return pumps. The other system with filter socks needs the pumps cleaned off 3-4 times a year and has little pockets of gunk in corners sometimes