is there a "best" filter roller yet?

[Port City Reefer]

Most of what I've read about the Reefmat is very positive, but it would not fit in my sump (factory sump on a Cade 1200). For me that was the deciding factor. There are always tradeoffs. Cost ($429 vs $445) doesn't seem a big difference to me.

I have a cade smaller than yours and it is all good!!

 

[mizukage]

Been doing tons of research on fleece rollers and i've come to the conclusion that the red sea reefmat is the way to go. Important factors were build quality, wide availability of rolls, decent large user base, and ease of plumbing and install.

 

[Jmp998]

I have a cade smaller than yours and it is all good!!

Looks good, but I really wanted to have a protein skimmer and algae scrubber as well-I feed my fish too much I suppose. The Cade 1200 has two filter socks and the Clarisea drops directly into that section without taking any space at all from the rest of the sump so i have plenty of room for all three. Lots of different ways to approach filtration.

 

[Port City Reefer]

Looks good, but I really wanted to have a protein skimmer and algae scrubber as well-I feed my fish too much I suppose. The Cade 1200 has two filter socks and the Clarisea drops directly into that section without taking any space at all from the rest of the sump so i have plenty of room for all three. Lots of different ways to approach filtration.

I have my NYOS 120 fitting snug right behind the RM 500. Go for it is all I can say. Like other comments it is amazing and I’m just getting started year in. I also have the icecap small Co2 scrub stuffed in there also. DOS is about to be installed hanging from top shelf rack. And also thinking of adding a small refugium in my basket area.. but just worried too much light might spill and or just over all not be worthwhile because area is so small.

 

[Reefer Brent]

Um....

 

[Lowsingle]

I have had the origin theiling roller mat and the Red Sea reef mat and it is way superior to the early models. IMO the Red Sea reef mat is the best “new” tech in reefing over the last 10ish years. I put it on par with a protein skimmer in impact for my aquarium that has a heavy fish load. I get a couple months out of each roll.

Darren

 

[disaster999]

Minority here but I have the Bubble Magus M G2 roller matt and I have no complaints or issues with it. Sure it doesnt have any bells and whistle functions, and you have to build the thing yourself but with it only costing less than $100 and me not really caring about having wifi or monitoring capabilities it was a no brainer for me.

Changing out the rolls is just as easy as clarisea or redsea. The rolls are cheap at $6 bucks, and if I want, I could go with 3rd party option for less than half that.

 

[Solo McReefer]

hey all this is a filter roller inquiry and since I have no experience with them I figured it's best to ask the community.

currently im running a regular sump with filter socks. ( it's alot of fun, has been for years )

I am re plumbing and moving a tank so I am taking the opportunity to update the sump and plumbing along with the current stand.

this is a 120g tank sps heavy with the need to run low nutrients and have mechanical filtration along with my protein skimmer.

no diy


Anyway I'd love to hear any and all input on filter rollers good bad and ugly. if you like them dislike them, a favorite brand or even a story of a friend of a friend would be great! I know there's lots of threads similar but as time goes on and more and more people use them opinions change id love to hear the latest thanks everyone R2R4EVR

I use 100mic socks on my Red Sea 170

I have to change every 24 hours

I just bought the last new Aqua Maxx filter roller for it

It does force me to built a controlled ATO for the tank. The Red Sea Drip ATO has to go for it to work


I'll let you know hownit goes when it's hooked up

 

[reefsaver]

I've heard the Red Sea Reefmats are the best on the market but if one of these companies used a tough, durable, pressure washable fleece, and a rolling system that allowed you to roll the used roll onto a fresh roll while blasting it with a pressure washer.
That would be the best filter roller money can buy.
Because instead of buying new rolls, you could wash them.
I've used pressure washable filter socks for about 3 years now, each one was $20, I also made my own filter basket and sometimes defer to filter fleece because I CBF pressure washing them all the time, I only have 3.
I literally beg any company to make pressure washable filter rolls.
I would legit pay 5x the price if it meant I could wash them, stick them in the dryer and even have a couple on hand so I won't need to immediately clean them if I were to get through the roll.
If I were to give any design tips, you could motorize the rolling system so it controllably slowly unrolls and rerolls onto the new roller while you spray/pressure wash the exposed fleece between the two rollers.
The fleece would need to clip into the new roller so it grips onto the new roll tightly.
As for powering the rolling cleaning system, a gear system in conjuntion with a DC motor should provide the torque needed for what I describe.
So really this is a two piece system and you'll only use the "Rolling Cleaning System" when you need to.
It sounds more expensive than any filter roller on the market, but you would be saving more money than people buying fresh filter rolls after some time, and make the hobby cheaper in the long run.
I would say a good ballpark number for this kind of system would be around $1500 for everything except a pressure washer.
it's an affordable price, people could pay it in 4 payments via paypal because we aren't all rich reef aquarists and it would probably be around the same build quality and size as a RedSea Reefmat 1200.
I'm some poor jobless dude who had a motorcycle crash in 2018.
I highly doubt I'll ever have the capacity to design, create and market something like this.
Which is why I try to talk about this concept a lot to boulster the chance of it happening in the next 10 years.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

I’m starting a new system and have been planning on the Red Sea Reef Mat, but I’m curious to know, too. Thanks, @thatmanMIKEson!

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Been doing tons of research on fleece rollers and i've come to the conclusion that the red sea reefmat is the way to go. Important factors were build quality, wide availability of rolls, decent large user base, and ease of plumbing and install.

Thank you for that!

 

[3sgterror]

ouch! the reefmat 1200 replacement roll is 32$

my filter socks are 8-9$ they last about 3 days in sump and probably 10 uses out of one before i toss them for good.....

add the cost of my time, water, bleach and dealing with stinky socks im not sure they are any cheaper lol

that's why I'm looking to try something new this is very helpful and everyone's different imput is much appreciated!!

You could always go the route that many of us are taking and use aftermarket rolls. Comes out to about $10-15 dollars per roll. There is an upfront cost to buy an adapter, but after that the rolls are much cheaper and just as effective.

View this thread to learn more:

Reefmat 1200 (6.5 in) replacement fleece roll hack?

Does anyone have a cost savings hack for a Reefmat 1200? They are $34.00 a roll and I feel like there is a less expensive alternative - another brand? Buying bulk fleece?

www.reef2reef.com

 

[JoleenPuffer]

I would look into the Deltec fleece roller , www.deltecdirectusa.com

 

[drblank1]

ouch! the reefmat 1200 replacement roll is 32$

my filter socks are 8-9$ they last about 3 days in sump and probably 10 uses out of one before i toss them for good.....

add the cost of my time, water, bleach and dealing with stinky socks im not sure they are any cheaper lol

that's why I'm looking to try something new this is very helpful and everyone's different imput is much appreciated!!

What socks are you using that you get only 10 uses out of them. I've have socks over 2 years old that I use. I just turn them inside out, rinse them really good, and then put them in the washer and wash with hot water and bleach only. They come out 95% white as new.

I use these socks:
Filter Socks

But a roller does seem to be a better option to socks.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Search under my name, I've played with just about every reef roller out there with a few different options for media. Reef factory is the only one I haven't touched, only due to not getting my hands on it as of yet.

 

[mizukage]

Search under my name, I've played with just about every reef roller out there with a few different options for media. Reef factory is the only one I haven't touched, only due to not getting my hands on it as of yet.

So which reef roller is your favorite or considered the best of what you've tested?

 

[X-37B]

What socks are you using that you get only 10 uses out of them. I've have socks over 2 years old that I use. I just turn them inside out, rinse them really good, and then put them in the washer and wash with hot water and bleach only. They come out 95% white as new.

I use these socks:
Filter Socks

But a roller does seem to be a better option to socks.

I have used a BM filter roller and it was nice on my 120. I only ran 1 roll and it now sits in the garage.
I Prefer mesh and felt sock combos.
I can adjust my po4 by using both.
Mesh 90% of the time and felt when I clean or want to reduce po4 without chemicals.
You get detrius in the sump but once a year cleanout works well.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

What socks are you using that you get only 10 uses out of them. I've have socks over 2 years old that I use. I just turn them inside out, rinse them really good, and then put them in the washer and wash with hot water and bleach only. They come out 95% white as new.

I use these socks:
Filter Socks

But a roller does seem to be a better option to socks.

I use ice cap right now but I could probably get more than 10 that's just my average I guess for how long I feel before I just grab a new one and toss the nasty one...

my thinking is I use them enough to make them 1$ lol but my time is wrapped up in that as well as keeping stinky socks around in a bleach bucket for a week.

I just want to get away from the routine, I've been looking at the reefmat 1200 as well I think it has value like @mizukage said

 

[mizukage]

I use ice cap right now but I could probably get more than 10 that's just my average I guess for how long I feel before I just grab a new one and toss the nasty one...

my thinking is I use them enough to make them 1$ lol but my time is wrapped up in that as well as keeping stinky socks around in a bleach bucket for a week.

I just want to get away from the routine, I've been looking at the reefmat 1200 as well I think it has value like @mizukage said

The 1200 isn't the perfect fleece roller but I think it's the best overall of what's currently available. Hoping there'll be some sales next week and I can pick one up.

 

[Solo McReefer]

One of the first commercial fleece roller filters had an acrylic canopy top, the Theilling filters

To contain the smell from the filtered gradeau being exposed to the air

Weird that none of them today, use that feature