Carbon and socks/fleece/pads do different thing. The socks are to remove waste, food, particulates, and other detritus. Carbon removes very very tiny things such as tannins, toxins, medicines, and a whole bunch of stuff (there are plenty write ups on Carbon. I recommend Randy's stuff). Socks and such are arguably the best waste removing filter tool on the market, as you can remove much of the waste before it gets a chance to break down. Fleece rollers are handy as they can do this frequently and automatically without you having to do much work. I use socks as I don't mind throwing a bucket of them in the washer machine, but some people absolutely hate doing that for some reason.
Carbon and socks/rollers are compatible and work well together
