Socks or cup or what?

[Notsolostfish]

Im new to saltwater hobby, filling my tank next week marine x60.2. I work 6 days a week. So i really have no time for socks cleaning. Whats the best way here? I cant modify my sump for a roller.

 

[Max93]

I got rid of my socks and sponge. I use a skimmer only.

 

[bigbugoutfitters]

No sock here and both my tanks are hppy as can be. Less maintenance time too!

 

[Waters]

I will always use socks......I see what they look like when I swap them out....the OCD in me can not allow all that filth to circulate in my tank lol. Easy, cheap filtration. They really don't take long to clean. I spent at most 5 minutes a week doing anything with my filter socks.

 

[IKD]

I currently use socks but looking at switching to media cups and putting filter pads in there. Gives benefit of a sock plus you can just dump and replace pads without washing socks. Also gives ability to throw in filter media (carbon, etc.) if desired.

 

[Notsolostfish]

I currently use socks but looking at switching to media cups and putting filter pads in there. Gives benefit of a sock plus you can just dump and replace pads without washing socks. Also gives ability to throw filter media (carbon, etc.) if desired.

How many times do u wash socks a week? My aquarium is only 36 gallons for display and 18 gallons sump. Idk if its worth for my case socks.

 

[Joe's Coral Reef]

I use filter floss. I have socks I can put on the return if i'm doing some major cleanup but for the most part I'm always just running a small piece of floss that I change every few days.

 

[IKD]

How many times do u wash socks a week? My aquarium is only 36 gallons for display and 18 gallons sump. Idk if its worth for my case socks.

I have three socks and should swap/wash weekly but I find that I’m not diligent on that and will go two or three weeks. It’s an easy chore to put off, which is why I’m looking at filter cups instead.

 

[Jedi1199]

How many times do u wash socks a week? My aquarium is only 36 gallons for display and 18 gallons sump. Idk if its worth for my case socks.

I have enough socks to change every 4 days for a month. I simply toss the dirty ones into a 5g bucket to dry and replace as needed. (usually 4 or 5 days) when I get down to the next to last one, I toss them in the washing machine on hot, with no detergent and air dry them. Simple and easy to do. Also, no eco-waste from tossing used media in the trash.

I have never understood why people say that filling a cup with floss and changing it at the same time interval is easier. Same work, actually more if you consider the time to dump the floss and rinse the cup over a simple sock swap. Plus you have to buy new floss instead of just washing the socks. Seems a silly theory to me.

 

[fish farmer]

How many times do u wash socks a week? My aquarium is only 36 gallons for display and 18 gallons sump. Idk if its worth for my case socks.

That's the thing about this hobby, you can filter your box of water many different ways. Are you going to run a skimmer on your 36? Do frequent water changes while siphoning detritus? Are you going for maximum fish load or lightly stocked?

I have never run sock/filter floss type media.

My current 29 gallon with sump has a chaeto refuge(currently with not much chaeto) a big skimmer for the size tank and maybe a water change every two weeks. I'm temped to shut down the refuge.

I only have three fish and a good biomass of softies and LPS and am currently trying to boost my nitrates and phosphates via extra feeding.

It's all about balancing input with export.

 

[Notsolostfish]

That's the thing about this hobby, you can filter your box of water many different ways. Are you going to run a skimmer on your 36? Do frequent water changes while siphoning detritus? Are you going for maximum fish load or lightly stocked?

I have never run sock/filter floss type media.

My current 29 gallon with sump has a chaeto refuge(currently with not much chaeto) a big skimmer for the size tank and maybe a water change every two weeks. I'm temped to shut down the refuge.

I only have three fish and a good biomass of softies and LPS and am currently trying to boost my nitrates and phosphates via extra feeding.

It's all about balancing input with export.

Maxed out on fish, im running nyos 120 for skimmer yeah. And refigum

 

[IKD]

I have enough socks to change every 4 days for a month. I simply toss the dirty ones into a 5g bucket to dry and replace as needed. (usually 4 or 5 days) when I get down to the next to last one, I toss them in the washing machine on hot, with no detergent and air dry them. Simple and easy to do. Also, no eco-waste from tossing used media in the trash.

I have never understood why people say that filling a cup with floss and changing it at the same time interval is easier. Same work, actually more if you consider the time to dump the floss and rinse the cup over a simple sock swap. Plus you have to buy new floss instead of just washing the socks. Seems a silly theory to me.

I can only speak for my experience. I’ve done socks and pads on different tanks. I’ve found socks to be more cumbersome. I would throw them in the wash and need to repeat two or three times to see them look clean. I also noticed they don’t last as long in their 2nd or 3rd go around in the tank. I ended up taking a couple of socks that went through two cycles of the washing machine and put a power washer to it. It was amazing to see how much more dirt/waste came out of that sock even after it was through the washer. So, maybe my washing machine sucks, but I doubt it. I just don’t think washing machines do a great job cleaning them to like-new. It makes sense to me because if you put a detritus-trapping item in a pool of water and swish it around, the water will get dirty and the sock will still work as a filter sock in that dirty water and re-trap dirt. To me, you’ll never get fully clean without a power washer that drives the dirty water out and away from the sock.
For the environment question, washers use a lot of water and electricity so I question the re-use savings over a landfill spot. And most folks dedicate a wash cycle or two just for filter socks so your running a smaller load and using the same water/power as a full load (sometimes twice). I also thought (maybe incorrectly) that felt was biodegradable material over time.
Anyway, just my two cents.