Why do socks get a bad rap?

[esther]

I use socks also, water is much clearer when i do. Also it keeps all the junk out of refugium algae, nice and clean is what i like. On washing issue, i just use a half cup of vinegar, no bleach, no detergent, just vinegar , they look new when removed from washer. Give it a try!

Any specific type of vinegar? I’m gonna try it!

 

[thermoJoe]

I'm not sure why detritus gets such a bad rap. Corals live in part by filtering organisms from the water, so I feel filter socks remove more food than I would like them to. I use socks when I clean the glass that I haven't cleaned for a long time or for other maintenance chores that generate huge amounts of detritus, but most of the time my system runs unfiltered. My tanks are 90% acropora and they have been running for more than 10 years. But whatever is working for you is a win.

 

[Charlie C]

It’s the every 3 day change that made me stop using them. And they can get clogged pretty easily if, like me, you don’t keep up with changing them.

 

[Alan_J_MN]

So....I have a terrible voice. For some reason I just sang “My Way” to my wife. There was a purpose and reason behind it, but for the life of me I don’t remember what that was.

Long story short, she was not impressed :mad:

 

[pr3dict]

I feel weird because I have a 60 gallon freshwater with 3 socks... I clean them like once a month... From what you all are saying I feel like I'm doing it wrong haha

 

[luisgo]

I don't use socks, I use a sponge in my sump for mechanical filtration. I like my tank clear of debris. In my 30 years keeping my reef tank I have discovered that those tasks that require some effort get neglected. The easiest the better. Cleaning a sponge is fast and easy. No washing machines, bleach and having a bunch of stinky socks somewhere. Is important to keep mechanical filtration clean. No more than three days without changing or your debris will add organic compounds back to your water. The sponge is after the skimmer which will remove not just the small particles but also some large. Here is a photo of my setup. old school..yes!

 

[lesterfish]

I l

I have a Waterbox 220.6 and I still use socks. I change them every 3 days and basically throw them all in a bucket until I only have 2 left (I have about 20 of them) and then throw them in the washing machine to clean. Why is everyone so against them? They seem to be doing a great job for me on filtering out all of the garbage in my tank. They're super cheap and they work. Am I missing something?

I use them. Change every other day or when I think about it. No prob, takes a lot of gunk out and helps to keep my sump/fuge cleaner.

 

[Hypnotoad]

I always figured I would never be a filter sock person. Built my first proper dumped reef tank back in January and didn’t really provision for using one in my sump design.

I had a 5 micron sock sitting around from when I was thinking about trying phosphate ex in my old system and threw it in when the water was all cloudy from the new sand. The sock cleared the tank up in an hour (used to take a day or two on previous tanks)

I bought a few 100 micron socks and find them invaluable.

I change them out when they’re about to overflow, which is like twice a week.

I haven’t noticed any downsides like elevated N03/PO4 and my sump is nice and clean.

the amount of green/brown gunk that gets physically removed from my tank every few days instead of settling somewhere feels like it has to be beneficial in the long run.

 

[mermaid_life]

I have used them for years and they work great for removing garbage/excess food and generally keeping the water column clean especially when I stir up the tank. As far as changing them I do so when water starts overflowing the top. I do much the same except I collect a 5g bucket until full and then add water and bleach and soak for a couple days. Then I give them an hour wash with extra hot water. Then I do a second 30m cycle with no detergent. I use All or Tide free and clear anyway and no issues with it. I probably have 40+ socks and have been using the same ones for at least 5 years.

Can I ask how you are confident that detergent, bleach, etc won't stick and leach into the tank? I'm so tired of hand washing socks, but I'm so scared that the socks will have residue that will harm the tank if I machine wash it. I regularly use the downy pellets with my laundry and other softeners.

 

[joe0813]

i like using filter socks. i have about 30 of them. when they start to get full i put them in a five gallon bucket. Once im down to my last three, they go into the washing machine. (when my wife is working)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Been using them a decade and they’ve done their job the whole time
Easy to use and maintain

 

[Mikeltee]

I use the 200 nylon one. I clean it every other week. I just stocked a bunch of new fish. Once I get the feeding cycle down to minimal waste, I will ditch the sock. Even with the 200, my water looks crystal clear. I dont understand the need to go smaller. It just traps more food that will disrupt your numbers if you dont clean it every few days. Nylon helps the smaller stuff pass by better too. No need for a fancy pre-clean, bleach soak, double wash, and treat for chlorine. I just rinse it under the sink and it looks brand new. I've had the same sock for at least 5 years. To each their own I suppose. Out of all the people that have viewed my tank over the last decade, not one has ever said what is all that floating stuff in the water column?

 

[Reefdom]

I have a bucket in the garden, and a bag of socks. Swap out twice a week, one of them being a few hours after my water change. I tried no socks but my sump was a mess, water murky and build up of organics made the tank look dirty.

I have read a little and a lot, but not all filter feeders enjoy a micron size lower than a 200 microns. It’s been argued most acropora enjoy <80 microns. Sponges operate on mostly DOC. Bacteria is minute andcgets through fine. Your skimmer still skims with socks right.

It’s really not hard to whip out a few socks into a bucket and add a couple. Like someone else said, they’re cheap, easy and help. My question back is, is this not a hobby? Do we not like to do stuff with our tanks, look after it, tinker? Maybe I’m different.

Regarding the bleach, don’t use too much, run an extra rinse and let them air dry.
I’ve never had an issue with bleach. Occasionally I’ll take them out of the bag and still smell chlorine. I just let them stand out overnight and it fades.

I wouldn’t run without them but each to their own, if what you do fits with your tank method, schedule, etc them more power to you and let’s all have great tanks

 

[Iversonforever3]

I have yet to actually wash my filter socks in the washer , I can’t do it because it’s where the clothes go only says the wifey. But what I do is flip them inside out and pressure wash them both sides with RODI water tanks (curtesy of work station) and wham they look new again.

 

[mich2599]

I have no issue using them. I usually change them out weekly and throw them in my washer. Every now and then I’ll get a look from my wife but I pretend she’s not there

Playing with fire lol

 

[MartinWaite]

Filter wheels look interesting but seem like they would be expensive for me to operate since the media is not reusable.

The filter rolls are reusable just like a sock is there is quite a few people within the UK who wash and reroll their dirty filter rolls probably more those who use the Clarisea filter rollers.

I used to used 2 socks and changed them every 3 days but as a disabled person I found the constant bending over to change them was starting to put me of the hobby so I bought a Clarisea 5000and what a pita it was to fit as it needs to be plumbed in and only has the one pipe anyway what a difference it made the water was so polished but at a price I found it to make a noise everytime it rolled forward it sounded like a lamb bleating for it mother. Anyway I stuck with it as there was no going back to socks then at Christmas I upgraded my tank and thought I'd upgrade the filter roller to a X-filter and it's like chalk and cheese ou night and day from the Clarisea the X-filter comes with a 32 micron filter roll (I believe that Clarisea is a 50micron) so the water now looks like it's disappeared as it's so clear. It's been running been running since mid Jan and I've not used a quarter of the 65meter roll. As to fitting it my 2 43mm pipes just drop into the side box and the water vortex pulls all the ditritus and throws it to the filter roll. The rolls come in 4 different size micron from a large 50 down to a small either 8 or 9 microns which is said to make the water like crystal clear. The Clarisea when bought comes as a kit like form and you have to build it up yourself as where the X-filter comes complete with just the filter roll to fit it also has an optical sensor for moving the roll on unlike the Clarisea which has a float switch to advance the filter roll. The X-filter is totally silent in operation an in fact it was that quiet I ended up putting a pen mark on the filter roll to check it was working correctly which it was. Anyway now having a filter roller I would never go back to using socks it would be like going back to using an under gravel plates and air pump for filtration. Socks are so last century and X-filter is the way to go forward.

 

[MJC]

To each there own if it makes you happy to use them then I really dont care.
For me it's not a test tube it's a reef tank and not to compare our glass boxes to the ocean but no filter socks there. I also dont think it makes anyones tank better for using them so I dont. I'm happy with my tank. Hope your happy with yours. Keep up the good work

 

[Marsh980]

I've just set up my reef tank and my LFS said to stay away from socks and get a Bubblemagus Filter Roller. So far its been amazing and the filter roll just needs replacing every 2-3 months. Please bear in mind i have a total of 1 month saltwater experience so not sure if what I have said has helped haha

 

[NS Mike D]

Depends on your system and need or want mechanical filtration. A mature tank with lots of corals/filter feeders CUC is it own natural mechanical filtration. A new tank with with a sprinkling or frags a stocked with fish and needing to keep NO3 and PO4 at slightly lower target to keep algae at bay should benefit from removing uneaten food out of the water column.

WWC was mentioned. They feed corals heavily throughout the day so they use the socks to remove the excess.

As for cleaning, I've done the bleach, peroxide etc. I now use the kitchen hose spray with hot water until the water runs clear (less than five minutes), I don't think I need to kill any micro life that didn't get washed away.

 

[FishTruck]

Filter socks get a bad rap from my wife... when she finds them in the washer! Going to a rollermat type of mechanical filter was a "selling point" when I upgraded to a bigger tank recently.

But.... it turned the cheapest part of the filtration system into the most expensive part of the filter system.