accidentally poisoned my fish, i have brought shame and dishonor upon this forum

[shootingstar_reef]

Thanks for your support everyone, its certainly made me feel better, haha

I'm happy to see several bleach-alternatives! I will try to implement them and hopefully I'll sleep better, lol

 

[shootingstar_reef]

I use the splashless bleach on my socks all the time and have yet to have an issue. During the pandemic when we were all shut in our homes, splashless was all I could find.

I use a 5G bucket with a 50/50 bleach/water solution to store my used socks in(I have a lot of socks lol). I then wash them in the washing machine with no deteregent or extra bleach. Hang to dry for a couple days, then throw them in use. Haven't had an issue in almost a year of using splashless bleach.

Not sure what I do different, but I have not had an issue with splashless bleach.

I think your wash through the washing machine helps - I put my socks in a small 3 gallon bucket. It took three rounds of rinsing to get the foam to stop appearing, so I think your more thorough washing helps get rid of residual bleach solution. So keep doing that! It's clearly needed

 

[shootingstar_reef]

I wash my socks in warm water only- no bleach, nothing.
These are considered lessons learned in the hobby
I’ve gone to mesh socks and one minute cleaning by hand

do you think the mesh socks still do enough filtering out debris or do you have additional equipment helping with that?

 

[DinoMagnet]

Sorry if this sounds mean by all means it’s not but why not just buy new socks? Why risk it for such a small price tag? Is there something beneficial about reusing? which I don’t think since you’re using bleach. This is an honest question as I will be upgrading to a tank with a sump and socks. Thanks all

 

[shootingstar_reef]

mething beneficial about reusing? which I don’t think since you’re using bleach. This is an honest question as I will be upgrading to a tank with a sump and socks. Thanks all

They're not exactly designed to be disposable. I have two pairs that I rotate every week. A hundred dollars a month on filter socks seems like a big price tag to me, and as you can see from the comments, there are plenty of methods to clean the socks or have them replaced with a filter-floss cup

 

[DinoMagnet]

They're not exactly designed to be disposable. I have two pairs that I rotate every week. A hundred dollars a month on filter socks seems like a big price tag to me, and as you can see from the comments, there are plenty of methods to clean the socks or have them replaced with a filter-floss cup

Thanks for info, how often do you change them to hit $100 month tab. Aren’t filter socks like $8-$14 dollars. Trying to get some understanding as this will be my first sump. Sorry not trying to high jack thread maybe u can pm me info.

 

[zalick]

Thanks for info, how often do you change them to hit $100 month tab. Aren’t filter socks like $8-$14 dollars. Trying to get some understanding as this will be my first sump. Sorry not trying to high jack thread maybe u can pm me info.

Lots of people change daily. I change every couple days because I'm lazy. The longer you leave the sock on the more the matter breaks down and enters back in to the system.

 

[William Morris]

Thanks for sharing the splashless bleach info - by chance I bought some bleach 2 days ago to wash my filter socks - have always soaked them in a diluted bleach solution.

Turns out I bought the splashless bleach and I wouldn't have known the difference without this forum.

So, today I took some dirty socks and put a nozzle on the end of my hose and washed them off.
To my surprise they are as white as they have ever been.
Now I just need to soak them in water with some prime to eliminate the chlorine.

 

[Doctorgori]

yeah I’ve killed a few doing even dumber things, I sincerely feel for ya and hope it trends well ...
but yup; plain bleach and make sure the socks dry thoroughly before use..
Edit add, anymore I’m leaning towards skipping the whole bother and going with the cup & floss-n-toss

 

[Silent]

I use mesh socks and a simple 10 second rinse does the trick. Way easier to clean and maintain than fabric socks.

 

[slojim]

I've been trying the following alternatives to bleach this last year- hydrogen peroxide (amount used dependent on the strength of the peroxide), sodium percarbonate (a dry powder form of sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide) about an 1/8c per gallon, and peracetic acid sprayed on (effectively a combination of hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid). All seem like things that can't cause harm if not entirely rinsed. All seem to be working, and there's info on the web to back up their effectiveness (efficacy?) I had access to some peracetic acid a while back and grabbed it - its expensive, but you end up diluting it way down so a little goes a long way. It is irritating at full-strength. The sodium percarbonate or PCS seems the most reasonable/convenient.
Based on the number of tests I've done to collect real data, I suppose I could be using a rotten banana - but stuff seems clean.

 

[Brew12]

Thanks for info, how often do you change them to hit $100 month tab. Aren’t filter socks like $8-$14 dollars. Trying to get some understanding as this will be my first sump. Sorry not trying to high jack thread maybe u can pm me info.

I can't speak for him, but my sump takes 3 filter socks that I change roughly every 4 days. For me, I would go through 21 to 24 socks a month.
I avoid splashless bleach, but I do put mine in the washing machine with bleach (I feel it helps but it may not) and set my washer for 2 extra rinse cycles. I then let them air dry for 2 days before using.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

I always was able to get the socks really clean without the use of bleach or detergent. Just washed them in the washing machine.