adding 2nd Nanomat

[Dweezilz]

I have a Reefer 250 which is 65g total. I added a single Red Sea Nanomat to my first sock holder and it's doing great even though it's suggested for 50g or less. That said, it is lasting only 2 weeks. It is supposed to last 2-4 weeks according to RS. I'd like it to be on the higher end of that range so my question is if I added a second Nanomat to the 2nd sock holder, would that make each one last longer than 2 weeks? Would adding the 2nd increase the time both rolls lasts? I don't want to have two Nanomats that I have to change every 2 weeks. Anyone with an idea about what happens if you have two mats?

 

[cdemoss01]

I have a Reefer 250 which is 65g total. I added a single Red Sea Nanomat to my first sock holder and it's doing great even though it's suggested for 50g or less. That said, it is lasting only 2 weeks. It is supposed to last 2-4 weeks according to RS. I'd like it to be on the higher end of that range so my question is if I added a second Nanomat to the 2nd sock holder, would that make each one last longer than 2 weeks? Would adding the 2nd increase the time both rolls lasts? I don't want to have two Nanomats that I have to change every 2 weeks. Anyone with an idea about what happens if you have two mats?

Good luck with this.. I have a 65 gallon marineland so we have same tank size but I don't run a sump sadly so I cannot tell you the answer. But I will bump it for you.

 

[Dweezilz]

Good luck with this.. I have a 65 gallon marineland so we have same tank size but I don't run a sump sadly so I cannot tell you the answer. But I will bump it for you.

I was asking chat GPT about it since I got no replies and basically what it said is that adding a second one will definitely increase the length of time each roll will last, but maybe not double the length. It thinks it would be anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 weeks. It won't save me any money since I'll have to change two every 4 weeks versus one every 2 weeks but from a maintenance perspective it'll be a lot less of a hassle. That seems pretty logical I guess and now I just have to figure out whether doing that is worth another $200.

 

[CrabMech]

I think it depends on how your setup is running right now.
When you installed the nanomat what did you do with the other filter sock? Did you leave it there or did you block it off to force all the water to go through the mat?

If you blocked off the second filter sock so that all your flow is going through the nanomat then adding a second one should double the length of time you get out of each roll. Instead of replacing 1 roll every 2 weeks you'd be replacing 2 rolls every 4 weeks (approximately). Basically you'd be spreading the load over two filters so each would last twice as long.

If you are currently running 1 nanomat and 1 sock then the flow will be split between the two of them. I don't think adding a second nanomat would help much in that case, except you'd be changing a second roll instead of washing the sock every few days. If a roll lasts 2 weeks with a supplemental filter helping out, I don't think that 2 weeks would change much if that supplemental filter is a sock or a 2nd nanomat.

 

[Dweezilz]

I think it depends on how your setup is running right now.
When you installed the nanomat what did you do with the other filter sock? Did you leave it there or did you block it off to force all the water to go through the mat?

If you blocked off the second filter sock so that all your flow is going through the nanomat then adding a second one should double the length of time you get out of each roll. Instead of replacing 1 roll every 2 weeks you'd be replacing 2 rolls every 4 weeks (approximately). Basically you'd be spreading the load over two filters so each would last twice as long.

If you are currently running 1 nanomat and 1 sock then the flow will be split between the two of them. I don't think adding a second nanomat would help much in that case, except you'd be changing a second roll instead of washing the sock every few days. If a roll lasts 2 weeks with a supplemental filter helping out, I don't think that 2 weeks would change much if that supplemental filter is a sock or a 2nd nanomat.

I'm running the Nanomat in the 1st sock holder and a sock in the 2nd. So far the 2nd sock is lasting more then the 3 or 4 days that the previous 2 were lasting, maybe a week now before I change it. I do have super high nutrients now due to a year long dino battle that seems to be over, so the water needs lots of scrubbing for sure.
What you said definitely sounds like it could be the case, where if I got the 2nd Nanomat, the only change would be changing two Nanomats every 2 weeks vs one and then changing the sock every 6 or 7 days. I think for now I'm going to save my money and see if the Nanomat starts to last longer after I do some water changes and it has time to do it's thing. I will say this thing was easy to setup, popped right into the sock holder and works incredibly well so far.

 

[RoanokeReef]

I'd sell the Nanomat and get the recommended 250.

 

[CrabMech]

I'm running the Nanomat in the 1st sock holder and a sock in the 2nd.

Thanks for clarifying. I don't think adding the 2nd nanomat would help much in that case. In my opinion you should consider a larger roller, something bigger than the nanomat.

 

[Dweezilz]

I'd sell the Nanomat and get the recommended 250.

I would have purchased the 250 if I was up for cutting out the filter sock holders, which I'm just not up for at this point. Just too invasive a procedure for my confidence in my skills. I have a hanging algae scrubber, protein skimmer, shark pro filter for carbon and media in the sump and have no room at all for the 250 without removing the sock holder. I think in the end, even with the 250 I'd get maybe 4-5 weeks from what I've calculated and I don't know if it's even worth the hassle to save 2 weeks and $5 or $10 on less roll purchases. The Reefmat 250 rolls are more expensive too so cost saving would be not much, so just a time savings.

 

[Dweezilz]

Also, doesn't the Reefmat 250 need to be plumbed to the overflow pipe if it's not where the sock holders currently are? Maybe it has to be plumbed no matter what? I for sure do not want to have to do that. I love that the Nanomat doesn't need to be (and can't) be plumbed.

In looking at video, it seems maybe the 250 can replace the overflow pipe totally? I would say that option for sure would require removing the sock holders and dividing glass to the overflow section.