Amphipods living in filter sock

[Levinson]

The other day I pulled out my filter sock to clean it and I found a bunch of amphipods living in it. They built these small houses out of detritus. The lump of brown spots in the photo bellow are the houses they live in. They will come running out when I destroy it with a stick.
I ended up just cleaning the sock with the pods for the time being.
Then I thought what if I just let them live in it? Maybe they will eat the detritus and increase the time it takes for the sock to clog thus I won't have to clean it as often? Just a thought.

Then again, the way things are laid out, a clogged sock will trigger my ATO and I'm not sure if I want to risk it.
Should have made a back up overflow hole for the filter sock compartment in case the filter sock got clogged when I made the in-tank filter compartment. I didn't know any better at the time.

 

[bsr2430]

I personally never had a clogged sock. I’ve let mine go months at a time too.

My socks didn’t house pods, but it did house baby Trochus snails! They were literally keeping the socks clean.

 

[bsr2430]

Here’s what I pulled from four socks.

 

[Levinson]

I personally never had a clogged sock. I’ve let mine go months at a time too.

My socks didn’t house pods, but it did house baby Trochus snails! They were literally keeping the socks clean.

Awesome! I wonder if collonista snails will do the same. They are the only snails I have.
I might consider getting Trochus if the amphipods don't work.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Very typical. They’re also found all over the algae in an algae scrubber . I simply shake them off and return them to the sump