Are fleece rollers worth it?

[winxp_man]

What do you folks using them find they accomplish that would be different if you simply did not use one?

As of now my tank is a Fowler tank, and the amount i need to feed, would wreck my tank if I didn’t use a reefmat. It’s still a dirty tank, would be worse without one. Had the tank had corals and a good amount of cuc might be okay.

 

[BeanAnimal]

If someone changes out their socks every ~3 days I don't think the difference would be material.

If they leave the socks in for weeks or wait until they are clogged it's a different story :)

I fully agree, I hedged with "well maintained filter socks" but may have been too vague to close the gap.

 

[docscorals]

I have used both and it’s really a toss up for me. Right now I’m using filter socks in all my tanks because my Klir roller for my large tank broke when I moved. At the same time, between it and my skimmer my nutrients were bottoming out like others have said so I was spending a fortune dosing NeoNitro and NeoPhos, so maybe it was a blessing.

I don’t mind washing the filter socks, and now that I have invested in stocking ip enough to get a full load I feel even better not running the machine just to wash a half dozen socks because I didn’t want them in with the rest of my laundry . Plus, I don’t have to keep spending money to dose nutrients, although you do have to replace socks one in a while. But even then, it’s cheaper than having to replace a fleece roll every month or so.

 

[Raptor72]

As of now my tank is a Fowler tank, and the amount i need to feed, would wreck my tank if I didn’t use a reefmat. It’s still a dirty tank, would be worse without one. Had the tank had corals and a good amount of cuc might be okay.

I'm in the same boat and with puffers, triggers, 4 eels, I couldn't see myself going back to socks or filter floss. This (pretty much) set it and forget it method is great. I peek in there every morning to make sure everything is running, but other than that, I change a roll about every 40-45 days and that's it.

 

[Reef Jedi]

“I find roller filters to be extremely effective at starving my corals.”

This is well said, I think they can be so efficient it leads to un-intentional bacteria shifts not leaning in the reefers favor.

I don't use socks anymore because I am not good about cleaning them in a timely fashion but if my wife saw me putting rotten fish poop and brittle worms in her wash machine that would be the end of me :)

This is the same reason I have one happy wife happy life.

I did slow the advance to avoid nutrients from bottoming out. Took me a while after getting one to figure out what was causing those issues. Once dialed in it’s been smooth sailing.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I personally love my automatic one. I feel like once you get one you can’t go back. I’m also a big fan of filter floss/a pad compared to a sock because I don’t like cleaning them lol.

 

[fish_collector]

I still use filter socks at the moment and I hate them. I let them overflow for days because I despise cleaning them . A fleece roller would make my life so much easier.

 

[DarkReefer]

I changed to fleece rollers within approx 6 months of starting the hobby. I HATED the whole sock thing. Having to change them once or twice a week, then having to wash them was a huge pain.
I think I've had 3 in total now and would 100% recommend them to anyone.

Some people like to wash their rolls and reuse them and honestly, props to them for having the patience to do it. You can save a bit of ongoing cost this way too but for me. Being able to pull it out, chuck it in the bin and load up a new one and move on with life is great.
On my Reefmat 1200 I think I replace the roll once every 2-3 months.

 

[Chris_from_SoCal]

Getting back into this hobby the roller mat was the number one thing I was looking forward to and have not been disappointed with the Reefmat 1200.

Just looking at the amount of waste the used roll has removed from the system makes me glad I purchased one. I am on my third roll in three months but expect it to last longer as the tank ages.

 

[tzabor10]

What do you folks using them find they accomplish that would be different if you simply did not use one?

I have only had a fleece roller. With my work and vacations I can’t reliably get to filter socks. Tuning them in takes time. I really love the timer settings. Instead of a float activator, that can malfunction when turning the return pump off for feeding. Twice an entire roll spun through because I forgot to turn it off.

 

[Flukes]

I have a reefmat and would never go back. I had been out of the hobby for 5 years. I was blown away by the thoughtful design of the reefmat. My main issue has been getting the used fleece off the take up reel. The spindle should pull out but the used fleece grabs it too hard. So I have to unwind the whole spool. Even so, I would never go back to fleece.
Another problem I have is due to the design of my overflow it is possible for a small crab to be swept into the main chamber of the reefmat. Eventually the crabs shell will be caught between the fleece and one of the plastic bars that hold the fleece down to the bottom of the chamber. When that happens the fleece cannot advance. Soon after I'll get an email notice that the roller is stuck.

 

[saltwaterpicaso]

i went with the red sea filter roller after 20 years of socks and other medias i would never not use a fleece roller ever again in my life. and the gf is happy that the washing machine is not being used for fish tank chores. if you use the red sea filters it can be pricey i went with preconn filters they are longer, so they last longer. it's just so easy and set and forget i love it cannot recommend it enough

 

[rtparty]

Not worth it for most setups and do more harm than good. They completely strip the tank and you just end up feeding more and more and more to help your starving tank.

It is also a subscription model setup and it sucks when a company can't keep rolls in stock

 

[BryanM]

I have always had filter socks, but have been curious about owning a fleece roller. Are they worth the cost? Would you buy one again?

I had one, I got rid of it. Kind of a hassle, and the fleece is fairly expensive.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

i’m certainly not knocking them but what do they do differently that my skimmer doesn’t do?

 

[wrbtanis]

I've had a Reefmat 500 on my tank for the last year and plan to remove it when I restart the tank in September. I'm not a fan of Redsea as I've had too many issues with their customer service and I've found that the reefmat keeps the tank too clean for what I like and I see way too many copepods in the rolls when I change them.

 

[strich]

I don't really understand the drive to strip mine the very water that keeps your livestock alive. If you're running FOWLR then you can let neutrients rocket up into the 50-80s no problems, and corals love the floaty bits. I just don't get it.

I'm currently trialing vinegar dosing to help the skimmer pull down neutrients to normal levels. No socks, no rollers. No fuss.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

i have low nutrients anyway so i don’t need one

 

[commod0re]

i’m certainly not knocking them but what do they do differently that my skimmer doesn’t do?

The difference between a skimmer and a fleece roller is the same as the difference between a skimmer and a filter sock.

Skimmer pulls out dissolved organics, sock/fleece pulls out solids

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

This is well said, I think they can be so efficient it leads to un-intentional bacteria shifts not leaning in the reefers favor.


This is the same reason I have one happy wife happy life.

I did slow the advance to avoid nutrients from bottoming out. Took me a while after getting one to figure out what was causing those issues. Once dialed in it’s been smooth sailing.

One thing a lot of people get hung up on is the idea that a filter roller has to be plumbed directly into the overflow.

It doesn’t.

You can simply place it in the sump and feed it with a DC pump. That lets you control how much water passes through it and, in turn, how much waste it removes. It effectively becomes a tunable mechanical filter.

You can also choose to run it only during the day, only at night, or just a few hours after feeding. Functionally, most people would be surprised by how little difference direct overflow plumbing actually makes.

Some will call this blasphemy, but this is essentially how 99% of protein skimmers are operating as well.