Bye Bye Filter socks

[jd371]

What is the micro level on the mesh?

They go from 50 - 400.

mesh socks

 

[Midrats]

50 micron mesh! I didn't know the mesh socks came that fine. I may have to revisit them.

 

[LadyTang2]

Do people change out filter floss less frequently than socks?

Also, I heard some ppl wash socks before use and they can have chemicals, do ppl do this for floss?

 

[BirdGuy21]

I have an AIO but use the InTank media baskets and add the filter floss directly under overflow. I used to have homemade sock holders there but I like the floss so much better.

 

[Midrats]

Do people change out filter floss less frequently than socks?

Also, I heard some ppl wash socks before use and they can have chemicals, do ppl do this for floss?

My floss clogs in two to three days, so about the same as socks. I don't rinse my floss.

 

[tonydig11]

I bought a pack of solo cups for like 5 bucks. Wasted a few getting the cuts right but i now have a set of cups for a fraction of the cost. I run a AIO so i use carbon in mesh bags to weigh them down and poly-fil on top. I change the poly-fil 2-3x a week.

 

[TheOne]

Do people change out filter floss less frequently than socks?

Also, I heard some ppl wash socks before use and they can have chemicals, do ppl do this for floss?

I change out filter floss twice a week. It goes straight into the garbage. Any longer and you are just letting the detritus break down in your tank. Same goes for socks.

One bag of polyfil last me at least two months refilling 4 filter cups 2x week. It has no chemicals so it is fine.

Alot of people wash their socks in their washing machine, in the sink or outside with a power washer. I'll pass.

I pickup a bag of this at walmart for $5. It's in the arts/crafts/sewing section.

I am running carbon in one cup below. I picked up acrylic cups from OctoAquatics here on r2r. Mine is currently empty because I just added a bunch of algaepods.

 

[Mical]

+1 on No socks - straight to sump through cheato then to skimmer. Vac sump out once every 3 months, corals have never been happier.

 

[Entz]

Welcome to the filter floss / cup world. I love mine (Redsea version of that one).

Twice a week or so (basically you hear it overflowing) floss goes straight into the garbage. Takes 30s no mess, no buckets of death, no washing and dirty looks. Easy peasy.

 

[lavoisier]

I switched to the cups for about 2 months and then went back to socks. I have a large system and cups were just too small for my flow and I ended up changing the floss about as often as I changed the socks.

 

[DHill6]

I’ve been using mesh socks but decided to try the cup again, this time trying Pinky Filters inside. Cut a square so it stays above the slots in cup. Seems to capture a lot of junk.

 

[Joep]

I think those 18 oz. SOLO cups fit in the 4" sock holders. I saw a Diy thread in here on it. If you need more help for the fine particles you can cut out a filtersock to fit the bottom of the cup and put the floss on top of that.

Where did you find that diy site. I would like to try this method, I would guess the hole size matter for flow. Thanks

 

[Juan Andrés Botero R]

I use a 400 micron Nylon "no filter" sock, I let the skimmer, the chaeto reactor and the aquarium bio-stock do all the work!...

I was not easy way to get to the 400 micron Nylon "no filter" sock!, the biology of the aquarium at the beginning did not supported it, until it got mature and bio-loaded!, I used all types of socks (up and down) as required by the aquarium condition, until it allowed me the 400 micron "no filter" Nylon sock. I wash it ones a month full of Gammarus!.

Also I eliminated the use of Carbon, to polish the water, I substituted it with a medium size quartz gravel that was placed and run in a media reactor as I did with activated carbon (slow flow from bottom to top). the bacteria on it do a great job!, I clean it weekly by letting a higher water flow to wallow it like a a pellet reactor for some minutes.

Water is crystal clear, Nitrates 2-4 ppm that I edit, Phosphates 0.03-0.07 ppm (with a Rowaphos reactor), no algae at all!.

 

[Zerobytes]

Welcome to the filter floss / cup world. I love mine (Redsea version of that one).

Twice a week or so (basically you hear it overflowing) floss goes straight into the garbage. Takes 30s no mess, no buckets of death, no washing and dirty looks. Easy peasy.

What type of filter product do you put in the sock and how? I tried once but it either overflowed right away or didn’t catch enough to my liking. But others have success so curious how you go w out it.

Thx!

 

[S.Pepper]

Waiting on my filter cups for Octo Aquatics. Fortunately, there was a company that custom makes 2.75" cups. A little more expensive, but it'll beat changing out and cleaning socks. I went with the inTank blue/white filter floss.

 

[mta_morrow]

I run one filter sock and one mesh. I have 10 filter socks and get 3 days out of them so once a mont I wash the socks. When I remove them I rinse them in the deep sink then store in a salt bucket with a splash of bleach. The mesh I have 4 and a quick rinse and they are ready to go again.

 

[Bossman]

I use the BRS 4" mesh socks. When the water runs over the sock holder it's time for cleaning. Usually rinse them with a spray hose 2x a week. Takes me 10 minutes tops to rinse 6 socks out of 4 tanks.

 

[Entz]

What type of filter product do you put in the sock and how? I tried once but it either overflowed right away or didn’t catch enough to my liking. But others have success so curious how you go w out it.

Thx!

i have mine in a filter cup (just a different brand), not in a sock.

The stuff I use is called ”eversoft polyester stuffing”, they sell it here at Walmart but that may be just a Canadian thing. I fill the cup around 3/4 not super densely packed, not an exact science I just grab a handful.

 

[Thaxxx]

Where did you find that diy site. I would like to try this method, I would guess the hole size matter for flow. Thanks

it was in the diy section on this site. I can't find it now.
Yes, if your sump only has one sock holder you'll probably need to cut out most of the bottom of the cup. But if that's the case you can double up on the cup for structural strength.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

I bought the cups and I put them in my Eshoop Nano sump and they fill through the opening, spilling RO.8 all over my sump YEAH.