Filter socks clog in 1 day

[Dave Reef]

Hi,
I upgraded from a 20 gallon long to a Red Sea Reefer 350 - 70g display and 20 g sump. Everything was going smooth as silk. No ugly stage, no gha, no anything bad really. At about 6 months in my nitrates got up to 12. I think my target should be lower so I started dosing NOPOX as I was doing in my 20. My anemones acted badly at first so I ramped up the NOPOX real slow. I am now at the suggested dose and my nitrates have dropped to 4, which I think is great. However, my filter socks, which I used to change 2x per week, now are clogged and overflowing every day. Is this going to go on forever? Changing filter socks every day is not that fun. When my nitrates are lower and I am dosing less will it go back to the way it was? Change the socks 2x per week?

Thanks, I really appreciate your help.

Details you will probably ask me:
Fish load:
1 Kole tang
1 Percula clown
1 Coral Beauty Angel
1 Orchid Dotty Back
1 Blue Spot Toby Puffer
3 PJ Cardinals
1 Lawnmower Blenny

All fish would still be considered small for their species except 1 of the Cardinals is full grown

Various leathers and toadstools and soft corals, Euphillia including hammers, torches and frogspawn and bubble coral, mushroom corals, gsp, green napthea, Pallys and Paly Grandis. 2 SPS - Styloflora and Montipora Septosa, 3 RBTAs. All look great.

Chemistry:
KH consistently at about 10.2
Calcium 410
Phosphate 0.03
Salinity 1.025

Dosing Red Sea KH as well as NOPOX

I change 1 gallon of water daily

 

[exnisstech]

Toss a roller mat on and call it a day. I always said I would never spend the money on one until I did. Now I wonder why I waited so long. This is on my reefer 300. I run reef diapers on my reefer 170 and 180g. Not sure why yours are plugging so much faster now. Mine plug quicker when Im having algae and stuff dying off but never from just lowering NO3

 

[The_Paradox]

What mesh is it? Considered just running it sockless to see how big of a difference the headache of cleaning makes?

 

[twentyleagues]

Do you run a skimmer? If not that may be why your socks are clogging. Dosing nopox will increase the bacteria in your system, skimmer would take it out of the water column. If I am remembering it correctly nopox is basically carbon dosing. once you back that off should return to normal.

 

[Dave Reef]

200 micron socks. Yes I have a great octo regal 150-INT skimmer. Skim lots of crud and is skimming more after nopox so I do think that is working.

Other threads here have reported that with no socks or mechanical filtration the sump turns into a swamp, which I don't want, if that is true. It is pretty hard to clean out a sump.

 

[Dave Reef]

What is a reef diaper? Is that just a disposable filter sock?

 

[PizzaIan339]

What is a reef diaper? Is that just a disposable filter sock?

Yes just disposable

 

[Dave Reef]

What I figured out. My sump is missing a piece of plastic. It overflows when the water is maybe 1/2 inch above the socks. I added a small piece of plastic in the gap (undoubtedly should have been there) and now I will have 2” of water above the socks before it overflows. I’m gonna let the aquarium glue dry til tomorrow. Then I will put the socks back in.

Also, I found some plastic cups (3.5”) that will fit perfectly in my Red Sea filter sock holder. I will first try filter floss in those before going back to socks. If you’re going to tell me it’s terrible to throw the floss away, I wonder if you wash your filter socks with fresh water and probably an electric laundry machine? I think it’s a wash which is worse for the planet.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I never felt a need to mechanically filter out particulates in my system.

 

[Dave Reef]

I never felt a need to mechanically filter out particulates in my system.

Really? That is very interesting and would certainly be easier. I can just have a skimmer and my live rock, of course, for filtration? Won't my sump eventually fill with detritus and gunk????

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Really? That is very interesting and would certainly be easier. I can just have a skimmer and my live rock, of course, for filtration? Won't my sump eventually fill with detritus and gunk????

many folks do not use mechanical filtration, and one reason to do so is to leave particles for filter feeders.

My sump did accumulate detritus, but I ignored it for many years and it just accumulates as a mud without causing apparent problems.

 

[Dave Reef]

No filter socks for a couple of days now. Makes me nervous taking away my security blanket, but I will let you know how it goes. It sure is a relief not to have to worry about and clean dirty filter socks.

 

[mook1178]

I feel like a clean up crew in the sump would help with the detritus build up

 

[Dave Reef]

A friend of mine had snails clog up his skimmer. What type of cuc is good for a sump?

 

[RedReefer]

I feel like a clean up crew in the sump would help with the detritus build up

Bad idea. Will clog pump impellers eventually.

 

[Dave Reef]

About 2 weeks with no socks now. No change in water clarity or nutrient levels yet. So far I am good with that. Why hassle with the socks if they are not doing anything for me?

 

[michealprater]

My system is newer (from upgrade) and I have been changing out socks like crazy. Now you got me thinking.

 

[Salty_Northerner]

I only use felt filter socks on occasion but mostly will use a mesh sock to capture the larger particles which works really well for me. the mesh socks get turned inside out and into the washing machine they go with a bit of bleach and air dry and they come out pretty much like new.

 

[kecked]

So how about this one. Brand new setup. I had the tank running for 8 years and stuff happened so I started over. Cooked rock and all. Had horrible bacteria bloom. Solved with uv. now my filter socks plug and I mean totally in 24 hours. Best I can figure is bacteria slime layer plugs it. Even plugged my coarse filter after skimmer but before sump pump. I’ve never seen this before. Maybe the bloom is still there but I just don’t see it. Did 90% water change too. Yes I know not solution for bloom. Was more to reset after rock cooking. Any ideas or just wait it out? I may try the no sock thing since it just overflows now anyway. Not a single living thing in the tank yet and it’s up a full month.

 

[bobnicaragua]

So how about this one. Brand new setup. I had the tank running for 8 years and stuff happened so I started over. Cooked rock and all. Had horrible bacteria bloom. Solved with uv. now my filter socks plug and I mean totally in 24 hours. Best I can figure is bacteria slime layer plugs it. Even plugged my coarse filter after skimmer but before sump pump. I’ve never seen this before. Maybe the bloom is still there but I just don’t see it. Did 90% water change too. Yes I know not solution for bloom. Was more to reset after rock cooking. Any ideas or just wait it out? I may try the no sock thing since it just overflows now anyway. Not a single living thing in the tank yet and it’s up a full month.

Slow down the flow of your return pump and the socks will last longer.