Roller mat recommendation

[sse1990]

I’m looking at adding a roller mat to my sump. I have a 90 gallon display with a 40 gallon sump. The return chamber is 12x18 with a water height of 12”. But I do have a Reef Octopus Elite 150int 6in skimmer in that section. Which leaves me with about 8”x12” of space to fit a roller mat. I have a plastic container I user floss in it as a filter currently. So I need something i can mount on the side or free standing.

What brands should I stay away from and what is recommended?

 

[kbnh]

I’m not 100% sure if the red sea reefmat 500 would fit but I’d recommend that if it does, I find the app very easy to use and changing a roll is pretty easy once you’ve done it two or three times. Fleece rolls are about $15 I believe. I’ve even turned my skimmer off because the reefmat cleans so efficiently, it also makes the water crystal clear

 

[Poochaku]

Reefmat, if it fits, it's not even close currently.

I do think the clarisea can fit into smaller spaces

 

[vpierce3]

I’ve had the Bubble Magus V2 Large on my 150 for 6 months or so and it works great.

 

[martyharris]

Red Sea reefmat is the best one

 

[vtecintegra]

I'd get the Red Sea. I've got a Bubble Magus and they messed up on the rolls for a while and never admitted to it.

 

[NotoriousDMC]

Reefmat, if it fits, it's not even close currently.

I do think the clarisea can fit into smaller spaces

Agreed. I had both and the Reefmat is simply up to date and superior at this point.

 

[haitian_reefer]

Agreed. I had both and the Reefmat is simply up to date and superior at this point.

Red Sea ReefMat is the current gold standard

 

[Sean Clark]

I'll agree that the redsea is the gold standard. I don't know if the trade off of consumable filter roll vs. Filter socks is really worth it. Not sustainable and a constant expense... no thanks. I'll stick with my socks.

 

[haitian_reefer]

I'll agree that the redsea is the gold standard. I don't know if the trade off of consumable filter roll vs. Filter socks is really worth it. Not sustainable and a constant expense... no thanks. I'll stick with my socks.

Good luck!

 

[Sean Clark]

Good luck!

Good luck?

 

[DarkReefer]

I'll agree that the redsea is the gold standard. I don't know if the trade off of consumable filter roll vs. Filter socks is really worth it. Not sustainable and a constant expense... no thanks. I'll stick with my socks.

For me personally, having the roller has been great. It means for the most part all I have to do is open the cabinet to have a look once in a while and see how much of the roll is left (this is usually looked at almost on the daily to monitor ATO/Skimmate levels anyway, at least for me).

I've got a Klir 4" Di-4. It dropped into my existing sock holders on my Waterbox so no modification to sump necessary.

It's been okay. Had some early issues with it not being strong enough to wind the fleece because the used fleece roll was bunching up or something in a spot, once that was sorted and realigned it's been ok. It also seems to have some fail safe so it doesn't burn through the roll too which is nice.
Ie. if you have a lot of crud in the tank that the roll is taking out in a short space of time. If it rolls a number of times (not quite sure how many), in a period of time it seems to stop rolling and just start beeping at you for you to hit the button to acknowledge it. It's done this a few times for me when I've been trying to dust off my dinos and let the fleece take it out.

I will say this system is a pain in the butt in terms of when it comes to changing out the rolls. It's not an easy process, it's a little awkward and requires pulling the whole unit completely out and having to rethread the roll through the rollers manually etc. I've also had a number of times where I've run short on rolls and wasn't able to find some easily from LFS or online suppliers within the country (not located in the US so ymmv). The last couple of times I've reordered 5 at a time and when I get down to 1-2 spares I look to reorder more to allow me time to source them.

Each roll seems to last about 3-6 weeks I think depending on how clean the tank has been. As I'm going through the dino issue it's using it up at a faster rate than normal and I would HATE to have to deal with socks clogging up every couple of days or so if I still had them.
Also keeps the missus happy because I'm not washing the socks in the washing machine anymore



From a video I watched it seemed the Redsea reefmat looked like you pull out some middle piece, install the new roll and then reinstall the middle piece which has the rollers etc. and it pushes it down into the unit. It looked like a much simpler process, but as I don't have one myself I can't be sure that's how it works. I'll certainly be checking these out myself when the next tank comes along.

 

[sse1990]

I went ahead and ordered the ReefMat 500 today. Should arrive by Monday. With any luck, a bit sooner.

 

[haitian_reefer]

I went ahead and ordered the ReefMat 500 today. Should arrive by Monday. With any luck, a bit sooner.

You're going to love it! While you're waiting, download the app and create an account.

 

[martyharris]

Your gonna love it it is so great I love mine

 

[Floyd-]

I hated changing out socks, I switched to the 1200 reefmat and LOVE it. Mine last about 2-3 months on my 175gallon tank.

 

[kbnh]

Hope you ordered an extra roll or two. The first roll will go through very quick! This is normal, the rolls after that will last longer. There are ways to try to increase efficiency, by raising the unit higher, and by going into settings and decreasing the advance distance of the roll. I found that doing this increased efficiency. Enjoy!

 

[sse1990]

Hope you ordered an extra roll or two. The first roll will go through very quick! This is normal, the rolls after that will last longer. There are ways to try to increase efficiency, by raising the unit higher, and by going into settings and decreasing the advance distance of the roll. I found that doing this increased efficiency. Enjoy!

They didn’t have any stock when I ordered. But I’ll probably get 4 refills to start.

 

[Floyd-]

Hope you ordered an extra roll or two. The first roll will go through very quick! This is normal, the rolls after that will last longer. There are ways to try to increase efficiency, by raising the unit higher, and by going into settings and decreasing the advance distance of the roll. I found that doing this increased efficiency. Enjoy!

Agreed. My first roll only lasted a month and a half but now im almost double that.

 

[acesfull44]

I have the Red Sea ReefMat 1200 and love it! I also have Red Sea Lights. Doser and Wavemakers so using the Reef Beat app to control it all is awesome!

If the Red Sea 500 will fit, would recommend.