Roller mat vs filter floss

[Devaji]

new tank is here and the build will start in a week or so. in the mean time I am thinking about the filtration.

RS650P mix reef but LPS dominate
my plan was this:
filter cups with poly fill changes every 3-5 days
slightly undersized skimmer
ATS
UV

now I am playing around with the idea of ( while the sump is empty ) cutting out the filter sock/cup holder and adding a roller mat something like the aquamax or bubble magus

I have been using filter floss for some time and think it's a low cost effective solution so why change it? sometimes I do go a week between changes tho.
so this is where a Roller mat could be a nice feature?

so all you roller mat users out there...is the juice worth the squeeze?
better than filter floss?

should I break apart my new sump now while empty?

 

[tankstudy]

I'll never go back to floss pads or filter socks. The roller mat is amazing. Now if you have a high bioload you may need to change the rolls out a bit more but if your bioload is average or light, I've been on the same roll since january.

 

[Chibils]

My 2¢... Floss or socks aren't effective if the stuff it catches breaks down before you remove it. Swapping socks or floss is also the worst kind of maintenance imo. Tedious and messy. I'm in the planning stages of a build myself and I've been daydreaming on ways to do this to a pre-made setup like your Red Sea, or a CADE. Post it up here if you end up modifying your sump to accommodate a fleece roller! I'd love to see it.

 

[lakai]

Roller-mat but it gets expensive for the rolls and they tend to work too well.

 

[Reef.]

I've been on the same roll since january.

It’s said floss should be changed every 2-3 to be the most effective, if a filter roll lasts 7+ months, does that mean there is a part of dirty roll under water for more than 3 days, for a roll to last so long?

 

[ichthyoid]

Two words - continuous & convenience.
Going on vacation for a week shouldn’t be a big concern now with a roller mat, skimmate locker, auto feeder & the Apex to monitor it all via internet.

I went with the Aquamaxx & it dropped right into the Trigger sump.

 

[Bryknicks]

Two words - continuous & convenience.
Going on vacation for a week shouldn’t be a big concern now with a roller, skimmate locker & auto feeder. I went with the Aquamaxx & it dropped right in the Trigger sump.

Which trigger sump is that? I have the 26" and have been wanting to switch to a roller mat but didn't think I would be able to get one to fit. Did you have to modify the sump or roller mat to make it work?

 

[ichthyoid]

It’s the Trigger Triton 26 V2. I shopped around a lot and was careful selecting due to the tight fit.

The Aquamaxx (@ Marine Depot) was the only one I was pretty sure would fit & it did. On sale now @ $180.

Edit: other than the Klir, which had some negative reviews, so moved on.

 

[ichthyoid]

Fwiw, you can add some stacked eggcrate to make a platform to sit the roller on, if you want/need to.

 

[tankstudy]

It’s said floss should be changed every 2-3 to be the most effective, if a filter roll lasts 7+ months, does that mean there is a part of dirty roll under water for more than 3 days, for a roll to last so long?

Most rolls will not last that long. I keep a single fish in a 60 gallon system.

However, it rolls a little bit each day so the dirty part is not in the water for that long.

 

[ichthyoid]

+1
Most are reporting usage around 6-8 weeks per roll.

Fwiw,
The rolls are a nonwoven material known as spunbond polypropylene. I worked for years in process R&D of it.

 

[Devaji]

Two words - continuous & convenience.
Going on vacation for a week shouldn’t be a big concern now with a roller mat, skimmate locker, auto feeder & the Apex to monitor it all via internet.

I went with the Aquamaxx & it dropped right into the Trigger sump.

I ws looking at the aquamax not sure if it will fit in the sump if a mod. it. tho. but I like the price. why did you go aqumax over the bubble magus I see you have there skimmer.

 

[Devaji]

Roller-mat but it gets expensive for the rolls and they tend to work too well.

I was wondering about how long they would last dont want to spend all my $$$ filtering the tank then have to feed more only to spend more on fleece.

+1
Most are reporting usage around 6-8 weeks per roll.

Fwiw,
The rolls are a nonwoven material known as spunbond polypropylene. I worked for years in process R&D of it.

if I could get 8 weeks from one roll that would bring down the monthly operating cost of the tank.
is there a cheaper option for the rollers? I know its not crazy but over the years it sure would add up.

 

[Devaji]

does anyone think they work to good? just wondering with the ATS if I need it??

 

[ichthyoid]

I ws looking at the aquamax not sure if it will fit in the sump if a mod. it. tho. but I like the price. why did you go aqumax over the bubble magus I see you have there skimmer.

Dimensions/fit.
I looked at BM’s roller, but it was a little too wide to fit in the sump’s opening.

 

[ichthyoid]

if I could get 8 weeks from one roll that would bring down the monthly operating cost of the tank.
is there a cheaper option for the rollers? I know its not crazy but over the years it sure would add up.

Fwiw,
Plug it into an Apex outlet, or a timer, and only run it during daytime/feeding hours.

The Aquamaxx & most others have an overflow/bypass where the water would flow out into the sump, when the roll doesn’t advance.

 

[ichthyoid]

does anyone think they work to good? just wondering with the ATS if I need it??

See above ^ timer suggestion.

The roller mat serves a different purpose than an ATS or macro-fuge do.

-The roller filters out larger particles, before they break down.

-An ATS or macro absorbs soluble nutrients.

 

[ReefHog]

I have the bubble magus roller filter on a 75 gallon and floss on a 220 gallon. For the floss I replaced the acrylic piece with the sock holes with a piece of egg crate. I then use pinky filter material cut to the size of the egg crate. So my thoughts are this:

The Roller filter is very convenient, has worked without a hiccup and keeps the water pretty clean. That being said, you are limited by the micron size of the roller fabric. In my case, it seems like its 100 microns or more which is weird as I thought it was billed as 50 micron. But I have a 100 micron sock on my Tunze 9410 and it gets fully clogged every two weeks. I have my drains set up so there is nothing going down the second drain. A little noisy but I wanted to make sure there was no bypass tank water getting into the sump. I bought 4 rolls when I first set it up so maybe there is a smaller micron roll I didn't get. Now depending on your reef, you may not want it to filter down below 100 micron. In that case it would be perfect.

The Filter floss approach is a lot more work but is also a lot more universal. The pinky filter filter pad I use tends to reduce micron size as the filter clogs, eventually completely blocking the water causing it to go over the top. This takes about 4 days in my case. So the water gets cleaner and cleaner over 4 days (though it's not really visable to the naked eye). I then just take it outside (or in laundry tub in winter) and blast it clean with the hose and reuse. I can do this about 6 times before the filter padding breaks down. I like this as there are a few days with particulates getting by to feed corals and pods but eventually clears the water of everything. Then the cycle starts over again when the pad is replaced. And if you want to really polish the water, you can just drop in a 10/20 micron pad for half a day.

I should add that if your away from the tank for days at a time For work or whatever the roller filter would be a great option.

 

[Reef.]

If you are worried about the cost and if it will work too good then I probably wouldn’t go for one, filter floss works the same way but manually, if you are willing to change the floss twice a week then that may be a better option for you, a lot cheaper, you can control when you use it, you can even add some filter felt now and again if you want to filter smaller particles out when cleaning rock work and sand.

 

[Space Coyote]

One of the best additions to my tank EVER.
This one is from England. Little pricey but no direct plumbing connection needed. Called X-filter. Check it out to compare.
But I will never ever have a tank without a roller filter. They are amazing.