Roller Mat worth the investment ?

[Aussie_Saltwater]

Hi guys, after some feedback about roller mats. Do they significantly outperform filter socks ?

I am about to get my sump designed. Should the Roller mat be kept in the same department as the skimmer ?

Thanks for any response.

 

[Zach B]

Wow, what a great question! I’m sure you’ll get many different answers. Personally I love my rollermat but there is definitely room for improvement and you have to factor in the cost of the fleece rolls. I do keep mine in the same area as my skimmer. I think we will see some really nice upgraded units in the near future. Both have their benefits and downfalls. Good luck with your choice.

 

[shneerf]

Months ago I would have said yes. If you have to change them every 2+ months it's worth it, but with the lower micron setting on the Bubble Magus roll I have to change it every 3 weeks. So not only do I get to pay about $30 a month on average, I also have to deal with changing out a roll that takes more time on average than a filter sock which defeats the whole purpose of a filter roll. I'd rather take a few seconds changing a filter sock and cleaning them in bulk than to deal with this cumbersome device. It takes up space, costs a lot, doesn't save time, and allows no customization in terms of changing micron size. Every brand has their own specific roll size so you are stuck buying only from them and at the 1 setting they provide.

 

[vangvace]

They can outperform filter socks, but their biggest benefit over socks is allowing for more lax maintenance. Most of your socks have to be touched every 2-3 days versus a monthly swap of the roller. It does come at a higher long term cost though

 

[G Santana]

IMO It depends on what you value most, maintenance vs. Cost.
I am meticulous and I change my socks every other day, it takes 2 seconds and I made my own socks or rather the wife sewed them for me so the cost is a couple of bucks per sock which I have been using for 7 months so pennies vs. $30 a month for a roll, so over the same time, I would have spent $210.00 for 7 rolls.
Me, I'd rather put that money into live stock.
I see my socks lasting years vs. $360.00 for a years supply of rolls that end up in the garbage.

 

[Clarkjw2002]

I haven't used one yet but I opted for the Dreambox eco fleece, mainly because it is built into the sump so serves as the intake chamber and can handle any future capacity I may throw at it. The large size should mean infrequent and easy changes of the rolls (and they have two micron sizes).

This is for the retirement tank that is being built into our farmhouse so my goals are as much automation and ease of maintenance as possible to compensate for decreased physical capabilities as the years go on.

Still two years out from validating my thought process but the Dreambox should come in a month or so--and hopefully the tank in the next few months.

 

[Koigula]

I have a 160 gallon display sump and a 100+ of sump volume with old live rock as well. I filter nothing and siphon around and under old rocks weekly in sump. I suck it out with an old mag pump down the drain.

I have my share of challenges but never had dinos and barely a hint of cyano in this sytem. Super clean is not ideal to me. I would rather spend money on salt mix.

I did see some nylon cheese cloth socks they looked highly reusable but see no advatage if not having issues.

 

[coralfishreef]

My KLIR was going through a roll every 10 - 14 days. The cost was more than I anticipated (approx $30 - $40 a month) and changing rolls out was not something I liked or wanted to do. Changing out the filter roll is almost like cleaning a skimmer. Disconnect the wires, carefully pull the wires through the stand that are connected to the filter roller, lift the filter roller out of the sump without spilling water everywhere, partially disassemble the filter roller, remove the old roll, snake the new roll through the rollers without wearing gloves because of the tight space and tape, reassemble the filter roller, place back into sump, snake wires back through the stand, reconnect the wires, and repeat everything in a week and a half.

The water was nice and clear but at the same time the roll was removing the phytoplankton that was being dosed twice daily.

In the end I took the filter roller offline and went back to using and changing pinkyfilters every few days.

 

[Koigula]

I did try using an inline 10" canister filter using a bulk supply of 10" micron filters from home depot. I would just toss the brown 5 micron filter weekly. The clear canister filter received 20% of of the return pump volume.

I kept this up for a few months with limited costs few dollars per cartridge bulk.. I just did not see any real overall benefit.

I end up just polishing water with 5-6 table sppons of GFO or carbon at a trickle rate on an as needed basis. As the tank mature the need diminishes.