Socks or Cups?

[TinnysReef]

Just getting my 310 gal going and am wondering how will the refugium be seeded with copepods or baby shrimp with filter socks on the return? I don’t want all the micro critters to just be washed away when the socks are rinsed.

Has anyone tried the filter cups instead of socks? Reviews I’ve seen on BRS have been mixed with some complaints of overflowing cups. Others swear they are game changing and won’t go back to socks.

Then there are the rollers which I feel is a whole separate discussion.

Since it’s a new tank there is little bio load and I want as many as the pods to do their thing as possible. I added some rock from my 5 year old 125 g softie tank and noticed baby peppermint shrimp in there. Will they just eventually end up in socks?

Thoughts?

 

[The_Paradox]

Just run sockless. Problem solved

 

[TinnysReef]

So I took the socks off … now it’s just noticeably louder. I don’t mind water noise as much as electronic pump noise but I think I’ll try cups to see if that helps.

 

[mtraylor]

Your copepods and aphlipods will not simultaneously release into the water column to have a meeting in your filter socks.;)

you have nothing to worry about. Will some be captured in socks. Yes. Will this destroy your tank population? No

Run socks 24/7 on my display aquarium and zero socks on my frag tank and I don't see any difference between the 2 as far as pod population

 

[TinnysReef]

Your copepods and aphlipods will not simultaneously release into the water column to have a meeting in your filter socks.;)

you have nothing to worry about. Will some be captured in socks. Yes. Will this destroy your tank population? No

Run socks 24/7 on my display aquarium and zero socks on my frag tank and I don't see any difference between the 2 as far as pod population

Thank you for sharing that! Hopefully some of the baby shrimp make it to the refugium then

Still curious about cups. Seems like it would be helpful/save sump space if u put carbon or GFO in the cups. I don’t need carbon or GFO yet but I might try that down the line.

 

[mtraylor]

No problem. I used to worry about that stuff too. I do pick off the amphipods I can get too easy sometimes and place back in sump when I can. The huge ones are easy to grab.