Jestersix

Talk to me about filter sock cleaning

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richiev

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In my previous tank life I didn't use filter socks. This red sea 170 sump came with a filter sock spot, and not having one creates a water trickling noise. Additionally with the relatively small tank size, I feel having a manual cleaning device seems nice, and the water certainly does look polished.

I had mesh socks from the previous person, but I happened to watch some BRS video talking up how they keep a month's worth of felt ones on hand, and then just toss them in the washer. That sounded great, and eco friendly, so off went an order for socks which I've adapted to fit the red sea holder.

However now begins the problem part of my story.

I've had weird issues recently resulting in some bleaching. I couldn't figure out wtf was going on. My skimmer was constantly going crazy. Things looked less happy. I thought maybe it was overdoing it on Reef Roids or my RO filters were bad. Finally I was changing out a filter sock again and noticed the skimmer immediately started bubbling like mad and starting to overflow. I also had tested the water and seen curiously high (for this tank) phosphates (around 0.1).

I'm embarrassed to say how long it took to click, but I realized "oh shit, maybe it's that I washed these socks". I pulled the sock, tossed in carbon, and started a water change.

My washing process was:
1. Run the washer empty through a rinse/drain cycle
2. Wash the socks on bulky item setting w/ an extra rinse, adding pure bleach through the bleach dispenser
3. Stick them in RODI with prime for a long time
4. Dry them completely

I figured this would get the gunk out of them (eg Reef Roids remnants) and ensure the bleach got out. However something didn't go well.

The main complication is my washer is a high efficiency front loader, with auto sensing water levels, and soap added through a dispenser you fill every load. My guess is there was remnants of soap in there, and the rinses didn't purge it.

Do you folks use felt socks? If so how are you washing them so they're not phosphate factories and soap bombs?

My gut says just toss them and go to bulk floss+a cup, but I'd rather not toss it every single time. Feels wasteful. However it's probably less wasteful than using 50 gallons of water trying to ensure I get all the soap out of the socks.
 
H2OPlayar said:
I like to feed the pods in my sump, so no socks for my system.
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My sump isn't big enough to focus on pods down there. I have a small fuge I DIY'ed growing chaeto, but it's just for some extra minor nutrient removal and any pods is a bonus. In the next tank that'll be different though.

phc567 said:
Filter socks are a past design. Get a filter roller or no socks at all. They are a pain in the butt and nasty. Remember if it ain’t easy. Your not gonna do it.
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The roller also is on my next tank equipment list. I just don't want to invest anything more in the 170 given I expect to upgrade and with the small Reefer sump it'd be likely anything I buy won't fit, or at least won't be ideal, in the next tank.

That being said, a roller is basically just saying use floss, which I can do with the media cup.

I went ahead and ordered some more filter floss just now. Pinky filters brand which I haven't tried before. Worst case I'll demote the socks to tank cleaning duty, for doing the siphon into a filter sock in the sump trick.

I'd still like to use them though, so still looking for cleaning tricks. I guess I can always just try cleaning them, then soak them in some clean water, then test the water. It'd be interesting to see if I could get a phosphate or nitrate reading. If not, and the skimmer didn't act up, my cleaning technique would be proven good?
 
Dead set on socks. This is what I did. I bought 30. Changed them out every 3 days or so. Hosed them off in my backyard. Threw them in my washer with no soap. Ran them on the long cycle and hung them up to dry. Sometimes that still over flowed my skimmer cuz I think there is soap residue in my washer.
Now it grossed me out to wash socks in my washer so I washed out my washer with bleach on the long cycle again. Just to clean the washer. Did this for years in the early 2000’s. I have one of the first rollermats. I modded it on 3 systems so far. Never looked back.
 
I did the same. Washer no soap. On one tank the skimmer bubbled, the other tank its fine. Now all I do is hose them and skip the washer.
 
Well I guess it's good I didn't go and buy $150 worth based on these comments.

Hijacking my own thread, any favorite filter flosses for a filter cup?
 
no socks for my rsr350 since day 1. i put in media cups and added some ceramic rings (siporax) for bacteria. i use filter floss that i buy off amazon. i cut them to size and just toss them when i feel like it.

amazon link
 
jhuynh said:
no socks for my rsr350 since day 1. i put in media cups and added some ceramic rings (siporax) for bacteria. i use filter floss that i buy off amazon. i cut them to size and just toss them when i feel like it.

amazon link
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How often do you clean your sump of detritus, if any? How often do you replace the filter floss? Do you use macroalgae?
 
I wash my socks 1-2 times per week in a high efficiency washer, but haven’t seen any effect on the skimmer, so I wonder what’s different. I throw them in the washer (no pre-wash to clean the washer), run normal wash with bleach plus extra rinse cycle. You don’t need the bleach unless you are mixing socks from different tanks. I wonder if your laundry detergent is leaving residue - we use various brands (whatever’s on sale) of free & clear type detergent. Try skipping the bleach to see if that’s the problem, if not, might try using a different detergent?
 
popper said:
How often do you clean your sump of detritus, if any? How often do you replace the filter floss? Do you use macroalgae?
Click to expand...
i have a large area for chaeto. i never cleaned my sump, but i need to one of these days. i replace the filter floss every 3 - 5 days.
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Just an idea, you could use a wide foam pad (higher density type) next to the baffle (also above the baffle) and wash it weekly with tap water and rinse with RODI. Not as good as 50 - 100 micron filter sock but more convenient since you never have to use a washing machine. :D I used to use filter sock all the time before, it was not fun.
 
Welcome to the world of BRS TV, where buying more and investing more in your system is always better :cool:. TBH, I did the same thing, I still have about 12 filter socks that I purchased when I first started. They would need to be washed every 3-4 days so a set of 12 might give me some breathing room until the next load. I never bleached them, just washed them in hot water - washing machine and sun dried them. I later switched to mesh socks, but they were also hard to clean.

After socks, I moved to cups with filter floss where I would change out the floss every 3-4 days.

Now, I only use the cups with filter media in them and no filter floss. I only use filter floss when I am cleaning the tank and leave it in their until the water clears up.
 
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