Deep thoughts on sump Sock or no sock?

[fishhead]

What are your thoughts on using a filtersock in the fuge just after the overflow? I have seen how much gunk they remove, but am toying with the idea of maybe using them just periodically. The sump is full of Macro and substrate and houses a pair of Pipefish. I want maximum pods of course. The sediment in the sock is good breeding gook for pods, and I have recently upgraded to a better skimmer also (An Octopus 2000,same but a little bigger than an ASM G2). The sump/fuge is a 3-4 baffled/compartmented, double inlet 30 gallon using only one of the overflows' bulkheads.

 

[prow]

i go with no. love my pods, the extra foods=more pods. pods love it, multiply like crazy. if you put more watts/gal lighting wise then in the main tank(easily done) togather with the aerated water from the overflow will encourage algae to grow in the sump and refugium rather than the main tank, again more food for critters. not to mention having not to clean out a filtersock all the time. no sock to maximize pod populations

FYI on my sump the overflow (no sock) goes to the first camber in the sump where my skimmer is, couple baffles then refugium. a lot of the gunk collects in the bottom of the first chamber with the skimmer. easy to syphon out when doing water changes. i never touch the refugium, what goes in stays in.

 

[mps9506]

The stuff in the sock also breaks down and = more waste to contribute to excess nutrients in the tank. I believe in using socks and changing them often. (interept that however you will )
It helps me maintain a low nutrient reef tank.

 

[Kirblit]

Use sock 24/7 but clean about every other day to make sure no decomposing material.

 

[EmergencyDpt]

I use the sock but not all the time. Just when I notice the water is getting turbid or has a lot of particulates.
I change it after about three days.

 

[blue_eyes53813]

I use a filter sock 24/7. Get lots of particles out of the water. It has helped alot with my algae problem.

 

[bluespotjawfish]

I used to use them all the time, then stopped for a while. Since then my water has a lot more particles in it, a lot of junk collects in the sump area too. I'm now back to using them and the water is crystal clear. Will change my socks often!

 

[corrado007]

I agree with Prow, allowing the stuff to continue to circulate keeps food in the tank for pods and other creatures. Also, and more importantly in my case, my male Ocellaris clown is pretty small so he can fit through the teeth on my overflow box and has ended up in the sump twice now. The clown and I would be devastated if he ended up in a filter sock.
That Crazy Clown!:dunce:

 

[Snelly40]

i use one on my overflow and it does not restrict the pods entering b/c the fuge is after the sock and then goes through the baffles and to the return pump , and i often see them swimming in the main tank after their little voyage. I use mine 24/7 and swap it out wednesday and sunday, ihave a rotation of 3 so i always have one ready to swap after a good cleaning!!!

 

[waucedah_joe]

I agree with Prow, allowing the stuff to continue to circulate keeps food in the tank for pods and other creatures. Also, and more importantly in my case, my male Ocellaris clown is pretty small so he can fit through the teeth on my overflow box and has ended up in the sump twice now. The clown and I would be devastated if he ended up in a filter sock.
That Crazy Clown!:dunce:

I always look closely into the sock now when I change it. A couple of weeks ago when changing the sock I saw what I thought was a pepermint shrimp molt, until I saw it move:bugout: It was so bleached it was nearly transparent. Got him out and back into the tank and he took off like a shot into the rocks. Saw him later that day with his color looking normal again. Those buggers are a lot tougher than they look. Must have been a wild ride down the water slide.:snrkl:

 

[mps9506]

allowing the stuff to continue to circulate keeps food in the tank for pods and other creatures

I have to slightly disagree because I don't think a lot of the stuff the socks filter out is "food." IMO the sock is filtering out detritus that will be breaking down in your tank and releasing nutrients. By removing the material before it breaks down in the tank every few days I think long term you are ensuring the health of your tank. (This opinion comes from someone that thought all this stuff was broken down by DSB and would not become a problem later on, and learned the hard way it doesn't go away).

 

[SubRosa]

A filter sock filters down to about 100 microns.Plenty of stuff will get through to feed your pods.The improvement in water quality that frequent sock cleanings gives is more important to the health of my tank,IMO.

 

[lcstorc]

You guys are well on the way to convincing me to start using them. I have everything open right now but am starting to think I should use at least one on the water going into the sump. I can still leave the fuge without one and see how good it works on the sump side without really limiting food for my pods. It ought to keep the sump a bit cleaner which will save me some cleaning time.

 

[Frankie]

I have to slightly disagree because I don't think a lot of the stuff the socks filter out is "food." IMO the sock is filtering out detritus that will be breaking down in your tank and releasing nutrients. By removing the material before it breaks down in the tank every few days I think long term you are ensuring the health of your tank. (This opinion comes from someone that thought all this stuff was broken down by DSB and would not become a problem later on, and learned the hard way it doesn't go away).

That is exactly why i use it 24/7. The stuff that is food comes from overfeeding the tank and pods are not going to consume all of it. Most of it will break down and go into the water column.
I did want to comment on fish being able to get down to the sump at all. If this happens then you don't have your durso pipe set up right. No fish should be able to get through the slits. If you don't have one in the overflow i would recommend making one.

 

[fishhead]

That is exactly why i use it 24/7. The stuff that is food comes from overfeeding the tank and pods are not going to consume all of it. Most of it will break down and go into the water column.

are you saying enough still gets through the sock to feed the pods? Overfeedeng or not, nothing large enters the sump/fuge, or at least nothing over 100 microns or so. Thi is enough for pods, shrimps, pipefish etc?

 

[mps9506]

Well I use an 80 micron bag, but...

Anyhow, I dunno about you but the crud that built up in my sump before I used a sock is enough to make me use one. I never noticed a decrease or increase in pods either way.
I don't know what the diet is of the copepod and amphipod species in reef tanks consists off, but it appears most of them spend most of their time crawling around, so I'm guessing stuff that grows on the rock and glass might make up a good portion of their diet. I have no idea though.

 

[Scooterman]

I use one about once a week, it helps keep the tank clear, even though it was a 100 micron at first, I'm sure after a few washes it becomes less affective but still they come in handy. I've kept may pods in the main display that the sixline couldn't keep up. That was my old tank, now I could use more pods but that should happen in time.

 

[prow]

hey everyone what up. well, my first post here i never really into it, deep, but here is why i think no sock.

FYI copepods eat diatoms and other single celled organisms. isopods are omnivores that eat dead and decaying plants.

the thing with filter socks, IMO, is that they may not do anything really. most dentrus will get pushed through a 80 micro bag, even sand will go right through it. sure some might get trap but most gets pushed through via water pressure anyway. depending on the sump design, the sump, like mine, traps any heavey dentrus that would end up in the sock before it get to the refugium, but without the added surface area the sock provides. the sock provides lots of surface area for bacteria to grow in a high O2, high flow area. togather with the dentrus build up provide lots of food and energy sources for the bac to grow. this bacteria growth is food for the pods, why you always see them all over filter bag, carbon and such. for me i want that food to grow in the refugium. growing on the sock is fine but the pods going to the sock leave the refugium, away form the return pump(leading to the main tank), and head for the overflow area, then end up in my skimmer or just live there and never make it to the main tank. the dentrus provide food for diatoms and things which inturn feed the pods. my main tank has no bacteria causing troubles, but my refugium walls have a thick layer of various bacteria and algaes. i even put a extra light to light up the last chamber where my return pump is so i get good bacteria and algae growth on the glass, the pods hang out in the last chamber eating it up, but a lot get sucked up to main tank. if your worried about stuff floating you can alway put the prefilter on the return pump, does the same thing for keeping chunks out of the main tank, but the bacteria will grow on it which attracts the pods, they will gather to eat it off the prefilter and lead to more pods going into the main tank, where you want them.

how is that for going a little deep on thoughts:invisible

 

[Scooterman]

Detritus will be trapped by the sock filter, it doesn't take long for a dirty tank to stop up the sock & overflow it but regardless you'll not capture it all, that is for sure!

 

[mps9506]

most dentrus will get pushed through a 80 micro bag, even sand will go right through it. sure some might get trap but most gets pushed through via water pressure anyway. depending on the sump design, the sump, like mine, traps any heavey dentrus that would end up in the sock before it get to the refugium, but without the added surface area the sock provides. the sock provides lots of surface area for bacteria to grow in a high O2, high flow area. togather with the dentrus build up provide lots of food and energy sources for the bac to grow.

First regarding the detritus, When I have the sock on, there is no detritus in the sump, when I don't use one there is detritus in the sump... I can't speak for everyone, but that is what I have observed.
Second, I try to change and clean the socks often enough to where there isn't a great deal of build up in there so stuff isn't breaking down (that is the real purpose of the sock, to remove products that would otherwise break down in the tank BEFORE they break down). I try to replace every other day or every third day at least.