Filter sock or no filter sock?

[christyf5]

I use them, it keeps the gunk out of my sump. Doesn't do much for the main tank really, the detritus still piles up. If I could only get the fish to crap directly into the sock my tank would be fantastic

[Lance]

I use them. Change every 3 to 4 days.

[fkshiu]

As long as you're diligent enough to swap them out regularly they do a great job of catching crud and other particulates before they have a chance to turn into DOCs. A lot less crap in my sump since I started using them.

[mark]

they do collect a lot of gunk, that's a good reason to use them. Figure if the gunk not being taken out by the sock it's just staying in the tank.

[untamed]

Originally Posted by mark

they do collect a lot of gunk, that's a good reason to use them. Figure if the gunk not being taken out by the sock it's just staying in the tank.

That gunk is somebody's food!

I don't use them, but I do rinse out one of my sumps every week. The other sump gets partially vaccuumed every year or two.

[Delphinus]

I use them in one tank but primarily for microbubble control.

I find it a huge pain to remove them and wash them. They are pretty disgusting after a week. And I hate that everytime I take it out, I'm killing about a billion copepods, brittle stars, bristleworms, etc. etc. etc. so I spend a ridiculous amount of time picking those off and tossing them back into tank, all the while cursing myself for caring too dang much.

Not sure whether to vote "yes" or "no" since it's only 1 tank I use them on. I don't really notice a difference in overall water quality. However the tanks I don't use them on, one of them I hose out every few months (it's a 20g tank so easy enough to empty and clean), and the other is a huge brown goo accumulation device and probably *should* be hosed out every few months - been a more yearly occurence in that one - and it's gruesome when it comes time to do it.

So pros and cons for sure.

[wickedfrags]

Have used them for a long time and I have yet to see a "significant" downside.

They keep my beckett cleaner, I pull 2000GPH through a 4' sump without micromubbles and my sump has not the slighest amount of detritous in it after 4 years.

[sphelps]

I don't use filter socks but I do use mechanical filtration before the skimmer. As far as I know a skimmer will remove dissolved organics, so using filter socks or something similar will not hurt the performance of your skimmer, in fact it should improve it since it will stay cleaner longer.

[Trigger Man]

I use them and love them, my water stays nice and clean. The only downside is I am kinda lazy and hate having to clean them every 3 to 4 days.

[trilinearmipmap]

It looks like a fairly even split.

For now I will avoid the filter sock and re-direct my sump flow so the overflow spills directly into the skimmer pump intake and the skimmer output goes outside of the skimmer compartment in the sump. Considering putting a filter sock on the skimmer output though.