Best way to handle this infested filter sock!

[tanks4life]

Ok so I was doing my weekly maintenance on my tank yesterday and when I pulled my back filter sock I noticed a lot of movement. Which is not normal by any means. Anyways, the sock is absolutely crawling with amphipods. I counted 46 that were between pinhead and pencil eraser size. So I put the sock back in the tank. My issue is clearly I need to remove the sock and clean it, but does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the pods out? I do not want to just throw away that many amphipods. Especially with a mandarin, red scooter, and 6 line that all hunt and eat pods.

I was thinking about taking a bucket and doing a small water change. Then turning the sock inside out and swishing it around. But my only problem would be straining the water for the pods. Because essentially I would be creating another sock I needed to rinse...

Or I could use a metal frying pan cover. Like we use to keep grease from spattering everywhere while cooking chicken... do yall think the metal will adversely affect the water if only the pods are picked off of it? Or is there a better method anyone knows?

 

[jbdreefs]

I would just put the sock in your DT for a short while.

 

[tanks4life]

But it's really dirty! It's more of a nitrate sock at the moment. I was in a hurry last couple water changes and only changed the front one. It wasn't until I stepped away from the tank yesterday that it hit me. "Your had all those parameter issues and you didn't even change the darn sock!!!! You big dummie!"

Ok new idea. Can I place the sock in a old style goldfish bowl with a bubbler for a day or two. While slowly lifting the sock out the bowl to allow all the amphipods, isopods, and copepods to escape into the bowl? I know if there's this many amphipods it has got to be loaded with other pods I can't see as well.

 

[tanks4life]

I'm all about conservation, and why waste this many pods when I have spent soo much getting them to such high numbers. Lol I have a 10 gallon that has 3 sides painted black and it's drilled. I am going to use what comes out of this sock to seed this "pod only" tank. I have some decorative color changing leds that will fit under the tank between the tank and stand and I have extra bubblers. That's all that I need right? Or should I put a small koralina powerhead in there as well? And my house gets fairly cool in the winter should I put a small 100 watt heater in the tank? Suggestions please. This will be tonight's project.

 

[enderg60]

Just clean it, if there are 40 of them in the sock there are hundreds in the sump/tank.

 

[willie1983]

I usually rinse my fliter in tank water in a bucket the strain into two fish nets

 

[raz0945]

I pick off the pods I can see on the outside then turn the sock insideout and do the same thing. I have a cup of tank water to put them in and then they go back into the tank.:yes:

 

[jrhunter0000]

Reverse it and shake the pods out. If theres that many in the sock you tank has them too. So no worries if you lose a few. How old is the tank?

 

[bhbbhb]

I usually place the sock in a bucket with a small amount of water - and a small rock that I don't mind putting into my tank. I suspend the sock upside down -shake it a bit and usually after a short time lots of the pod will move into the bucket and take hold into the rock. The ones that don't - well they enjoy a bleach bath.
BHB

 

[tanks4life]

The tank has been set up going on 4 years. It started as a fish only, then transitioned to a FOwLR and is now a reef. Has been a reef for 3 years.

 

[bluespot]

I have a container of tank water next to me and work in the sink. I slowly turn the sock inside out a little at a time and save the pods as I go. I have tried many many methods for removing them from the felt and the best I have found is to use a spoon. A plain metal teaspoon sized size spoon works great to scoop them up. Lots of them will even willingly climb onto the spoon if the spoon is wet and has a small puddle of salt water in it.

 

[jennm]

If you give the sock a rinse in some saltwater to get the pods off, you'll also get some turbid water too. Get yourself a brine shrimp net and you can catch the pods with that, you may get a bit of crap back into your water, but it will be a small amount versus the amount of pods you can harvest, if you really have a bunch in the sock.

I used to do that from time to time - when I had the 1000g tank it had huge pods, and I'd collect and redistribute as many as I could.

Jenn