Felt or Mesh Filter Socks, which to use?

[grouper therapy]

Acroholic;874311 wrote: Not sure Dave, but I do get uneaten food pulled from the socks many times when I rinse, recognizable in the form I put it into the tank (flake, mysis, etc).

Probably some decay always going on, but undoubtedly a lot less than if I left the socks in all the time, did nothing, and all that accumulation just sat there turning into nitrate for days on end. No one can eliminate organic decay in a reef, of course, but we can limit it with mechanical filtration, protein skimming, etc. Not like I need to school you on anything reef related!

I look at filter socks like a prefilter in a pool. You will get some stuff that is already rotten, some stuff that is partway, and some stuff that is still good. No way to avoid it. But whatever you pull out, it is better than leaving it in and letting it rot, at least where my SPS are concerned.

I don't worry about it as much with my LPS/softy reef. But I am pretty diligent about keeping my SPS tank as low in organics as possible.

Edit:

Exactly. I can't speak for anyone else, but the easier a reef maintenance chore is to do, the likelier I am to do it.

I'm lucky enough to have all my 465 gallon reef equipment in a separate room behind the display, and doing chores with the stuff out in the open it so much easier than getting on all fours with your head in a cabinet under the tank.

I agree with you on the changing them frequently. I'm not sure it would not be better to run them over nite and change them out the next day and maybe skip a day. Especially with the turnover rates in most systems. My thinking is that it would remove the organics that might be at that decay point or newer. Not sure. I will have to think on this one. I agree with the mesh for your goal in using socks:up:

 

[acroholic]

grouper therapy;874453 wrote: I agree with you on the changing them frequently. I'm not sure it would not be better to run them over nite and change them out the next day and maybe skip a day. Especially with the turnover rates in most systems. My thinking is that it would remove the organics that might be at that decay point or newer. Not sure. I will have to think on this one. I agree with the mesh for your goal in using socks:up:

Well, if you come up with anything, please post and let me know.

I have another reason for regular rinsing I forgot to add. One other side effect of clogged filter socks is that it will accumulate extra water in the sump, because as the water level in the sock area rises, the ATO will kick on and fill to replace what is lost in the return section. I use a kalk stirrer, so if this gets extreme, I can somewhat spike the KH and to a lesser degree the pH of the tank water. This is not the major concern for regular rinsing and replacing of filter socks, but lends a further degree of stability to the tank chemistry and keeps the KH of the water a bit more level within whatever daily high/low range it usually takes.