I was planning on adding a reef mat 1200 to my 180 build but am starting to consider leaving the filter sock setup and using filter cups and poly-fill. The tank is a Pro Star 230g. The sump has six filter sock holes. I am dialing back on corals and focusing more on fish until my kids get a little older. I do feed a little heavy and will probably stock a little heavy. Which would you do? Should I order filter cups for $120 and deal with poly-fill every other day or get the expensive reef mat and order the off brand refills?
Filter cups vs fleece roller?
- Thread starter childers
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Roller mat all the way, I have the 1200 myself
I have a clarisea and will never go back to socks.
Roller Mat without a doubt
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On a fish heavy system, filter rollers probably th best bet. Get gunk annd poop out before it breaks down. If you have 6 filter slots, you probably will be using lots of filters though. Slowing your return pump and also splitting your drain will help…. I’ll probably quite this hobby if the filter roller isn’t optional for me. I hated replacing them.
The return is a Jebao DCP 15000 on a 1" line that drops to 30mm right before the bulkhead and splits to two return nozzles. It's got two 1" drains but they are the same height at the overflow. I was wondering about taking just one to the reef mat and letting the dump in the sump to save money but I think both into the reef mat would be a cleaner tank. I've been battling hair algae since may 2025 because I didn't clean a frag well enough and am lazy with filter socks.
I want to plumb it like this guy did. The other thing I am unsure of is if I need gate valves. They are $68 each. I did just check BRS and saw they are $47 right now. Would I need one or two if were use them?
I want to plumb it like this guy did. The other thing I am unsure of is if I need gate valves. They are $68 each. I did just check BRS and saw they are $47 right now. Would I need one or two if were use them?
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Filter cups are evil....
This is the original plumbing diagram and I don't see any valves, but I see and have read a lot of people advocating for the gate valves. If I have a DC pump that I cant dial back, do they actually do anything?
